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sites for my flintlock.......
- Thread starter bob1961
- Start date
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Hold off with cutting your dovetails until you have your sights. You need to know the size of the dovetail on the sight before you cut into the barrel.
What specific sight you need to buy depends on the rifle you are building. It is better to get a taller front sight that you can file down. The tall front sight will make the rifle shoot low and then you can simply file down the sight to bring the impact up.
What rifle are you building?
What books do you have for rifle construction?
What specific sight you need to buy depends on the rifle you are building. It is better to get a taller front sight that you can file down. The tall front sight will make the rifle shoot low and then you can simply file down the sight to bring the impact up.
What rifle are you building?
What books do you have for rifle construction?
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the Grenadier makes good points!
Do not cut anything until you have the sights in hand!
you will want to put the sights on some small refrigerator magnets and move the rear sight back and forth until you get a good sight picture ... this will depend on your eyesight (if you wear glasses when you shoot, then of course you want to wear the glasses when you do your set up). also, if you set the front sight back a bit, you will find the gun easier to load ... more points: you do not want the rear sight at the balance point of the gun. this way, when you carry your rifle, your sight will not be constantly rubbing your hand.
good luck with your project, and remember: patience is a virtue..
Do not cut anything until you have the sights in hand!
you will want to put the sights on some small refrigerator magnets and move the rear sight back and forth until you get a good sight picture ... this will depend on your eyesight (if you wear glasses when you shoot, then of course you want to wear the glasses when you do your set up). also, if you set the front sight back a bit, you will find the gun easier to load ... more points: you do not want the rear sight at the balance point of the gun. this way, when you carry your rifle, your sight will not be constantly rubbing your hand.
good luck with your project, and remember: patience is a virtue..
Get something that is easily replaceable, the sights are the first things to wear out, I think this is metal fatigue, I've had guns for years and before you know it, the sights are fuzzy and almost gone at times.
oh I know not to cut until I have the sites in hand, LOL....the rifle is a 1770 early Lancaster with a rice 42" swamped barrel in .54....I did have pictures here of the build, but it has been 12 years since I started it :idunno: ....
AZbpBurner
54 Cal.
My favorite site for sights is the Track of the Wolf website. They have a good variety of sights and they list base and blade dimensions.
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AZbpBurner said:
and most (if not I remember correctly) of their photos are full size, so you get a good idea of what you're dimensions will be
(by the way AZbpBurner, you're going to pun Hell ... bigtime !!)
:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:walks with gun said:
walks with gun said:
You jest, of course. :haha:
Sights wear out? Never heard of that happening.
Eyes do change with time however. The rear sight is often moved forward as the shooter ages.
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On a swamped barrel, the location of the sights can make a big difference in how tall they need to be. For example if you put the rear sight more forward to help aging eyes, it will need to be taller to compensate for the thinner dia. of the barrel. If the front sight is back aways from the muzzle, it too will need more height.
General rule on a straight barrelled long rifle, start with a rear about 1/16" taller than front. Hopefully, the bore is concentric and the barrel is straight.
Put a straightedge on the barrel and measure the gaps where the sights are going to see what you need to compensate.
General rule on a straight barrelled long rifle, start with a rear about 1/16" taller than front. Hopefully, the bore is concentric and the barrel is straight.
Put a straightedge on the barrel and measure the gaps where the sights are going to see what you need to compensate.
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So if it's the "Golden Age" profile, depending on where you locate your sights could conceivably result in a .070" difference at the rear sight and .031" at the front from bore center line.
Just an fyi, here's a great article on the math behind sight adjustment.
http://www.muzzleblasts.com/archives/vol3no6/articles/mbo36-1.shtml
Just an fyi, here's a great article on the math behind sight adjustment.
http://www.muzzleblasts.com/archives/vol3no6/articles/mbo36-1.shtml
Last edited by a moderator:
Onojutta
45 Cal.
Let me tell you about a lesson I recently learned in locating sites on a swamped flintlock rifle. I used a common basic style rear blade sight with the notch (I forget the actual term for it) and a silver front blade. I positioned the rear sight over the front of the rear ramrod thimble (a little more forward than traditional) because I had heard over and over that this makes it easier to see as your eyes get older, and also because I didn't want it at the balance point where I would carry the rifle.
When I sighted in the rifle, I had to file down the front sight post a lot for elevation. So much so that it looks a lot different than what I started with. I believe the reason for this was the taper of the swamped barrel. By positioning the rear sight more forward, that puts it lower on the barrel, due to the tapering. Because the rear sight was lower, that caused the front blade to need to be that much lower as well.
It's not a big deal, and if I had to do it all over again I think I would still do it the same way, because I really didn't want the rear sight where I would carry the rifle near the balance point, and positioning the rear sight behind the balance point toward the breech would probably make it more difficult to focus. When you look at original rifles, it is common to see a very tiny front sight post, so it I don't think it looks bad the way I have it, but just something to consider when it comes time to sight in your rifle- don't be surprised if you have to file down a lot of material from the front post if you put the rear sight forward like I did (if your barrel is swamped).
When I sighted in the rifle, I had to file down the front sight post a lot for elevation. So much so that it looks a lot different than what I started with. I believe the reason for this was the taper of the swamped barrel. By positioning the rear sight more forward, that puts it lower on the barrel, due to the tapering. Because the rear sight was lower, that caused the front blade to need to be that much lower as well.
It's not a big deal, and if I had to do it all over again I think I would still do it the same way, because I really didn't want the rear sight where I would carry the rifle near the balance point, and positioning the rear sight behind the balance point toward the breech would probably make it more difficult to focus. When you look at original rifles, it is common to see a very tiny front sight post, so it I don't think it looks bad the way I have it, but just something to consider when it comes time to sight in your rifle- don't be surprised if you have to file down a lot of material from the front post if you put the rear sight forward like I did (if your barrel is swamped).
