Chunk Gun Sights

[Doc Will]

Looking for some advice from the Chunk Gun builders and shooters. I will be building and shooting a 45cal; 1 1/4 inch; 42 inch long barrel; configured with underhammer lock. What type, size, and height of sights would you experienced chunk gun builders recommend?

Keep Yer Powder Dry :thumbsup:

 

[quinnconner]

I am anxious to see the replies for this post.It seems like chunk guns and benchrest rifles dont get a lot of attention on here.I love shooting bench, and I hope to shoot a chunk gun match one of these days.I have two underhammers ,one for bench with peep sights and the other with an octogon barrel that I need to put sights on.... Hope you get some answers!
J.J.

 

[Poor Boy]

I've seen everything from tang mounted mid/long range soule type rear sights, to redfield olympic/palma/international..Front are usually Lyman #17 style or hooded post....It's whatever your eyes can see....Height?....depends on the range.For chunk,I believe it's about 10 rods.
Good luck, Olson

 

[faw3]

It may be just me that cant pull it up , but about a month or so back we had a perc thread on bench rifles that said a lot,had a great pic of guys in overalls ,you have to have those on to shoot you know,? and other stuff,I thought chunk was open fixed sights, other than that I ditto above posting. :hatsoff: Fred

 

[Wehrmacht]

My chunkgun has the standard notch rear and post or blade front sight. Both are hooded with about 8 inch hoods. Mine is a typical Pennsylvania Blue Mountain Chunkgun.

The chunkgun matches that I am familiar with require open iron sights (hoods OK) and no receiver or peep sights or tang mounted sights.

 

[Bookie]

Doc, here is the information that was passed on to me by my friend, Lowell Gard, a.k.a. "Bevel Up" when I was building my own over the log rifle. Your dark colored front sight blade needs to be 1/4" tall and 3/32" wide. The rear sight needs to have a flat top as wide as you can get. The notch is square and .040 wide. When aiming, the tops of both sites should be at the same level. Shades are used. There should be a tiny glimmer of light on each side of the front blade when you are looking through the rear notch. The front sight blade needs to appear to be the same width as the sighting object on your target when it is posted at 60 yards. Use a 6 o'clock hold on the object. We are using .50 cals. and load 90-91 grains of FFG under a .495 ball inside a lubed denium or pillow ticking patch that is .015-.018 thick. This info is hanging in my shop for all visitors to see. Does it work? Take a look at my target and prize for match No. 1 at last October's shoot below. Cheers, Bookie

 

[RedFeather]

A while back I bought an underhammer that I first thought was a shotgun. No, the shopkeeper said as he hefted it over the display cases. It's an H&A with a round 1" barrel in, I believe, .45. Weighs a good bit and is hard to hold offhand. What got me were the sights - a very short blade front and simple standing rear as described above. Has an H&A butt stock like the old Heritage model but a different patchbox and a home made forend that is a bit beavertail. I'm thinking now this may have been someone's bench gun, although it doesn't have the long barrel. It's marked Hopkins & Allen on the top. Again, round barrel, not octagon.

 

[Bookie]

Red Feather, it sounds like a regular H&A underhammer rifle of the large size. They were made that big, but not for bench shooting. The sights and even the forearm sound factory issued. The rifle was usually severly plain (butt ugly is a better word, but shot like aillion dollars) and I confess that I have never seen a factory issued patch box on one of their guns. Bookie

 

[faw3]

Nice shot! thats at 60yds? My 48" H+A will do that at 50, with the apt front sight , lol pop rear, and a Ton of LUCK! But really thats a great shot you made. Fred :thumbsup:

 

[RedFeather]

Bookie, I first thought it was a Numrich barrel on an H&A Heritage but then saw the H&A line on it. The forend is definetly not factory. Has some plain but well-done brass inlay work and there is what looks like a steel button in the very tip. Actually it's a little handmade vent pick. The ramrod, which is more like a handmade wooden wiping rod, is held under the barrel by just a round thimble that is soldered on. I was only familiar with their octagonal bench model. Will try to get some pix tomorrow.

 

[Doc Will]

Gentlemen, Thanks so much for the great information. Bookie I think thats what they call a true "spider"...great shootin. :bow: I had thought of another question. What is allowed as far as ram rod thimbles go. I was thinking about not installing any on this underhammer, but a guy in our club thought there was a rule that chunk guns had to have functioning ram rod thimbles. I will be using a range rod and really have no need for thimbles. Any thoughts in this issue?
Doc Will
Keep Yer Powder Dry

 

[gmww]

I'm new to the term Chunk gun so forgive my ignorance. By definition what constitutes a Chunk gun? I just bought an Underhammer with a 1 1/8" across the flats barrel that is 36" long. It is a .50 cal. with a post front sight and a Lyman rear sight mounted on the frame. Darn thing is heavy. You can see it on my post in the Percussion section. Underhammer post

 

[Zonie]

IMO, it's a gun that's to dam heavy to be shot off hand so it's layed on a chunk of wood (like a fallen down tree) and fired that way.

It sounds like your underhammer might qualify.

These boys are real serious about their accuracy when it comes to shooting and more than a few can make targets like the incredible one shown up above.

 

[Bookie]

Doc, I must say that I know of no rule about thimbles. I have seen from 0 to 3 thimbles installed. My Diana only has one as the leveling foot serves as the other. Examine my website for photos of her. That target photo was my very first spider. (my head really swelled up on that one :grin: ) If I build another, it won't have any thimbles on it. Cheers, Bookie

 

[Bookie]

GMWW, your rear sight would prohibit you from using the rifle as a chunk gun. The rules state that they must be traditiional, non-adjustable sights. Since your TRADITIONAL main spring serves as the trigger guard, it IS O.K. for chunk gunning as where the underhammers that have an internal main spring are not. So, just get you an old iron flat-top on the rear and you're ready for most any over the log match. One exception to the rules: Several of the smaller shoots will allow first timers to use whatever rifle they have FOR ONE TIME ONLY. They must be up to snuff for the next shoot. Bookie

 

[RedFeather]

Bookie,
Here's some, admittedly, awful pix of my underhammer. Will try to get better ones as soon as I figure the camera out. She's got a 32" straight round barrel that's 1 1/8" with a bore bore miking .45:

(Custom nipple prick)

The rear blade stands pretty tall with a deeply squared notch, while the front sight looks like an afterthought. That's why I felt it was used for fixed-range benchwork. It's hard to hold offhand due to the forward weight. You can see why when I first spied it leaning in a stack of rifles I thought it was a shotgun!

Any idea what she is? Lots of handmade brassware and that patchbox isn't the old egg-shaped one I'm familiar with. But barrel is marked Numrich Arms / Hopkins & Allen / West Hurley.

Thanks-in-advance,

RedFeather

 

[Bookie]

Red Feather, the sights you show in your photographs are fine for chunk gunning. H&A made large off hand rifles such as yours. There are many originals out there in collections that are even larger. The front sight blade is a replacement. Your brass work appears to be someone's idea of custom gunsmithing. All in all, I'd say you have a good starting out over the log gun. Make you up some sighter targets and get out there and practice. You know, the object of over the log shooting is not so much of how good of a shot you are, but more like how good (read consistant) your rifle is. If it will shoot into the exact same spot, you will be able to place your target for record behind the sighter target and make "spiders", so what are you waitin' fer?? Cheers, Bookie

 

[Bookie]

Oops. I forgot. That custom nail is the very first one I've ever seen. :grin: Any idea what it's for? Bookie

 

[RedFeather]

Oops. I forgot. That custom nail is the very first one I've ever seen. :grin: Any idea what it's for? Bookie

Pickin' your teeth after cutting the center out, if yer man enuff? :grin: Seriously, I believe it's a nipple prick for cleaning. Looks like it started out life as one of those nails with a lip below the head for hanging things on. Yeah, the brass work's a bit primitive, but I'm not complaining as the inletting is right and it wasn't built to MY specs. (Lord knows, it would be a few pounds lighter!) Whoever did the work knew what he was doing and also took very good care of it, as the bore shines like a new dime straight down to the breech plug.

Now, what's a "sighter target" and these spiders? You shoot for a center and then align a new target on top of it?

 

[CoyoteJoe]

[/quote]

Now, what's a "sighter target" and these spiders? You shoot for a center and then align a new target on top of it?[/quote]
A spider is a shot dead center of the X, granted it is a four legged spider.
A sighter target is used so that you have a good aiming point, few people could see that X at more than 20 yards. You first fire sighting shots on your sighter, then place the sighter over the score card so that the center of your shot group will be on the center of the "X".
Your rifle appears to be an original H&A with reworked wood. Those barrels were highly regarded for accuracy in their day.