Got Out Shooting The Zouave A Little Yesterday!

[HiDesertHunter]

Hadn't shot it in a while so I got out for a bit.

Minor problem however (self inflicted) I took the sight off of it to experiment on another gun and put a temp on the Zouave.

It is some kind of cheap aluminum buckhorn I got somewhere so I put it on. Unfortunately it's a bit too high and even on the lowest setting it was still shooting about 6" high.

I need to either put the original sight back on it or maybe move on to something different such as a peep style - which I have on several other rifles already. Considering a basic Skinner dovetailed, barrel mount style.

 

[Treestalker]

Congratulations ! I just got out my Zouave carbine (26" barrel) which I had stored in the trunk of my car in a gun case. UH OH! It had started to pick up some light rust around the lock area and down the exposed part of the barrel. I immediately sprayed it with Rem Oil and brushed it with 4/0 steel wool, it cleaned up ok. No more storing in the sleeve! I'm looking for ideas for a new rear sight, suggestions welcome. Thanks for your post!

 

[Blaze]

The sights on my Zouave are not great either, but I have found that a PRB shoots much better than mini's. I've managed two deer with it albeit many years ago. My Zouave is an Antonio Zoli if I recall correctly.

 

[HiDesertHunter]

I'm looking for ideas for a new rear sight, suggestions welcome.

Yea mine is a Euroarms and for an 'econo' repro I was quite impressed when I first got it. Pretty nice wood, good bluing and all parts fit well and tightly fitted.

When I first got it I had a dovetail cut in the rear and with the help of a machinist friend we machined a dovetail adaptor for the front so I could put 'real' sights on it as opposed to the correct for the rifle (but terrible for any accuracy) sights that came with it. I knew i would be hunting with it and wanted the best accuracy I could get and it has never failed and shoots very accurately with either round balls or hollow base conicals.

For many years it has has a simple marble's flip up on the rear which worked very well, but I am now thinking of some sort of barrel mount aperture sight.

I would never do anything like this on any original or a higher end reproduction but in this case it was an 'economy' rifle with no intrinsic or collector value and the modification really 'pulled' the potential accuracy out of the rifle!

 

[Treestalker]

Yea mine is a Euroarms and for an 'econo' repro I was quite impressed when I first got it. Pretty nice wood, good bluing and all parts fit well and tightly fitted.

When I first got it I had a dovetail cut in the rear and with the help of a machinist friend we machined a dovetail adaptor for the front so I could put 'real' sights on it as opposed to the correct for the rifle (but terrible for any accuracy) sights that came with it. I knew i would be hunting with it and wanted the best accuracy I could get and it has never failed and shoots very accurately with either round balls or hollow base conicals.

For many years it has has a simple marble's flip up on the rear which worked very well, but I am now thinking of some sort of barrel mount aperture sight.

I would never do anything like this on any original or a higher end reproduction but in this case it was an 'economy' rifle with no intrinsic or collector value and the modification really 'pulled' the potential accuracy out of the rifle!

Did you make the rear dovetail in that original square sight slot in the rear of the barrel? IIRC it has one side 'dovetailed', and cutting a matching one on the other side of the square would seem an easy way to achieve a good dovetail, if it isn't too wide. Will the dovetail so achieved fit a Marbles or other factory rear sight? Thanks in advance!

 

[HiDesertHunter]

Did you make the rear dovetail in that original square sight slot in the rear of the barrel?

This is correct. I had a friend who was a gunsmith and knew exactly what I wanted to do so we measured and determined by cutting a matching angle on the other side kept it within the specs for a typical 3/8" dovetail.

Will the dovetail so achieved fit a Marbles or other factory rear sight?

Yes it does as I mentioned for many years a Marble's flip up was on the rifle until recently I took it off to experiment with it on another rifle.

I installed a Buckhorn on it temporarily to be able to shoot it and am considering some sort of a barrel mounted aperture sight - which I might make as well.

Below is the Marble's flip up I used for many years on my Zouave and it worked very well and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an inexpensive, but quality and effective rear sight. The new style now has a windage adjustment so no 'drifting' is required!

 

[Treestalker]

Thank You, Sir! I am going to do the same on the rear slot and install something that works and set it up for hunting. I have moulds for round ball and original style minnie, and hope to achieve decent hunting accuracy with both. I had to shorten the barrel on my Zoli Z. because the weight is too much for my partly paralyzed left arm. The 26" barrel on my Zoli is about the limit. Thanks again for making the path forward clear!

 

[HiDesertHunter]

You are welcome!

The blade on the Marble's is not the original as it would not adjust up high enough to raise POI so it was either change the front sight or make a new blade.

Well I really like the front sight and making a taller blade was free so a taller blade it was!

 

[RjSixgun]

Many people in the N-ssa just order a rear sight blank and cut a new grove or peep sight, as for the front most cut a dovetail and install a new front sight that looks like the original. Some will file off the front sight down to the block then cut the block to accept a blade and cross pin it.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

FWIW my brother and I both have Zouaves by Zoli and they can be more accurate (ragged 1-hole groups @ 50-yards) with Minies than with patched/roundball loads ... IF the Minie is matched the barrel correctly.

We’re using Mines from The Cast Bullet Shop sized (sizer die by Lodgewood) 0.002” under the bore size and 2Fg loads around 60-grains, as YOU need to determine the best load.

Few well ... and they will shoot!

 

[toot]

they have been around for years & are still getting lead down range!

 

[HiDesertHunter]

Well I came up with a great sight idea!
I coupled a Williams WDOS dovetail sight base with a aperture blade and Voila!
A barrel mount peep sight!

 

[Blaze]

I really never thought about changing the sights on my Zouave. Just kept my shooting distance at a comfortable range, not more than 50 yrs or so.
I may have to reconsider though.

 

[HiDesertHunter]

After eye surgery a few years ago things changed and I needed something that would better clear the sight 'picture' and that's when I started experimenting with aperture sights for all my rifles.

This particular scenario only came about today when I was messing with an old Williams dovetail sight base and realized the aperture mount off of another Williams sight would probably work and it did perfectly!

So I need to order another aperture mount for the rifle I took it off of but that's ok because I am really impressed with the sight picture I now have on the Zouave - and will most likely go shooting tomorrow !