Jaeger Rifle question?

[Ralph Meisse]

Hi All, I have a nice Jaeger rifle that I have owned for quite a few years and never shot. Bought it because it was pretty and it felt good in my hands. Well, I'm getting up in years and figure if I soon don't take it hunting, I may not get a chance. Anyway, my eyes ain't the best anymore and I was wondering is they used peep sights on any of these Jaeger guns and if they did, where could I find one? This thing is a big bore and I think it would do a good job on deer here in Pa..

 

[Zonie]

Of all the Jaeger rifles shown in George Shumway's book, "JAEGER RIFLES", not one of them has a peep sight. Several of them had flip up open rear sight leaf's for shooting at longer ranges.

German target rifles did have peep sights but not their hunting rifles.

If you are not already doing this, measure the distance from your eye to the front sight on your rifle.
Then, taking your tape measure along, go to your local drug store or super market and look for some cheap reading glasses.

Measure the distance from your eye to a box on the shelf, finding something that is at a similar distance as the one you measured on your gun sight.

Pick the LOWEST power glasses they have that show the writing on the box clearly and buy them.

Wearing these glasses, shoulder your Jaeger and study the front sight. It should be fairly clear.

Now, go to a place where you can see for long distances.
Using your glasses, figure out how far you will be able to see a 6 inch diameter object clear enough to recognize it and remember the distance.

That will give you a good idea for the max range you should limit your shots to.

Happy hunting.

 

[Larry Akers]

Aint it fun to get old? You are my age so I'm assuming you wear glasses. If so you might try one of those clip-on discs with small holes in them. There are also some with adjustable irises--Merit comes to mind. They all work by increasing the depth of field. A piece of electrical tape with a small hole punched in it and stuck to your lens will work too.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'd find an extra-long tang screw that fit my rifle, and I'd heat the head and hammer it into the shape one finds on the top of a Crown Bolt. Then with the addition of a nut between it and the tang to give you the tension that you need, you'd have a flat disc that you can then drill a 1/16 or 3/32 hole in and there's your peep sight. I've seen folks take a washer, and silver solder it into the groove in the top of a tang bolt, but it would be my luck that the joint would be weak, and the disc would fall off when I was hunting, so it's simpler to silver solder, but depending on your karma.....the first option is more durable...

I suppose you could epoxy a washer into the slot on your current tang bolt, and remove it later???

LD

 

[blackdog of vt]

I have seen quite a few jaeger rifles (flint and wheel lock)with peep sights, Spanish, Turkish and Germanic. Some with vertically strung holes for elevation. You have to remember just because a certain book doesn't have doesn't mean anything. The Lancaster rifle book has one and it's not a target rifle. Roman ballistas had them and so did medieval crossbows so it isn't anything new.

I use brass dovetailed on the back of the barrel so it can be drifted like a normal sight like this onehttp://bdarms.blogspot.com/2014/07/mid-18th-century-rifle.html
Simple to install and cheap to make. It keeps the sight about the same distance from the eye and an m1 garand sight. MBS also sells the johnson peep which hangs off the gun close to the eye, they work real nice and have aperatures.

 

[Ralph Meisse]

Hey Brother Blackdog, what does MBS stand for.

 

[blackdog of vt]

Muzzleloader Builders supply :hatsoff:

This link should work better too http://bdarms.blogspot.com/2014/07/mid-18th-century-rifle.html

 

[Ralph Meisse]

That link worked better. Nice looking gun there. Thanks for the info.

 

[tecum-tha]

Jaeger rifles (wrong word anyways) were used as hunting rifles as well as for target shooting. When there was less hunting and more target shooting in the later years, a target peep sight was added. It was usually a square post sight with a square hole through the top wrist plate. The sight could just be stuck in the hole and taken out if required. This version is currently not available, but shows the square post and is built to represent a correct early sight:

http://stifters-gunflints.de/shop/...hieber_Diopter_aus_gefrastem_Stahl.php&v=n304

I would get one with exchangeable peep plates. You can use a bigger peep hole for hunting and a smaller peep hole for targets.

Or just install that as your rear sight and see if it works: https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/883/1/RS-CA-PEEP-16

For hunting PC is not important. And you can easily replace it back to a correct sight. Cheapest way, too. Just make little scratch markers into your current open sight and on the barrel, that makes it a breeze to change back and forth and is the traditional method to mark different sights. Since your rifle is most likely curly maple, there is not much PC about it anyways.

 

[Ralph Meisse]

Thanks Tecum. I kinda like the rear sight with peep hole in it. I have to check them out. I am used to using a 45 Kentucky for deer, how do you think this 62 cal will work on them? A lot of times the 45 doesn't leave a good blood trail when there is no snow on the ground.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Again, Zonie nailed it.
But, with an exception. This is very much a do yer own thang game. Peeps can be used on hunting rifles. A peeper is what built the Lyman company. A rear peeper with a post front, preferably shaded with a globe, will make an excellent hunting sight. With practice, it will be as fast to get on target as an open. Methinks the Johnson sight will be perfect for you.
https://www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/mbs3cart/agora.cgi?next=25&product=Sights
scroll down on right.

 

[Ralph Meisse]

Thanks Rifleman, I will have to try to make my mind up which one will work best for me.

 

[excess650]

I am used to using a 45 Kentucky for deer, how do you think this 62 cal will work on them? A lot of times the 45 doesn't leave a good blood trail when there is no snow on the ground.

.62 hits like a sledgehammer!
This one dropped on the spot.



This one was double lunged with a .58 and ran about 25 yards before dropping dead.

 

[Ralph Meisse]

Whoaaaa I wanna come hunt with you Excess. Two nice ones there.

 

[Ralph Meisse]

If you don't mind my asking Excess, what load do you use for whitetail?

 

[excess650]

Those were both taken with PRB and 100gr Goex fffg. Both the .58 and .62 shot better groups with fffg than with ffg. The "little .58" has a 32" tapered 1-56" barrel, and the .62 a 28-1/2" 1-66" Colerain Hessian Jaeger barrel.

The buck taken with the .62 was an old one. Compare the size of his head with the buttstock and Chambers early Germanic lock. I didn't realize how big this old mountain buck was until I tried to drag him.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Every deer I have ever killed with an ml rifle was with a .45 cal. they dropped within two steps. Blood trail not needed. For the record, I use prb and 65 gr. real black powder.

 

[Zonie]

I have seen quite a few jaeger rifles (flint and wheel lock)with peep sights, Spanish, Turkish and Germanic. Some with vertically strung holes for elevation. You have to remember just because a certain book doesn't have doesn't mean anything.

Right you are but if there are quite a few jaeger rifles out there with peep sights on them, I would think I might have seen at least one in a book with over 64 different rifles shown.

I might add that among the 4 real Jaeger's I've seen, none of them had peep sights or provisions for ever having peep sights mounted on them.

 

[blackdog of vt]

64 out of thousands isn't great odds. That's how easily incomplete information gets spread and there is enough of that in this hobby. The book I mentioned has two early 18th century jaegerbuechse in it and one does have a peep so does that mean 50% of them had them? Obviously not. Even if its a few out of a million, that is good enough to do it now without being jumped for it.

I've also come across an english sporting flintlock with a peep so add that to the list too. If you have only seen 4 jaegerbuechse google is your friend.