ML Sights--Why Buckhorn & Bead?

[Swampman]

"Open sights must be that- OPEN! No globe front sights, no shaders(hoods over the front or rear sights), no peep sights. Some rules require the rear sight be located a certain minimum distance from the eye to prevent " cheating"."

As it should be.

 

[Cosmoline]

Well I guess it comes down to preference. Personally I'm going with my standard sourdough front and a low, wide express style rear for the Kodiak. Even I can't damage those :grin:

 

[deanscamaro]

But, in my years of representing crooks, I have found that a certain number of people like to " cheat " because they enjoy the thrill of getting away with something, even if it has no value. I call them " thrill Junkies", because they are just as surely hooked on this as anyone who uses illegal drugs.

That "....representing crooks,....." sounds like you are a lawyer. Please don't tell me that is true. Just kidding. I appreciate your taking the time to explain the general rules. That helps, especially the one about peeps. I am just getting ready to take my first guns out to try them and don't want to put something on them that might restrict me later.

:bow:

 

[deanscamaro]

I pulled up your articles you mentioned were at Guns and Shooting Online. I especially liked the one on recoil, as I have a 50 caliber, am a newbie who hasn't shot my pistol or rifle yet and have had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders. I will try your method.
:bow:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Just stick with lighter loads. My brother met a man shooting at his range with a MLer, whose shot could hardly be heard. Pete went down and noticed the man's 25 yard target had a nice group in the center of the bullseye. He asked him what kind of powder and load he was using. I believe the man had a .50 caliber rifle, and he was using only 27.5 grains of FFFg Black Powder in the gun. My brother commented that this was a rather light load. The man said, "

Hey! The ball only has to pierce paper to score, doesn't it?" Then he explained that he zeroed his rifle to hit dead on at 100 yards. Since he didn't want to have to hold over or under, or change his sight if he got a shot closer, he worked out lighter loads for 75, 50, and 25 yards that put the ball in the center of the target at those distances, without moving his " 100 yd" sight setting. That is why he was shooting only 27,5 grains of FFFg powder at 25 yards.

The last thing you need is to be pounding on that rotator cuff with anything. So be nice to yourself. Let the healthy young bucks shoot the elephant killing loads. Then you won't need to use the advice I give in my article to control recoil.

And, don't ever hesitate to replace a factory buttplate with a recoil pad made of sorbuthane, to protect that shoulder when you do choose to shoot heavier charges. Its your gun. You can keep the original buttplate, and put that back on the stock if you want to sell the gun. NOthing having to do with shooting anything is worth reinjuring your rotator cuff, and going through the surgery and convalescence to recover the use of your arm and shoulder.

 

[renovato]

The real problem with the rear, " buckhorn" sight for most shooters is that the notch is too small. For daytime shooting, on a sunny range day, shooting at black bullseye against a white, or off-white background, its fine. But for hunting, the notch needs to let daylight on the sides of the "bead "front sight.

That's one of my biggest gripes with it too. I've been hesitant to open it up any though, because so far, I'm only using it for target shooting and the narrow slot does allow for very precise alignment. The horns are distracting too, but that comes with the territory I guess.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Plink: I used to think it was best to leave the notch alone, until clouds rolled in one day and I was having a harder time seeing my front sight in the " Precise " little notch. I finally got mad- mostly at my failing eyesight-- and opened the notch up. I find I can align the sight just as accurately with the wider notch.

I have since opened the notches on other sights, and done much trial and error, and find target accuracy is not hurt with the wider notch. I thought it may be solely MY eyes, but I asked some other shooters to try my guns, and even the best of them, with great eyesight, remarked how much nicer it was to see more " daylight " on the sides of the front sight, with my wider notch, than they experienced with the narrow notch. Some of them wanted to open their own sights, but were afraid to trust their own hands to do the file work necessary, fearing they would screw it up.

For quick sight acquisition in iffy lighting conditions, I paint, or file a verticle line in the center of the back of the rear sight, to use to align the rear sight with the front sight blade. I long ago learned how to concentrate on an imaginary line down the middle of my front sight blade, as a revolver shooter, and I use the same thing with rifles, to avoid windage errors.

When I was cutting playing cards on edge, or splitting my ball on the edge of an axe to break two targets with one ball, in exhibitions, windage became far more a concern than elevation issues. The wider notch, and that center line helped me do the " tricks " and please the crowds.

I laughed the other day seeing a rerun on the History channel when they had Bill Oglesby do these shots, and described them as very difficult shots. If you are interested in doing this kind of trick shooting, read my article on Off-hand and Trick Shooting under Member Resources on the Index page, here. I give away the " secrets" to doing these "difficult" shots.

 

[redwing]

:hmm: :youcrazy: :shake: :nono: :rotf:

 

[deanscamaro]

I appreciate your feedback Paul______ :rotf: (I do that because I get into a message and can never remember how to spell your name). It makes me feel better about my fast twist rifle. I plan on keeping the loads down, because I am not a hunter anymore and just want to punch some paper.
:hatsoff:

 

[Little Wattsy]

Just to clarify, by "bead" I don't mean a shotgun bead (a brass bead stuck at the end of the barrel). Those are fine for their purpose. I mean the brass bead sights where there's an extremely thin blade supporting the bead, like this Williams:
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=374799&t=11082005

One smack on the side and that thing will bend or break. In contrast, the actual antique ml rifle sights I've seen have been far more simple, with just a stout blade and basic notch in the rear. Sometimes they don't even have a rear sight. I'm very doubtful the ornate blade & bead/buckhorn combination ever saw much use in the 18th & 19th century hunting field. It's a target sight through and through.

To give the dog its due I recently put one on and imediately, after leaning the gun agenst the shooting table while unpacking the other "stuff", droped it. It landed sqare on the bead on the concrete floor. after sever seconds of blue streak :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: I realized that NO HARM WAS DONE. It took the hit VERY well. A cople of little nicks in the metal that filed out and you would never know. It did NOT bend at all.

 

[Cosmoline]

I guess I'm just rough on firearms. Everyone "blade and bead" front sight I've had I've managed to mangle. The patridge/sourdough is better for me. For one thing I can actually *see* it, and it's tough as nails.

 

Ok, it's been a long day. Why can I NOT find your article?

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you go to the Index page for this forum, and scroll down past the first part about the forum, to " Member Resources", and then down to " Articles, Charts, and Links", click on ' Articles". Then Click on articles again, and you will find have a list of the three articles by Title/subject. The first one is on Shooting & Tuning Locks. The second is on Controlling Heavy Recoil, and the Third on Off-hand and Trick Shooting.

If you have any questions, send me a PM, and I will gladly help.