new sight for 54 TC flintlock

[ebiggs1]

I put new sights on the TC Hawken 54 cal last weekend. I had put a primitive sight on and it shot about 8” low at 50 yards. Not being adjustable and no amount of filing the front sight would have brought it on target, I looked for a different sight(s). This sight works well and I just love the sight picture it presents.
I have stopped filing sights and prefer to shoot the guns and remember the sight picture I see for that distance. Works for me. Here is a picture.

 

I like the rear sight but you will probably have better luck with the front sight if you turn it around.
Mark :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

I like the rear sight but you will probably have better luck with the front sight if you turn it around.
Mark :thumbsup:

Interesting you should mention that...and not challenging your comment at all...I've just puzzled over the fact that front sights on a lot of muzzleloaders that get built are positioned as you suggest...never understood it...just went along with it (as a concession to wearing Gore-Tex in the rain :wink: ).

But frankly, the way the sight is positioned in the photo is the way front sights are installed on millions upon millions of guns...with the long slope catching a lot of light for the shooter.

Would it really do better if it was turned around...or is it really just an HC thing?

 

[longcruise]

I think it is the HC thing. If you look at the old guns (or pics in my case) you will see that it is the "correct" way to mount a front sight. Like yourself, I don't see why.

 

[Stubert]

I have the same front sight,(mounted properly) and when shooting, I only see a small point of reflected light,almost like using a front bead. You might have issues seeing too much light on the sight that way, which may keep you from getting a consistant sight picture in varying light.

 

[ebiggs1]

I looked at several pictures of rifles and could not figure out why they mounted the sight backwards! But maybe it is I that have it backwards but this is the way I like it and the way it will stay. I am not particulary a HC guy anyways, so please be kind!

 

If it works for you then by all means it is correct! HC is one thing, getting satisfactory results from what you use is another.
Mark :thumbsup:

 

[ebiggs1]

Mark,
I must confess. The sight was too long to fit on the TC barrel where the dovetail was placed. If installed the ”correct” way it was a gnat’s hair from sticking past the end of the barrel. Unencumbered by the thought process, as I often am, I merely switched it around.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Give yourself a break. It's called problem solving. :hatsoff:

 

[Melton Kidd]

I am not trying to change anyone's mind about anything. You can put your sight any way you want and you all know it. That said, a flat vertical sight will give the most precise sight picture. Some materials are easier to see than others. IE the gold bead front sight on a lot of older rifles, even some target pistols. I personally find a small piece of ivory, as a bead, to be the easiest to see in dim light. I haven even used a piece of fluorescent orange plastic when I wanted a sight I could pick up in a hurry.

Try the vertical sight, you may find that you like it. Even a HC sight can be, within 2 or 3%, vertical.

Mel