Peep sight for longrifle?

[Travis Gregory]

I have recently seen a couple longrifles with peep sights mounted at the rear of the barrel in front of the tang. They were dovetailed into the barrel itself. My question is where can i find one.

 

[nkbj]

Older eyes waiting on the answer myself.

 

[Billnpatti]

If I were going to look for such a thing, I would look at Williams Gun Sights to see if they had something that would work. Another place would be Dixie Gun Works or possibly Track of The Wolf or The Log Cabin Shop. I have a peep sight for my T/C Hawken but it was made specifically for that rifle and I bought it from T/C.

 

[Dphar]

I have recently seen a couple longrifles with peep sights mounted at the rear of the barrel in front of the tang. They were dovetailed into the barrel itself. My question is where can i find one.

If you want a TRADITIONAL one then some competent gunsmith will have to make it. The modern stuff is too, well, modern....
There are options.
The "lollipop" tang sight.

I made this for my match rifle.

If you just want a peep sight get one that accepts interchangeable eyecups. Hunting will require a larger aperture than target work and even targets in varying light may need a larger aperture.
Dan

 

[Travis Gregory]

The one I seen recently was on a rifle Danny Caywood built. It seemed to be pretty simple. It was dovetailed into the barrel and could b drifted for windage. The peep itself was a circle on the end of a machine screw that was tapped into the dovetail base and could be screwed up or down to adjust elevation. At least that is how it looked from what I could tell of the photo. I dont know if he made it or bought it somewhere.

 

[mzloder]

The old T/C tang-mounted peeps are the best I've seen for most applications, though if you're doing serious target shooting you'll want something like the Lyman. I wish T/C still made those sights!! Lately, I've been contemplating a Marbles tang sight for my Renegade (old diabetic eyes). :idunno:

 

[BillinOregon]

Dan, that is a handsome and functional match sight you built. Wish I had a small fraction of your skills.
The various lollipops were widely used and popular early in the percussion era, according the Ned Roberts in "The Muzzleloading Caplock Rifle."

 

[Spikebuck]

If you search for "peep sight" on this forum, you'll find this conversation along with pictures many members have posted as this discussion comes up about every week. Some members have made some very nice and unobtrusive peeps.

One that has been shown (NO elevation or windage, so you'd have to do all that with the front) is from Muzzleloader's Builder's Supply. See the Johnson Peep Sight on this page.
http://www.muzzleloaderbuilderssup...i?cart_id=4322467.5401&next=25&product=Sights

No reason one couldn't mount this to a dovetail and get windage adjustment out of it. In addition, since the base is quite long, if one drilled and tapped a small hole just in front of the aperature on the base, one could use a very small set screw to "lift" the rear of the peep a little and also provide some elevation adjustment. Might want the brass version to be assured the base would bend a little bit. It's not "springy", so I think care would be needed if one did this as it wouldn't just go back down if the set screw was backed off.

Another very unobstrusive version I've found is from Skinner Peep Sights. Depending on the version, you can get just elevation adjustment or also windage:
http://www.skinnersights.com/index.html

Both of these have the ability to interchange the aperature size for hunting or target.

 

[davec2]

Some time back I was perusing photos of a large bore English rifle built by one of my favorite contemporary makers, Stephen Alexander.  This rifle had a rear "ghost ring" sight mounted very close to the breech which peaked my interest.  I made up some dummy sights and glued them to the barrel of a build I am working on and I love the sight picture through them.  In querying Stephen on the rear sight, he told me that this type of sight was frequently used on Turkish flint firearms and on some English and Continental ones as well.  

 

[Rokon]

Ron Warnock makes both open notch and aperture sights along the lines of the old P.I. Spence design.

Great sights at an affordable price.

Ron Warnock
122 Church St.
Reesville, OH 45166

 

[Rokon]

Is Stephen Alexander still making ML's?

I got to know him here in Tucson where he worked closely with Lynton McKenzie.

After he moved, I understood that he had stopped making guns.

Incredible craftsman!

 

[Spikebuck]

Quite similar to one offered by Track of the Wolf, except the smaller dovetail footprint of the one you show would be better, I would think, when on the breach like that.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/881/1/RS-CA-PEEP-16

When drilling holes or putting a dovetail virtually over the breach area, how much metal needs to be left to be completely safe? I'd imagine that the tiny footprint of a 6-40 screw, for instance could be a little deeper than dovetailing.

 

[Pete44ru]

.

I just used the full buckhorn rear bbl sight on my longrifle as a peep sight, which worked very well, indeed.

.

 

[mzloder]

Aye, Pete, THAT's the way to use a buckhorn sight!!