Rear sight location

[Supercracker]

Hey guys.

What is the recommended location to put a rear sight? I'm getting ready to cut the dovetail on my barrel and realized I hadn't put proper thought into that.

 

[Birddog6]

Have the front sight on first or put a refigerator magnet on the barrel & put the front sight on it. Put a refrig. magnet at the rear sight aprox. location & put the rear sight on it.
Sight the rifle at a light & move the rear sight forward on the barrel til you can see it clearly, then move the rear sight forward 1" past that point & that is where I would put it.

Keith Lisle

 

[Vaino]

The rear sight location isn't determined until all the components are on the gun. Balancing the gun w/ the hand, two choices are normally possible...either ahead or behind the hand and I opt toward the muzzle side of the hand. Of course if having the sight "poking" your hand is OK , then other options are possible....Fred

 

[Bubba45]

Rear sight goes on second to front sight and positioned where front sight is clearest when sighting and mounting gun in a normal shooting position.

As all of us dont have the same vision there is no 'set' position and as most of us get older and our vision weakens moving the rear sight toward the front clears up the sight picture .

 

[Bill Hall]

As all of us dont have the same vision there is no 'set' position and as most of us get older and our vision weakens moving the rear sight toward the front clears up the sight picture .

Yep, the last rifle I built for myself has the rear sight about half way up the barrel. Looks funny, but that's where the old eyes wanted it. Bill

 

[Vaino]

I build mostly "spec" MLers and installing the rear sight on the muzzle side of the hand at the balance point, the rear sight usually ends up above the entry pipe. Buyers of my rifles have complimented me for doing so. Which brings up an interesting question for those builders who make MLers for known customers...do the customers dictate rear sight locations by dimension or by visiting your shop and determining through trial and error just where they want the rear sight?. Just curious....Fred

 

[Birddog6]

I ask them ? inches from the breech & they dictate where it goes. If they are not sure I tell them to shoulder an existing rifle or go look at some & measure the one that they can see the best. Out of the dozens of rifles I have built, I have not had a one be concerned or a complaint of it being where the balance point is. So, apparently sight picture was more important to the people I have built for.

My personal deer rifle has the rear sight right where I carry it. Doesn't bother me a bit, course I have palms thick as leather, but just never has bothered me. Some make a big to-do about it, I don't. More important for me to SEE it good as I possibly can. It is not like I am walking to Colorado with it.

Keith Lisle

 

[Vaino]

Thanks for the info...building MLers for known customers can be a little tricky {have done it} and takes an understanding of how to deal w/ them, but building a few spec guns a yr is easier and have turned down requests every yr mainly because of time considerations. Also thanks for your "how to" advice...have learned a few things.....Fred

 

[hoochiepapa]

If you do walk to CO, I got a spare room! :haha:

 

[Supercracker]

Thanks guys.