Rear sight location

[ihuntsnook]

Does anyone know why gun makers locate the rear sight right at the balance point where it hits the palm of your hand? I find it catches on my gloves or worse, digs into the skin. Why not put it a few inches back. Longer sighting plane, and a lot more comfortable.

 

[rabjr]

Gun makers? My gun maker didn't do that...

 

[ihuntsnook]

Three out of the four long rifles are so encumbered, as is my Lyman Great Plains Rifle. You must be a lucky man.

 

[Stumpkiller]

It's one of those compromise things, far back gives good radius but can be hard to see (for old farts like me). Too far forward looks odd and reduces the radius and may get into thinner barrel walls. Mine is just ahead of my hand when in balanced carry.

 

[rabjr]

Don't know what luck has to do with it. I do know Roy would never place a rear sight like that. Both rifles and a smoothbore he built me he told me where the balance point was and suggested where the sight should be taking into account my eyes at the time.

 

[stone knife]

On my gun with a 42" barrel it was put at 11" 1" more than the builder normally does, so my aging eyes can see it better. It does not grind my hand when I carry the gun.

 

[RC]

Gun makers? My gun maker didn't do that...

hm..mine either! :wink: least on 2 of them.....smoothie don't count..

 

[Greenjoytj]

If it really bugged me I would drill the butt stock to lighten it, or to add some weight in the hole, these choices should change the balence point.

 

[Roy]

Gun makers? My gun maker didn't do that...

hm..mine either! :wink: least on 2 of them.....smoothie don't count..

Rear sights are for sissies.. :haha:

Joking of course.. Easy enough to move the sight and put in a filler piece though :v :thumbsup:

 

[Birddog6]

Because seeing the sight & hitting what you are aiming at is more important than where your hand is going to carry if for a short time.

Most guys using these rifles are not carrying them endlessly for days on end....

Now if I were to carry one days on end, then I can see where the position of the sight on the balance point of the rifle would be an issue... but honestly, I never concern over it. I put it where the customer tells me he wants it. If it ends up at the balance point, it just does. Perfect position would be not at the balance point & closer to the breech, actually the closer to the breech the better, as you have a longer sight plane...... but as you get older, most start moving the sights down the barrel.

By the time I am 70, my rear sight will be aprox. 3" behind the front sight on this 46" barrel.... :shocked2: :rotf: :rotf:

Keith Lisle

 

[Vaino]

When building a LR, the last thing I do before finishing is to completely assemble the rifle, including the RR, hold it at the balance point and mark just forward of my hand for the rear sight placement. The rear sight most times ends up over the entry pipe or finial and is 11"-12" forward of the breech. I mostly build spec LRs but did have a couple of buyers call and compliment me on the rear sight location. Of course, if I accepted orders for customers' guns as does Birddog6, it's a good idea to get the customers' input as to their preferences.....Fred

 

[Deadeye]

FWIW, I'm 80 yrs. old and still putting my rear sight 6" from the breech. The front sight is the only thing you see clearly so it doesn't matter where your rear sight is, you will never see it clearly. It only matters when it's under your hand. A few yrs ago i ordered a rifle from TVM.
I ordered it in person and saw Matt write it down on the order form, rear sight 6" from the breech.
When it arrived it was right under my hand. I just filled it and cut a new dovetail and moved it back. I'm at a loss to know how that spot for the rear sight got started.
Deadeye

 

[Roy]

doesn't matter where your rear sight is, you will never see it clearly.

I do :v

 

[RC]

doesn't matter where your rear sight is, you will never see it clearly.

I do :v

:hmm: Rear sights are for sissies.. :haha:

:blah:

 

[Roy]

:haha:

 

[bob4st]

...Ha!... I gotta agree with Roy and RC... :grin:

 

[larry wv]

Moving the rear sight forward helps me a lot. Prob will move several that I like to shoot forward. Guess if I live to be a 100 the last one will be on the end of the barrel butted up against the front sight. :grin: Larry Wv

 

[Dphar]

There are gunsmiths and there are many parts assemblers. Its possible, and proven all the time, for someone with little knowledge to buy parts and assemble a rifle that will go "bang" and hit the target and even look pretty good. But there are always deficiencies of greater or lesser import involved. Often they are "disturbing". So if the rear sight being in the wrong place is the only "issue" count yourself lucky. Its the ones you can't see that are the most "disturbing".
Anyway people often confuse the two terms and think "parts assembler" = "gunsmith" this is not the case.
Not putting the sight at the balance point is easy IF the "maker" thinks about it before installing it.
Putting the rear sight where it appears on an original rifle can be a mistake since most modern swamped barrels have a more pronounced swamp or smaller dimensions than the originals. This moves the balance of the modern rifle FORWARD. So the gun the modern maker is trying to recreate may end up with a balance point where the rear sight is on the original.
The modern factory mades? Its a modern factory made. The people making it don't care about the sight/balance point interference so long as it looks good.
Dan

 

[750k2]

I order my sight put where I can focus on it.
Next one will be a little further out.
If you can't use them why have them.
With 44" bbl there is still enough sighting plane.
My next will be 46" I think and I'll move my rear
out a little.
Boy I miss my young eyes :redface:

 

[ihuntsnook]

Thank you. The most intelligent reply to my question.

Capt. Fred