Rear sights on smoothbores ?

[eaglesnester]

I took a red devil bass spoon bent it 90 degrees, drilled a hole for the rear tang screw in it. I then filed a V notch in the upright. Works very well, got lucky zeroed about 6 inches high at 50 yards.

 

[azmntman]

Betcha can't wait for Bass Season :rotf:

 

[tenngun]

Some of the sights seen on trade guns was a flake lifted with a chisel then notched. Boone stuck white paper on his front sight so he could see it as he aged. Adapting your gun in an h c way to make it easier to shoot well should not on the face of it detract from your experince. I put a rear sight on my smoothies. It did noting to tightin the groups, but made it a whole lot easier for me to aim the same way each time.

 

[trent/OH]

Betcha can't wait for Bass Season :rotf:

It's a tactic for shooting fish in a barrel.

 

[bud in pa]

Does anyone know the dimensions of the brass rear sight? I would like to put on my smoothie. I'm guessing a piece of brass 1/2 in. sq. by 1 in. long would suffice.

 

[54ball]

Clay Smith has them as does the Rifle Shop.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
You asked how far back in time rear sights were installed on smoothbore long guns. They were common on civilian smoothbore guns even during the matchlock days. The earliest example for which I have a photo in a book is about 1550. On higher quality guns during the 17th century they were often mounted to the barrel by a band wrapping around the barrel rather than dovetailed into the barrel. The first photo below shows a matchlock petronel from the 16th century, next is French fowler from the mid 17th century, the third is an early 17th century French wheellock, and the last is a gun I built inspired by work done in NW France during the early 17th century.

dave