Replacing sight on fowler

[mbritt]

A couple months ago I purchased a new Early American Fowler and because it was shooting real low I ground down the front blade so there is barely any of it sticking up above the barrel. Now it shoots where I aim and I'm not missing very many squirrels, but it's not very pretty. This winter when hunting season is over I want to replace the front sight with something that looks nice and today while looking at http://www.engerisser.de/Bewaffnung/weapons/Wheellockmusket.html
I saw a photo of a brass dovetail front sight and it's the kind of thing I would like to install on my fowler because I'm accustomed to seeing a tiny gold colored bead on the front of a shotgun.
My question is; would a solid brass dovetail blade be period correct for my fowler?

 

[Beerd2]

not much "meat" on a fowler barrel for a dovetail.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Solder on a new standard fowler front sight and bend the barrel so it shoots a little higher and you won't have to file off all of your front sight again.

 

[Black Hand]

A couple of months is (in my opinion) too soon to be filing down the front sight on a fowler. Try changing where your face goes on the stock, and this will change your point of aim, and consequently change the point of impact. I built mine 2 years ago and after 1 1/2 years finally adjusted the height of the front sight. This was due to the fact that this was my first smooth-bore and really needed to learn to shoot it. When I first started, it would consistently shoot a foot to the right, but once I got my sight-picture established, this went away.

Judging by the thickness of my smoothbore barrel, I would not dovetail in a sight, but would solder on a new sight.

These smoothbores are tricky things......
Respectfully,
Black Hand :imo: :results:

 

[mbritt]

My mistake. Prior to this gun my only experience with ML guns was a CVA percussion rifle and pistol. I have never seen a fowler before and I had made the assumption that the existing sight was a dovetail mount. After closer inspection I see the sight is soldered on. How difficult is it to unsolder the old one and solder on a new one without damaging the barrel? And where can I get a proper sight for a fowler?

Yes I have moved where my face goes on the stock. I'm now putting my face farther back and higher on the stock and that helped a lot, but not enough. Could be I'm still doing it wrong.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

The first thing I learned about sighting my fusil, not to even try looking down the barrel, but to look over it with sight on the intended target. Finding the sweet spot for hold was what it was all about. It all worked out fine & I never even give it a thought now, and the Gambel's quail will be just as tasty this year as last.

 

[mbritt]

Thanks for your advice. I hope to do a lot more hunting and target practice with this gun before the snows get too deep. I expect that with more practice I will find the best place to hold my face on the stock.

I'm thinking that maybe I will grind down the sight some more and then solder a tiny brass blade onto it.

 

[Mike Brooks]

bend the barrel so it shoots a little higher

I'm not trying to be an A-hole or anything, but this is the sure fire fix for your problems. (just in case you missed my post above)
All the national champions at friendship wether they're shooting shot or RB bend their barrels to get them to shoot to point of aim.
I've been shooting and wining with smoothbores for the past 25 years with both shot and RB. The most common problem with them is they shoot low. Bending is the solution to that problem.....unless you want to put a rear sight on . eace:

 

[musketman]

bend the barrel so it shoots a little higher

I'm not trying to be an A-hole or anything, but this is the sure fire fix for your problems. (just in case you missed my post above)
All the national champions at friendship wether they're shooting shot or RB bend their barrels to get them to shoot to point of aim.
I've been shooting and wining with smoothbores for the past 25 years with both shot and RB. The most common problem with them is they shoot low. Bending is the solution to that problem.....unless you want to put a rear sight on . eace:

Bending a barrel could pose a problem to someone who is new at smoothbores, knowing how much and which way to bend is a major obstacle...

Plus the sight has been filed, so there is no need to bend the barrel until a new blade has been installed...

I suspect the blades are either brazed or silver-soldered in place, so heating them up enough to melt the metal (solder) and the blade should fall off or can be pulled free with pliers...

 

[mbritt]

I don't know anything about how to bend the barrel and I think it was a lot easier to grind down the blade than to bend the barrel. As I said before, now it shoots where I aim so I don't see any need to bend the barrel. Now I just want to make it look prettier. One of the things I'm learning from this forum is that it seems everybody does things different.

 

[musketman]

One of the things I'm learning from this forum is that it seems everybody does things different.

That is true, but wouldn't be boring if everyone was the same?

I have seen a nice front sight made from a Indian penny with the head-dress showing...

Wish I had an actual picture to show you, but it looked like this...

 

[Deadeye]

Smoothie sights are usually just soft soldered so it doesn't take much heat to install or remove them. I replaced the one on my Fucil, it had the brass turtle sight
that's kinda hard to see. I obtained a sight, I think, from TOW that has a curved base to fit the barrel and a post blade, works well for me,and the curved base gives more area to solder the sight to the barrel.