Rifle-musket sights

[mhb]

Over the years, I've had several rifle-muskets, but never one which I thought shot well enough to keep, until recently.
The latest candidate is an early Navy Arms Model 1863 Type 2, made by Miroku, apparently.
It actually shoots quite well, and has an excellent trigger, but...
It suffers from a problem which has always made the rifle-muskets a PITA (to me, anyway) to actually shoot to their potential: lousy sights. The rear sight has a tiny V-shaped battle sight notch located in the bottom of a semi-circular cut in the sight blade, while the front sight is tiny, shiny, too short, rounded in every direction, and, together with the rear sight, makes a combination of sights that is almost imaginary. In addition, the sights are installed so as to give a POI about 6" high and left at 50 yards. The rear sight does, of course, have a taller turn-up blade with an aperture in the middle and another notch at its top, but, with the current front sight, and the alignment problem, those would only be useful for shooting at cavalry passing from right-to-left, or, possibly, aircraft. The rifle will group very well at 50 yards, though, which is pretty amazing to me considering what the actual sight picture looks like.
So, knowing that the serious rifle-musket shooters (NSSA) are permitted to make some changes to the sights, I need to know how much latitude is actually permitted. I have a replacement rear sight blade, which I can fit and zero, but I'd also like to do something about the front sight, such as installing a taller, sharper-contoured blade that I can actually see the same way twice.
Any guidance would be appreciated. I've actually visited the NSSA web site and read their rules, but can't actually determine how much latitude is permitted in sight modification.
Then, too, if anyone has a source for better sights I won't actually have to make myself, that would be good...
Thanks for any help!
mhb - Mike

 

[Bob E]

Mike, I am familiar with the N-SSA as I have been a member for 3o+ yrs. Their rules allow for a taller front sight that can either be soldered on or dovetailed and soldered once the necessary windage adjustments are made. Rear sights can be filed down to produce a lower point of impact and the v grooves in the rear leaf can also be lowered. Several aftermarket suppliers, S&S Firearms, Dixie Gun Works, also supply blank sight leafs that can be shaped to work with your new, taller front sight. Peep apperatures are also permissable in the rear leafs. Cheers, Bob E

 

[mhb]

Ant Bee:
Thank you!
That's what I wanted to know. Is there anything in the rules about the front sight which would prevent me from cutting a longitudinal slot in the front sight base and soldering-in a new blade, rather than dovetailing the sight base?
And, would the rules accept a rear sight notch of rectangular, rather than v-shaped style?
Thanks!
mhb - Mike

 

[Bob E]

Mike, The rules allow for the notching of the front sight base and soldering in a taller blade. The dovetailing procedure has the advantage of allowing the shooter to make windage corrections at the front sight. The rules also allow the shooter to use a rectangular notch in the rear leafs. A lot of shooters prefer that sight picture. S&S Firearms sell rear leaf sets that havent any form of notch so that you can use what you prefer. Cheers! Bob E

 

[mhb]

Thanks again!
I'm going to 'do something' with the sights and see how it works-out.
I made a spanner this evening to remove the rear sight screw, but there isn't much latitude available to 'tilt' the rear sight, so a new blade insert may be the answer - and I have one.
The most urgent thing is a better, taller front sight blade...
I'll report on results as available.
mhb - Mike