Sight Adjustment Help

[yellowstang6r]

Hello all,

New guy here from central PA. I have a Lyman Deerstalker 50 cal flintlock w/ the Stock Fiberoptic sights. I can shoot relatively good groups with it, however the group is about 3 inches high at 50 yards. I am a perfectionist when it comes to gun accuracy, so this bothers me. I use the gun for hunting purposes only.

Via internet research (correct me if this is wrong), I believe the front sight is .400" high w/ a .360" dovetail base, and the rear sight is as low as it will go (and still shooting 3 inches high at 50 yards).

So what is the best way to go about making this more accurate? I thought about buying a taller front sight, but finding a taller replacement has been difficult. Additionally, I'm not sure as to how tall to get if I can find one. Other options and advice are greatly appreciated

 

[Billnpatti]

Dixie Gun Works or Track of The Wolf should have a sight for your rifle. You will need to know the size of the dovetail and the height of your present sight. The folks at Track of The Wolf are really helpful in this area. You can call them and tell them your problem and they can tell you what sight you need. If you want to calculate how much additional height you need for your front sight, here is how to calculate that number: Let A be the number of inches you want to lower your POI. Let B be the number of inches between your front sight and your rear sight. Let C be the number of inches from your muzzle to your target. Let D be the number of inches you need to add to your present front sight. Then B/C X A = D

 

[don hepler]

I don't know how far you plan on shooting, but depending on the load you're using, you might be on at 100 yards. Me personally, 50-60 yards is about as far as I want to shoot, and maybe you're thinking the same thing. Increasing the powder, might make it shoot lower, but the rifle may not be as accurate. Just something else, I'm throwing in here, for you to think about. If you're not sure about the front sight height, and don't have access to dial calipers, a good 6" scale will work. At .400, that's just a little more than 3/8 of an inch, which is .375. You probably already knew that.

 

[stinkyfeet]

You could always lower the front blade below the flush line of the rear sight to get on center at 50 yards. And as the other person comment you are likely to hit dead center at 100 yards. Thats how I aim with my fixed sights on all my smoke poles so i am on target all all different ranges. Just a thought

 

[Spikebuck]

If you want to keep a fibre optic front sight, you might want to first start with this calculator to get an idea on how much change is needed:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=13093/GunTechdetail/Sight_Correction_Calculator

Then look at Marble Arms sights as they have more sizes and variations of fibre optic and/or bead front sights than anyone else I've found.
http://www.marblearms.com/
http://www.marblearms.com/frontSights_info.html
http://item.brownells.com/brands/marble-arms-products/index.htm?p=2

Good luck! As a side note, I like my sights a little high at 50 yds as it's still great at 50 yet allows for more POA at longer yardages. Personally, I probably wouldn't change it a bit. But, that's just my preference. Good luck with your search.

 

[yellowstang6r]

Thanks everyone for your help. I appreciate the input and the calculator. Still cannot find the correct dovetail sight width for a replacement. Guess I'll just have to keep looking


As a side note, at 100 yards the POI should be very close however I want the accuracy at 50 yards as that is much closer to what I would comfortable shoot in the woods