sight recommendations for GPR

[Don B]

I managed to over-file the original rear sight on my GPR, so have to find a replacement. I'd be interested to hear what rear sights you like and why.

Also, do you prefer a thin or thick front blade for mixed target/hunting use?

Don

 

[jtmattison]

Did you file the notch to lower POI? If so, you can file the front blade down to raise it back up.

As for replacement sights, Lyman makes good sights. They have a set of hunting sights, the 16 and 37 something or other and they recently released a set of fiber optic enhanced sights. Then there is the option of the 57 rear peep sight.

You could also order any kind of sight you want from Track Of The Wolf and fit it to the rifle.

HD

 

[BrownBear]

A whole lot depends on the age of your eyes. Mine have been around a while and I need reading glasses. I've got the Lyman 57 on my 54 GPR and I don't need the glasses with that one. I do need them with the standard factory sights. When I built my GPR 50 kit, I installed a TOW primitive sight on the rear and a thin silver blade on the front. I need my glasses to see those. They look really cool, but I need to do something about them.

 

[Don B]

I widened the rear sight too much, so that now I have more light on either side of the front sight than I would like.

There are many buckhorn and semi-buckhorn sights available in suppliers' catalogs, and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations or preferences. Large or small? Full or semi? Etc.

I too need reading glasses, although I haven't done any experimenting yet to understand what types of sights would make the seeing easier. I do want to stay with appropriate primitive sights, however.

Don

 

[BrownBear]

Call it lack of discipline on my part, but based on experience with a lot of different sights and hunting and many (too many?) years around hunters and listening to excuses there's a problem with full buckhorns if you don't watch out when you're under stress. For me anyway, and I suspect for lots of other hunters based on misses.

When light is low or you are under stress, you'll tend to pull that front sight up a bit to see it better. High shot every time. It gets worse with a full buckhorn, because your eye will try to treat it like a big ole peep sight.

If you want to test it, shoot with someone who has full buckhorns and do a rapid fire test or figure out some other way to put stress on the shooting. All their misses are going to be high.

Full buckhorns look cool, but I won't have them on any of my rifles that I'll hunt with. Maybe just me and my own problems, but I've seen enough to convince me I'm not all on my lonesome with this one, no matter what the other shooters claim.

 

[Little Wattsy]

For the VALUE "Then there is the option of the 57 rear peep sight"
GOOD sights!

 

[rdoggsilva]

With my 60 year old eyes and have trouble see the sights in bad light. I ordered the Lyman fiber optic sights for hunting. Looks like they will help. Youth is wasted on the young when it comes to useing open sights. :grin:

 

[steelerzzz]

I need reading glasses too..and to me, fiber optic sights are even worse... they tend to cause much more blur. For those that are using the Lyman 57 rear sight....do you have to change the front sight too,or will the factory sight work?

 

[tg]

As long as we are talking about modern type sights many feel a scope is the best way to get a good sight picture.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I am using Lyman 17AML's and Lee Shavers globe sights with a level. Ron

 

[playfarmers]

The white bead front sight that came on the Deerstalker, is my all time favorite sight. I liked the sights so much that I ordered a set from Lyman for my new Trade rifle last winter. I just file the bead down some so that it isn't so huge, and it works great. I took over 30 whitetails with the old Deerstalker and now 2 this past season with the Trade rifle. I wear byfocals, and my eyes are 52 years old, and the sights still work great.

 

[steelerzzz]

As long as we are talking about modern type sights many feel a scope is the best way to get a good sight picture.

I'm not sure if you can call peep sights modern? I know they go back pretty far...but I'm not quite sure if they were used on flinters. Can anybody help me on this?

 

[Claude Mathis]

I'm not sure if you can call peep sights modern? I know they go back pretty far...but I'm not quite sure if they were used on flinters. Can anybody help me on this?

This is a photo from a museum web site. The firearm is dated 1670. I'm sorry, I forget where I got it.

 

[tg]

"Can anybody help me on this?"

Yes I can, peeps sights probably go back farther than firearms )14th cent crossbows)but the modern style like Lymans and others are not the same thing,you would not see that type on a gun from the ML era, a certain type of ignition we do not talk about also goes back to the 18th century but the modern version is taboo in traditional circles.

 

[steelerzzz]

Thanks!

 

[Little Wattsy]

"Can anybody help me on this?"

Yes I can, peeps sights probably go back farther than firearms )14th cent crossbows)but the modern style like Lymans and others are not the same thing,you would not see that type on a gun from the ML era, a certain type of ignition we do not talk about also goes back to the 18th century but the modern version is taboo in traditional circles.

carefull or we'll have a witch burnin goin on here

 

[Don B]

There are many buckhorn and semi-buckhorn sights available in suppliers' catalogs, and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations or preferences. Large or small? Full or semi? Etc.

I do want to stay with appropriate primitive sights, however.

Don

My original question asked for recommendations for primitive buckhorns, given the large number of options available. We somehow got derailed into talking about Lyman peep sights.

Don

 

[paulvallandigham]

Take a look at other guns, both in gun racks, and on the firing line at shoots, and see what appeals to you. Its a very personal choice, unless you are trying to replicate an exact historical firearm. The reason there are so many different styles of sights is because of different time periods for the guns, and also personal preference by gun makers.

 

[tg]

There are a lot of buckhorn options, whether primitive or not may depend on the particular style, a bit of research may be in order if you see something you like to determine the "vintage" of the sight.I have always found flat top rear sights to come to eye faster than a buckhorn but that is different for different folks. Was not trying to derail your post but modern sights always get tossed into the fray when one talks of sights for ML's as though the were the same as the ones from the past.

 

[Halftail]

As long as we are talking about modern type sights many feel a scope is the best way to get a good sight picture.

I had a heck of a time trying to adjust the sights on my scope with a large Bastard File....Darn near ruined it too.... :wink: