Trade gun rear sight

[Nuthatch]

For those who think something that isn’t period correct is sacrilege, please move on.

I finished making a rear sight for my Pedersoli Trade gun & it was really simple. Posting here in case somebody else finds it helpful. The steel is just a piece of right angle bracket from the hardware store. I widened the hole to allow the tang screw to pass through. I then drilled another smaller hole for the aperture. I tested it out over the weekend to see where it was hitting on paper & check my group size. Satisfied with that, I then cut & shaped the rest to how I wanted it.

The first photo is the finished product. The second is my son shooting it this weekend with it attached as just a piece of right angle bracket with a couple holes drilled to see how it might work.

I went with a sharp point at the rear to help index it to a groove I had cut behind the tang. This way, when I clean it, I can hopefully realign it to get the same, rough, POI. Being able to remove it also leaves it free for wing shooting.

I’m still working on my flintlock skills. So small deviations in the POI are the least of my accuracy problems for now. But I’m satisfied with the results.

Hope somebody else finds this useful.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Good idea.

 

[TDM]

If I still had 20 or 30 year old eyes I'd say why bother. Now I think it's a great idea that I may have to try and copy. Good job!

 

[Bushfire]

A rear sight is period correct for a smooth gun.

I'm going to put a rear flip up on fusil I've decided.

 

[Jaeger]

You are an inspiration. My Tulle fusil de chasse doesn't have a rear sight and It's difficult for me to figure out how to aim it for best results. I was just thinking of doing what you already did. I needed a little push. Thanks.

 

[Brokennock]

For those who think something that isn’t period correct is sacrilege, please move on.

I finished making a rear sight for my Pedersoli Trade gun & it was really simple. Posting here in case somebody else finds it helpful. The steel is just a piece of right angle bracket from the hardware store. I widened the hole to allow the tang screw to pass through. I then drilled another smaller hole for the aperture. I tested it out over the weekend to see where it was hitting on paper & check my group size. Satisfied with that, I then cut & shaped the rest to how I wanted it.

The first photo is the finished product. The second is my son shooting it this weekend with it attached as just a piece of right angle bracket with a couple holes drilled to see how it might work.

I went with a sharp point at the rear to help index it to a groove I had cut behind the tang. This way, when I clean it, I can hopefully realign it to get the same, rough, POI. Being able to remove it also leaves it free for wing shooting.

I’m still working on my flintlock skills. So small deviations in the POI are the least of my accuracy problems for now. But I’m satisfied with the results.

Hope somebody else finds this useful.

Seeing as the Type-G trade gun, also known as a Carolina Gun, had a rear sight stock from the factory, and other trade guns have been found with them installed later,,,, we really can't say they aren't period correct.
That misconception is due to the NMLRA not allowing rear sights in trade gun matches, for whatever reason...

 

[minish]

Was the tang screw not too short after passing through your sight?

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Nice job. I may do something like this on my Jackie Brown canoe gun.

 

[Nuthatch]

Was the tang screw not too short after passing through your sight?

Thankfully, no. The trade gun has plenty of thread to screw into the trigger assembly. It doesn't work on my kentucky rifle, though. That one would need a longer tang screw for sure.

 

[Nuthatch]

Seeing as the Type-G trade gun, also known as a Carolina Gun, had a rear sight stock from the factory, and other trade guns have been found with them installed later,,,, we really can't say they aren't period correct.
That misconception is due to the NMLRA not allowing rear sights in trade gun matches, for whatever reason...

Interesting.

 

[Nuthatch]

Nice job. I may do something like this on my Jackie Brown canoe gun.

Thanks!

 

[Nuthatch]

A rear sight is period correct for a smooth gun.

I'm going to put a rear flip up on fusil I've decided.

Just don't mount that flip up sight to a pic rail.

 

[minish]

Thankfully, no. The trade gun has plenty of thread to screw into the trigger assembly. It doesn't work on my kentucky rifle, though. That one would need a longer tang screw for sure.

Thanks for the info. I put a sight on my trade gun but I just glued it on with some Goop adhesive. It works good but seems kind of cheesy, maybe I’ll re-do it with the tang screw.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

For those who think something that isn’t period correct is sacrilege, please move on.

I finished making a rear sight for my Pedersoli Trade gun & it was really simple. Posting here in case somebody else finds it helpful. The steel is just a piece of right angle bracket from the hardware store. I widened the hole to allow the tang screw to pass through. I then drilled another smaller hole for the aperture. I tested it out over the weekend to see where it was hitting on paper & check my group size. Satisfied with that, I then cut & shaped the rest to how I wanted it.

The first photo is the finished product. The second is my son shooting it this weekend with it attached as just a piece of right angle bracket with a couple holes drilled to see how it might work.

I went with a sharp point at the rear to help index it to a groove I had cut behind the tang. This way, when I clean it, I can hopefully realign it to get the same, rough, POI. Being able to remove it also leaves it free for wing shooting.

I’m still working on my flintlock skills. So small deviations in the POI are the least of my accuracy problems for now. But I’m satisfied with the results.

Hope somebody else finds this useful.

I like it! Nice job putting it together!

 

[hanshi]

It's a great idea and yours is well crafted. Years ago when I ordered my 20 ga smoothbore I requested a rear sight just like the rear sight on rifles. I'm glad I did. It is easy to put a .600" ball exactly where I want it to go.

 

[Nor'Easter]

Of the 17th & 18th century French guns I have found pictures of in various museums, I would guess at least half of them had rear sights. There was a notable number that used a tube type rear sight about 5" +/- long.

 

[Tacitus]

Nice solution, I like it.

 

[Mikekj]

Smoothbores with rear sights were called smooth rifles and are perfectly historically correct.

 

[springfield art]

For those who think something that isn’t period correct is sacrilege, please move on.

I finished making a rear sight for my Pedersoli Trade gun & it was really simple. Posting here in case somebody else finds it helpful. The steel is just a piece of right angle bracket from the hardware store. I widened the hole to allow the tang screw to pass through. I then drilled another smaller hole for the aperture. I tested it out over the weekend to see where it was hitting on paper & check my group size. Satisfied with that, I then cut & shaped the rest to how I wanted it.

The first photo is the finished product. The second is my son shooting it this weekend with it attached as just a piece of right angle bracket with a couple holes drilled to see how it might work.

I went with a sharp point at the rear to help index it to a groove I had cut behind the tang. This way, when I clean it, I can hopefully realign it to get the same, rough, POI. Being able to remove it also leaves it free for wing shooting.

I’m still working on my flintlock skills. So small deviations in the POI are the least of my accuracy problems for now. But I’m satisfied with the results.

Hope somebody else finds this useful.

Good comments, and good for you for doing what works in your balliwick. If the whole world did only "period correct" we'd still be wearing animal skins and knawling on raw bones.

 

[Brokennock]

Smoothbores with rear sights were called smooth rifles and are perfectly historically correct.

No. Not always.
A smoothrifle would also usually have other rifle architecture and furniture, such as a cheek piece and a rifle style trigger guard.