When you are hunting at first light, the larger diameter created by the two buckhorns helps you find that rear sight notch. You may still have to wait for enough light, to get that front sight down in the notch for an accurate shot, but you get to take your time getting that sight picture while you wait for the deer to come nearer, you hope.
During a night time demonstration one year, over the 4th of July, we were snuffing candles for the audience. The only light we had was the candles. So the buckhorn sight became quite useful for me to find my rear sight, after first looking for the front sight under the candle I was aiming at, and the shine of light on my top flat of the barrel. Walking the barrel up, the buckhorns appeared first, and then finding the smaller notch of my rear sight and aligning it with my front sight was possible. The other men that were shooting with me could not find their rear sights, and soon stopped shooting and left the firing line. I kept it up until I had snuffed out 7 candles for the crowd. 5 in a row, and a couple of singles before that as I was working out what I had to do to see my sights, the candles, and where I had to point my sights to snuff the flames out.
Other than that, I don't think the buckhorns are any help at all, and are many a "Style". They do protect the sight from branches and leaves getting into your sight notch and plugging it up, but that is about all. The way I carry my rifle, my wrist and arm protect that rear sight from these problems, so the buckhorn does not serve that purpose for me.
The sight is sent to you with that shallow notch to help you center your files. After scribing a center line from the bottom of The casting notch down the back of the sight( and front), I do recommend that you file the notch deeper, and as wide as suits your purpose.
I like my notch to be wide enough that when looking through it at my front sight, I see as much daylight through the rear sight on both sides of the front post, as the front sight appears to be wide. Others like V-notches, and other like U-notches. I grew up shooting a U-notch rear sight on my Winchester .22 rifle. They are all right, and work okay with a bead sight of the right size. I don't like them, however, with a straight "Post" front sight. With the latter, I prefer the wider, flat bottomed rear sight notch. The wider notch helps me center the post in low light conditions, common when hunting deer.
My front sight is wider than some, made of brass, and I cut the shine with black paint on sunny days. If I forget my tube of paint, I simply smear some black powder between thumb and finger, and rub it on the back of the front sight to cut down the shine. It works.
Oh, jeweler's files seem to do the best work on this kind of thing for me. They come in a variety of shapes. I do the filing at the range, with the gun cradled in a good rest. I file some , and then shoot a round at a target, then file some more.
Take your time. Its bad enough having to file one of these sights once, that you don't want to have to do it too soon, again. You can't put back on metal that you have filed off!( You can weld up some of the sight, and then file on the weld again to get the right shape and size of rear sight notch.) :thumbsup:
