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which rear sight to use?

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shifty-eyed_one

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I just recieved my new Lyman GPR! But, its rear buckhorn sight was damaged in shipping. I've been sent a replacement already -- Lyman's flip-up adjustable rear sight. My question is for the hunters out there. Is there a better sight for hunting, or will it be my personal preference?

FYI, I don't want to send it back for a replacement, because I can't stand to let it out of my sight. :youcrazy:
 
In the thick woods a buckhorn will do (the sight you now have will work).For open long distance shooting,a Lyman arpeture tang sight would be better. :winking: It boils down to preference.
 
Is there a better sight for hunting, or will it be my personal preference?

It's certainly a matter of personal preference. Some sights offer more potential accuracy, others are more robust, others are fast to acquire, others work better in low light. You have to find the one that does what you need from a sight to your highest satisfaction. Target sights can be fine and delicate, but this isn't a problem for most hunting situations. If your rifle slides off a tree trunk where you leaned it while you're answering nature's call on opening morning and the tall, narrow front sight snaps off you'll probably use a beefier sight when you get the next chance to hunt a few weeks later (I have a spare front sight and an index mark on the barrel . . . just in case).

Personally, I like a flat top that covers up less of the target.
 
For a gun used to hunt, I like my back sight to show a little more daylight on each side of the front sight, than I would if were using the gun to shoot targets. The lighting conditions for hunting vary considerably more than what you would expect on an open range. So, the notch in my rear sight for hunting is a little WIDER than I would have on a target gun. The shape of the ears is just a quick guide to get my eye on the notch and focused on the front sight when I am lining up on a deer for a shot. I like ears that are wide, and slope slightly towards the notch. I do however shoot a rifle that has long " horns" that curl up and around like those of an Antelope, forming most of a circle above my sight. I treat them as a rough " peep" sight, to get my eye centered with the barrel, and then lower the front sight in the middle to find the rear sight notch. Because I have hunted with peep sights before, this has worked out for me, in spite of my stated preference.
 
Thanks for the opinions so far. I know that the area I hunt is brushy and forested, so I often find myself in very low-light conditions. Having never used a buckhorn, I'm wondering if it might afford me just a tiny bit more open view on a dark target.
 
If you have a peep sight, just unscrew the aperture to get a " ghost ring " sight. It works just like the peep sight, but you have this large hole to see through, and low light is no problem. When I was boar hunting with a peep sight on my .30-30, I took out the aperture, and had no problem seeing my front sight quickly in foggy conditions, on a grey day, in the woods. And, no problem hitting what I was aiming at. I would not get rid of a peep sight for an open sight, if I had one on a hunting gun, unless they are forbidden by law in the state where you are hunting.
 
paulvallandigham said:
If you have a peep sight, just unscrew the aperture to get a " ghost ring " sight. It works just like the peep sight, but you have this large hole to see through, and low light is no problem........ unless they are forbidden by law in the state where you are hunting.

Just so I'm clear, are you talking about a tang mounted peep? I would like to get one of those, but really have no place to look other than online.

I still need to find out if a peep sight is legal in Orygun. I know that open sights with no fiber optic addition is the main thing.
 
Tang or barrel mounted, makes no difference. removed the aperture and you get approx. 1/4" hole which makes the perfect ghost ring. I don't know about Oregon law. Call their game department. Or check the section here on Hunting regulations. Someone will surely help you.
 
shifty-eyed critter said:
Thanks for the opinions so far. I know that the area I hunt is brushy and forested, so I often find myself in very low-light conditions. Having never used a buckhorn, I'm wondering if it might afford me just a tiny bit more open view on a dark target.
Just the opposite, buckhorns obstruct more of the target. There is no advantage to having any part of the rear sight standing above the notch. The best open rear sight is a wide flat bar with notch of your choice. As stated, a wider notch does help in poor light but a large aperture peep is the fastest, surest and most accurate rear sight. A properly mounted peep is also much less likely to be damaged or knocked out of alignment than an open rear and for us old farts a peep is the only sight that allows us to continue to shoot reasonably well.
I'd avoid the plastic "fire sights" as they are too fragile for a hunting rifle. Get an ivory front bead (ok, they're not real "ivory") from Lyman and you'll have the best hunting sight you can get, next to a scope.
 
shifty-eyed critter,

These are some of the peep sights that I made. Most are simple, but work well. In low light, I remove the peep and use as a ghost ring.

The Merit Peep is adjustable and opens up to .156 diameter...........best peep that I have found.

Link to My Black Powder Page
 
Glad I read through the whole thread before answering...at first I assumed the question was to choose between the "left sight" or the "right sight" that I often see without glasses!
:grin:
 
I use a V-peep from RMC sports on my T/C PA Hunter. It gives a good open sight picture like a ghost ring. Not sure about fitting it to your gun.
[url] www.rmcsports.com[/url]

V
 
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shifty-eyed critter said:
paulvallandigham said:
If you have a peep sight, just unscrew the aperture to get a " ghost ring " sight. It works just like the peep sight, but you have this large hole to see through, and low light is no problem........ unless they are forbidden by law in the state where you are hunting.

Just so I'm clear, are you talking about a tang mounted peep? I would like to get one of those, but really have no place to look other than online.
[url] www.midsouthshooters.com[/url]
 
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On most all peep sights( save those on military firearms) you will find an aperature, or ' eye piece" that screws into a bar that runs across the top of the action.

In the case of the Tang Peep sight, there is a post standing up, that normally can be lowered or raised, when you want to use the sight. The eye piece usually has a 1/4 x 28 threaded section that screws into the post.

How big in diameter the eye piece is, depends on what kind of Peep Sight it is. The modern Lyman and Redfield peep sights, made for mounting on bolt action, lever action, pump, and semi-auto action rifles, and even some single shot, break open guns, have screws to mount the sight base to the side of the action, and then screw adjustments to raise and lower the sight for elevation, and separate adjustments on the bar to allow for windage. The peep used for sporting guns tends to have a small diameter eye piece, often only 3/8 " across, while the aperature on tang sights can run from 1/4" to 1" across. The aperature on Olympic target guns will often be twice that large.

The hole in the middle tends to be about 1/16 inch, or smaller. Sometimes they are too small to let enough light in to see your front sight and the target clearly, especially in early morning, or late afternoon light. You can either drill out the hole in the aperature to enlarge it, letting in more light, or use the small holed aperature when you are out on the range in the bright sun, zeroing the sights in for a particular load at a given range, and simply screwing out the aperature, saving it, of course, and using that large 1/4" hole in the bar as your peep sight.

This large hole has the appearance of a " Ghost Ring " sight, now being made and used by people who were not raised on and trained to use a peep sight. Brownell's carries all sizes of aperatures for the discerning shooter, who doesn't want to tamper with the factory made sight. I have never had that problem. It was theirs until I bought it. Now, its mine! I drilled out my first peep sight, until I could see through the damn thing! When I took it hunting, and it was overcast, gray, and dark in the woods, I took the aperature out, and shot the gun just fine using that large hole where the aperature should be screwed. When I cleaned the gun to transport home, I put the aperature back into the sight, and it is there today.

My eyes get worse as I get older, and I may have to drill that hole out some more to be able to see my front sight on the range, and I will do it when I take the gun out again. The size of the hole does not control the accuracy, unless you are in a paper shooting contest at long ranges, say, over 200 yds. For hunting, where the ranes are usually far shorter than the distance we shoot at a range, the eye will naturally center the peep site as you look through it to see the front sight, regardless of the size of the hole. If you have sighted the gun to shoot dead on where the front sight is on the target, than use that same hold with the " Ghost ring " set up. IF you sight the gun to shoot higher, so you have to hold at 6 o'clock on a bullseye, just hold the same on the deer or whatever the animal you hunt may be.
 
very good explaination...I have not had too many peeps..but they intrigue me greatly..tis my future
 
Slake said:
very good explaination...I have not had too many peeps..but they intrigue me greatly..tis my future
I have tang mounted peep sights on several of my T/C muzzleloaders. They come up fast on the target. Another plus is that William's apertures screw into them. I use the twilight aperature. You can get these apertures in several different opening sizes.
 
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