who all uses peeps on their percussion guns.

[Howard Pippin]

ive made home made ghost ring sights that look like a traditional sight on the barrel. they are a type of peep sight and really improve one ability to shoot better. im sure many shooter can do the same as i did. just solder a small washer to the back of a very traditional looking sight and then brown or blue it.

Your post tickled me, as I also had done the same thing on three different muzzleloaders. My last experiment on a percussion about two months ago, didn't seem quite as easy to adjust, so I ordered one of those fancy Williams peep sites that goes where the original rear site goes. Accuracy did not improve, and it seemed like no matter how tight I tighten the screws, that darn thing would shift. This morning was the final blow, I put my homemade peep site, that sets at the very end of the barrel, back on. This particular rifle is drill for mounting a scope, so I just use the back two scope mounting holes with a homemade peep site made out of stiff banding material and a 3/16 washer brazed on. The whole site is about 3 inches long, and the thing I like is that it sits entirely on the barrel, and being it's a Hawkens design, I was afraid the barrel wouldn't always line up if I put the rear site further back. By making the holes a little oversize in my homemade site, I can get enough sideways shift to adjust for windage.
I've also made peep sites out of a 3/16 washer brazed to a number 10 screw that was screw into the predrilled holes on a Thompson Center. If I remember right it's a number 24 thread and it seemed to work just fine. The problem was no adjustment for windage except by moving the front sight.
Squint

 

[Cattman]

im glad their are other out their who do the home made thing. not hard to do. old eyes love a ghost ring sight and they are not hard to make.

 

[Howie1968]

I roughed out this peep, I bent it to match the curvature of the tang, test shots show promise. I have since shaped and sanded it smooth, the first coat of browning solution is rusting as I type this.
View attachment 31568

I like that!!! wish I was mechanical

 

[Richard Dittman]

Some members of the club I belong to are sticklers about using peep sights. They don’t allow them at our monthly club shoots. Say they are not period correct. Does anybody really know when peep sights started showing up on muzzleloading guns.

 

[hawkeye2]

They existed on crossbows before they found their way to guns.

 

[nkbj]

Yeah, peeps came before gun powder.
If frontier people had lived longer they'd have been demanding peeps.

 

[Tinhorn]

Out here on the Left Coast, it's open Iron sights and patched roundball, period. No revolvers, Minie rifles allowed. No peepsights, no tube sights. Also, Smooth-bore 'trade guns' also have their own class, and shotguns do trapshooting, at the Rendezvous up here in Northern Calif. Wonderful targets, all different shapes, construction, and ranges. Definitely a challenge! If I can hit half of them, I call it a good trailwalk. Tinhorn

 

[Tinhorn]

I had James Moran, a Gunsmith from Pleasant Hill, Ca. silver solder a Lyman receiver peep on my benchrest .58 Minie slug gun. 1 hole 3 shot groups at 100 yds. He mounted it ahead of the drum, just above the sidelock. Accurate as heck, but only good for benchrest, unfortunately. I carried it all day on a Blacktail hunt with Pop, and at end of day, it missed by 12" low.. Rats. Went to patched roundball next month, 45 years ago now.....Only have peeps on my levergun. TinHorn

 

[maranpa]

Greeting All from New Zealand.
I experienced major loss of sight over a period of 16 years and have undergone 4 Corneal Transplants in my right eye ( my shooting eye ) and 2 in my left-- I now have good sight in both eyes and can shoot my Muzzle Loading Rifles again. I do need a 'peep' type sight for this to be sucessful. I am shooting a Vincent Half Stock in .45cal that I built during various recovery periods. It has a 36" barrel and I have fitted a "Marbles Long Bulls Eye " purchased from Brownells USA . I find it absolutly perfect for my old rebuilt eyes It gives a very clear sight picture without distortion and I don't think it looks out of place on my Vincent Hope this give some of you some further options to consider.

 

[BS]

This is on my 50 Carbine, homemade out of a bolt.......with an adjustable Merit peep.
Some of you may remember my VooDoo front sight.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I ordered some of those magnets from China about the time the pandemic hit, the seller offered a refund, they were only a couple of bucks for 10. I told them to ship them when they could and never got them. Thanks for the heads up on Harbor Freight.

I made a peep for my deer rifle but I put together a Kibler SMR that I can't shoot at all because the rear sight is positioned for a young mans eyes. I will go to Harbor Freight and get one of their magnets to try on the Kibler, it has never been properly sighted in.

 

[LANEY REECE]

Bud you did a fine job on that sight.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

who all uses peeps on their percussion guns? the rifles I day hunt with I use either the 57sml or the fp hawken with target knobs I like the lyman better but the Williams is only about 69.00 my night hunting rifles I use the sights that came with my rifle but I do paint the bead on the front sight

No peeps for me!
Flintlocklar

 

[Howie1968]

I feel like im cheating after reading some of the posts, but hunting hogs at night the peeps make a huge difference

 

[Kelpie]

I'm looking for a lollipop sight for an old rifle I have. The threads in the tang are 6/32. Anyone know where I can get on or get one made?

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Had a ladder sight on for a month or so, but went back to the original buckhorn. Like it better. The spectre of some guy named Bill Tyler was haunting me....

 

[BS]

This has windage and an elevator screw in the center.
I have learned how to drill square holes.

 

[Africa58double]

Was happy to know the peep folds down and I can use the open sights…. For shorter range.

Need another for my other Gm Lrh

 

[ResearchPress]

Was happy to know the peep folds down and I can use the open sights…. For shorter range.

How do you hold the stock to shoot with the sight folded down that way? Is the base mounted the right way around, or will the sight fold in either direction? Aperture sights I use on original and reproduction rifles fold the other way, which reduces strain on the staff under recoil (the sight folds forward rather than remaining rigid) and reduces risk of being hit on the forehead by the sight.

David

 

[Africa58double]

Sight is short and with short front sight height it’s sufficient to my needs and intermediate distance.
Since sight folds back or forward… I fold down towards me. It’s plenty far enough from me I’m not conserned about getting bit. Grip is fine as I leave my thumb out of way a bit and finger hook provided sufficient grip. If need , I can simply unscrew 1 retaining threaded screw that holds sight to base. It’s a great way to have open sights and a longer range sight.
I may develop a 25gr charge with a rb for my short range small game load in my .45 Gm lrh 1/30 twist. See if a 350gr 75gr charge lines up accurately with that open sight setting at further distance out to 100yards . The peep would be set for 2” high at 125yard using the 350gr load… and adjusted if needed for further distance.

A two load ,one all ….hunting rifle -sight set up…. Is the plan.