who all uses peeps on their percussion guns.

[thixotropy]

I shot a small club in WV that consider them an unfair advantage, just a matter of time before their attitude changes to accomodate their failing vision. I just can't focus w/o them. It's amusing to buy old rifles with several dovetails cut to accomodate the original owners aging vision.

 

[Desperate Lee]

I agree there Woodnbow, back in basic we took the peep sights and shot 500 to a 1000 yds with our M14's. Some of us even fired Expert with them. Now 50 years later i use them so i can see and shoot 50 to 100 yds with my front stuffers. Getting old sucks but it is inevidable. Semper Fi
DL

 

[grey8833]

Have a "more or less" Gibbs Target rifle done from a Pecatonica River Long Rifle Supply kit. Lee Shaver Soule rear and Distant Thunder Globe in the front. Sights cost 1/2 the rifle parts. Worth the money though. Short of a scope, best iron sights you can get. Correct for the period too. Irish used them with their percussion guns at Creedmoor in 1874.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Why would a club not allow peep sights?

Not considered 'authentic' by many. Attitude changes as eyes age. But, I'll agree, even though peeps have been around since the crossbow days, they are rarely, if ever, seen on the rifles carried in America. Use of peeps keeps us in the shooting game longer than most men lived back in the day.

 

[RonRC]

When my eyes and cataracts made it difficult to keep the round balls on paper, the peep sights made shooting a pleasure rather than a frustrating chore. I bought a Hawken replica that already had an Olympia sight on it. What a world of difference!
I have a 57SML waiting to be installed on another muzzle loader.
The cataracts have since been removed. That makes shooting open sights more feasible.
Ron

 

[Boston Bill]

Some folks think they’re not period correct. And some of them aren’t.

Thank you!

 

[BrianL]

I think all of my hunting guns have peep sights of one make or another. With my old eyes, peeps make it easier to sight in on game.

Have one on most of my woods guns, both lever and BP. I have eye migraines. I can see the front sight for a few shots when plinking but the right eye goes milky soon so the less that I have to deal with the better

 

[BrianL]

For us oldsters, when it comes down to giving up shooting or being period/historical correct, there is only one choice.

 

[Kobuk]

I like peeps and have several of them. It helps me quite a bit. As fun as hanging out with a bunch of people shooting muzzle loaders at a club sounds, I would probably have a hard time if someone told me that I couldn't use my peep sights. It's just a sight for petes sake!

 

[Howie1968]

thanks men on my guns with the long barrels I love them for paper punching, ive got a couple TC hawken rifles set up with lyman 57sml a green mountain .54 1-66 barrel and a 50 with a 1-28 twist I hunt with my shorter rifles but my .54 with the 1-66 twist is wanting to hunt lol

 

[Zonie]

When my eyes and cataracts made it difficult to keep the round balls on paper, the peep sights made shooting a pleasure rather than a frustrating chore. I bought a Hawken replica that already had an Olympia sight on it. What a world of difference!
I have a 57SML waiting to be installed on another muzzle loader.
The cataracts have since been removed. That makes shooting open sights more feasible.
Ron

I also had cataracts in both eyes so I mounted peep sights on several of my factory made guns.
Even with the peep sights, shooting wasn't easy. I would see two front sights and two bulls-eyes and depending on which sight and which bulls-eye I aimed at I would get different results.
After the cataracts were removed I could shoot once again with open sights but I left the peep sights on the rifles.
They might not be very historic but they do make it easier to hold a good group.

 

[Bad Karma]

I agree there Woodnbow, back in basic we took the peep sights and shot 500 to a 1000 yds with our M14's. Some of us even fired Expert with them. Now 50 years later i use them so i can see and shoot 50 to 100 yds with my front stuffers. Getting old sucks but it is inevidable. Semper Fi
DL

Said a mouthful there Lee! Some days I wonder but generally getting old beats the alternative!

Peeps are the best iron sights for young men and they keep old men in the game long past our prime...

 

[Mark Herman]

Hawkeye,
You may be right I haven't tried it. All my peeps are on competition rifles and mounted behind the breech, on the tang.

 

[Mark Herman]

Boston,
I have an extensive collection of originals and more than a few have original peeps still mounted on them.

 

[user 43911]

Boston,
I have an extensive collection of originals and more than a few have original peeps still mounted on them.

Pictures please (originals that is)

 

[Erwan]

All my percussion rifles have a vernier and a ring front sight, only my flinters and the Jukar Plain rifle haven't that prosthesis. But for those rifles I use a Lyman Eyepal...
You know what, when you become an old man the barrels (like your arms) become too shorts and this is proportional to your age, so vernier and Eyepal for shooting and glasses for cleaning...

 

[CTShooter]

My Renegade .54 came with a Tang mounted T/C peep instead of a rear sight, I wouldn't have put it on when I got the rifle, but 15 year older eyes are happy it's there now.

 

[Lippy984]

I'm trying out a Marbles rear peep on a GPR.
View attachment 27562

Where does one get this??

 

[Capnball]

I use the XS Sight barrel mounted rear peep on my GPR. GPR barrels are factory drilled for it. Front is either the post with white paint that comes with the XS or a red fiber optic. I've mounted this sight on a Pedersoli Hawken, an Investarms Hawken, & other barrels with slightly different flats than the GPR with some fitting & everyone seems to really like it. It's small, rugged, & easily adjustable. I've put it anywhere from 2" to 6" in front of the nipple depending on customer preference. It even looks like it could be HC. Doesn't give the rifle a "modern" look at all like some of the tang mounted ones. Everyone that has aged eyes just can't see the old style open sights most ML's come with. Without a peep & a modern front sight I just wouldn't be able to shoot anymore, so I don't understand "clubs" that don't allow them, as they are excluding a big portion of ML shooters. Isn't there a law somewhere that prohibits age discrimination???

What a timely post. I just aquired a nice little peep site and I'm saving up my "pop bottle deposit money" for a heavy barrel Lyman double set trigger, percussion GPR just for target shooting. I was wondering if there was sombody out there who'd done that. I like the idea that it won't detract from the historical reference too much. Got any pictures? We love pictures!
Neil

 

[Capnball]

I also had cataracts in both eyes so I mounted peep sights on several of my factory made guns.
Even with the peep sights, shooting wasn't easy. I would see two front sights and two bulls-eyes and depending on which sight and which bulls-eye I aimed at I would get different results.
After the cataracts were removed I could shoot once again with open sights but I left the peep sights on the rifles.
They might not be very historic but they do make it easier to hold a good group.

View attachment 27587
View attachment 27588

Love the aft action Hawkins style gun with the patch box. Real eye candy! How's it shoot?