Sighting in smoothbore

[Klatch]

Someone said bend the barrel.  How?  Mine is a foot low at 50 yds with full front sight on bull down the barrel flat.  I tried burying the front sight on the flat and that was worse.  No way can I hold over a target and hit it.  I'm so confused! ( no rear sight) I feel like this is a dumb question but I want to shoot this thing!

[iloco]

I know your feelings.  
I am about to order me a rear sight for my NWT gun.  Reading on the internet there are guns in a Montana musem where 10% of the smoothbores had sights.
 Clay Smith sells a neat looking smooth bore sight I might try.  Here is link to the page the sight is on.  http://claysmithguns.com/gun_parts.htm  scroll down to see the sight that is made from an original.

I am going to give my trade gun one more try at the local range before making up my mind what to do.

[JB2]

Can you shorten the front sight?  If not, you could try raising your cheek on the stock, giving you more barrel flat visible BELOW the front sight.  That will probably seem unnatural and awkward, but it will tell you if adding that rear sight will help. 

[Dan'l 1946]

It sounds like you are on for windage, but low on elevation. What is the bore and how tight is your ball/patch combination and what charge are you using? Smoothbores, in my experience, tend to be a bit picky as to load combinations.
                                     Dan

[iloco]

I have made a card board rear sight and taped it on the barrel about 6 inches from the breech.
Going to the range later today to give this a try to see if I can raise the elevation of my shots. If this works I will be adding a rear sight.
 Will let you know what happens later today.

[bob in the woods]

As I said before, if you sight along the barrel, you will shoot low.  I use my eye as the rear sight. Raise your eye, and you'll raise your point of impact. For me, this is absolutely repeatable because of stock fit.

[Standing Bear]

I have seen fowler/trade guns w tang screws with a real thick head used. The screwdriver slot is oriented down the bore line.

[Hungry Horse]

 I put off bending he barrel on my first trade gun, until I just got sick, and tired, of getting my butt whipped a every smoothbore shoot. In the end, I did it myself, with a homegrown contraption made from a conduit bender head, a small hydraulic jack, and a couple of modified "C" clamps. You only really have to bend the barrel enough to overcome the taper in the barrel. However, you do have to over bend it quite a bit, because there is quite a bit of spring back in most barrels. I say "most" because the barrel I used was an old shotgun barrel from the eighteen eighties that had very little sling back to it. But, I have since bent modern barrels that are very springy. These springy barrels also have a habit of straightening out over time as well, so you may find your trade gun losing accuracy after a lot of shooting, and have to rebind the barrel.

              Hungry Horse

[Klatch]

Thank you all.  I guess I'm not the only one having some problems.  I'm heading back out today to try some of these ideas.  I rather not bend the barrel yet....

[T*O*F]

I guess I'm not the only one having some problems.

There are no problems.  There are only new smoothbore shooters who think they have problems because they don't know how to shoot a smoothbore.  Those who bend their barrels are those who "just don't get it."

Start by using the Oct/round transition as your rear aiming point and move your eye rearward or forward as necessary to get the proper elevation.  Once you find it, inlay a small silver arrow at the proper aiming point.

[iloco]

A Sight it will be.
Got back from the shooting range after making a crude card board rear target.   Guess what at 50 yards I was on a 12 x 12 target.  Little to the right but my sight slipped with the tape that was holding it on.
 I will definitly be putting a rear sight on my North West Trade gun.
Makes my day knowing all I need is to add a rear sight.
 Bending a barrel is out the question.  I just don't get that.

[hanshi]

My .62 fowler came with a rear sight and it made sighting in very simple, indeed.  plus I can use it just like a rifle, even with shot.

[Klatch]

T*O*F,  no one complains that the silver inlay is a "rear" sight?  I definitely don't get it yet.  That's why I came here for help.  I thank you and the others for suggestions.  I knew an old boy that shot smoothbore and he had bent his barrel.  I don't know if he got it or not, but he could shoot it better than most guys could shoot a rifle. Thanks again for all suggestions.

[T*O*F]

no one complains that the silver inlay is a "rear" sight?

NO.  It is below the plane of the barrel and is a sighting point, not a sight.  No different than having a fancy engraved fowler with gold inlayed into it.

I started with a smoothbore and long before this forum existed used to get questions like yours.  Answer is still the same now as then.

[Scott Bumpus]

Dave I have heard this explanation before and i don't get it.  I aint saying it don't work, I just do not understand it.  If I look down the barrel is such a way that I could see a mark or inlay on the barrel the front sight is way above this line of sight? 

[Klatch]

T*O*F, Any chance of getting a picture of your setup?

[Hungry Horse]

 Having been severely whipped by smoothbores while shooting a rifle in the past, made me seek out these shooters when I built my smoothbore. Every one of these shooters had either bent his barrel, or had someone else bend it. Mechanical alterations to a firearm, make fixed changes. Reference points, that guide the shooters mounting of the firearm, make variable changes that can't always be relied on. JMO.

               Hungry Horse

[bob in the woods]

If you want to sight it like a rifle, then build a smooth bore rifle. The stock design on my fowling gun is not anything like a rifle, and if you put a sight on yours, you will not be allowed to compete in the "smoothbore" matches. I've never had to "bend " a barrel…..although I've had to straighten a few. 

[little joe]

 Its a little awkward but when holding the forestock bring your thumb and fore finger over the barrel and form a crude sight. I have saw smoothbore shooters shoot quite well this way.

[Standing Bear]

Ah Haa!   A great method.

[Klatch]

I think I'm going with Hungry Horse on this and bend it!  I can shoot a shotgun pretty good, but it don't think I can shoot a round ball that way.  And I guess I just won't get it!

[T*O*F]

You give up pretty easy which I suspect is the case for most who bend their barrels.  I was waiting until I had enough time to properly explain the process but in this world of instant gratification I guess I wasn't fast enough.  Now I can use that time for something else. Your loss, not mine.

[Hungry Horse]

 Bending the barrel seem the reasonable thing to do, considering, that if the gun shot low with a round ball, the shot pattern would be low as well. Since the idea of a trade gun, is to have a gun that will shoot both types of projectiles well enough to take game, it didn't seem prudent to use the reference point system on a gun that would be used for wing shooting. So I bent the barrel. It works fine for both types of projectiles.

                   Hungry Horse

[bob in the woods]

I'm going to give this one last shot .  If the rear sight on your rifle was too low, and you were therefore hitting low on target; would you install a taller sight [ i.e. raise your eye ]  or bend your barrel ??
My last 2 cents. Pockets are empty 

[iloco]

Guess I am missing the point.  For me installing a rear sight is the simple solution if one is shooting low. I was also shooting about a foot low trying to aim over the barrel without a rear sight.
 I have ordered a period correct rear sight for my smooth bore.  I am positive it will give me more control over shooting the gun.