Sighting in my flintlock

[Ray of the Yankees]

Ok guys I have another question for you all.  I took my CVA .50 Hawken flintlock out today and bench rested it to test its accuracy.  The windage was right on, but my bullets were hitting high. I had to aim at the bottom of the 7 ring on a NRA 100 yard small bore rifle target for the round to hit inside the 10 ring.  I was shooting at approx. 25 yards with 60 grains 3F Goex.  So my question is besides Kentucky windage, how do I adjust my sights to make the point of aim and point of impact match?   

[Natureboy]

I would assume that you should lower the rear sight.  If it's adjustable, like so many "Hawkens," you can do it easily.  Otherwise, a v-shaped or small round file will to the job.  Personally, I can't see the middle of the target very well, do to old age.  So I put the sight picture at 6 o'clock, and it hits in the center.  For hunting, you would need it to hit where you aim.  Generally, if it hits low, you flat-file the front sight.  If high, file the rear.

[gwill]

i'm sighting in a rifle now too.  I'm no expert but I'd suggest you shoot a few groups at 50-60 yards and make sure you've got the best ball, charge, patch and lube combination before pulling out the file.

[SCLoyalist]

I'll second gwill's suggestion to try a longer range and to keep shooting until you've got a reasonably tight group so you have a better handle on how much to adjustment to make.   Once you know that,  your choices to correct bullets going high is to raise the height of the front sight (i.e. replace the current one with a taller blade) or lower the rear sight by click adjustments (or by taking a file to it to lower it if it isn't adjustable).

Before I file down a sight, I usually buy a replacement from Track and work on it, so I can always put the sights back in original condition if I get overzealous in filing.

The other question is how much to raise the front height or lower the rear:   measure the distance between the front and rear sight and call that the 'sight radius'.  If on your gun that's a sight radius of 24", and you want to move point of impact 3" at 25 yards (or 900 inches),   you need to adjust the sight by   3*SR/900=72/900= 0.08" , by lowering the rear sight that much, raising the front sight height that much, etc.

Good luck with it. SCL

[JBJ]

SCLoyalist is correct. For my old noggin I just try and remember the following simple formula:

(Sight radius) divided by (distance to target) = sight adjustment needed per inch of adjustment at the target
Note: all units are in inches 

Remember the simple abbreviation FORS when you start to adjust the sights. FORS = Front Opposite, Rear Same. In other words. if you wish to make an agdjustment using the front sight, it is shifted opposite to the direction you want the bullet to go. Rear sight is moved in the same direction. Example: To lower point of impact using the front sight to make the adjustment, you have to raise the front sight.

That's about all I try to keep up with. Have fun.
J.B.

[Molly]

Personally, for target shooting I look to "load down" on the charge before messing with the sights.  60 gr at 25 yards is just too much for me.  Like some expressed above the ball - patch - charge and distance variables matter most to me before messing with the sights...but then I don't have adjustable sights in the same sense as maybe others do...yeah yeah, I know about files and hammers.

With 9 contemps all custom made and purchased new I have never made a "sight adjustment" to any but had a lot of fun shooting to find the right combination for specific distances and keeping the point of aim the same....right at a hair below 12 o'clock.

I know a shooter who is eternally messing with his sights as the excuse for poor shooting.  Almost amusing!

[Daryl]

 

Simply start with rear sight (top of notch) and front blade is the same height.  Shoot at a large piece of paper to find the accuracy load.  From there, you will likely only need to file a bit off the front sight to get it zeroed. You may have to drift the rear sight a tich left or right to get it shooting centre. Depending on the calibre and load, you may find the rifle shoots perfectly with both sights level. That may depend on the range you wish the rifle sighted for, of course. Note that zero'd at 25 yards is usually zero'd at 50 - or maybe 1/2" high at 50- all dependent on the height of your sights above the barrel.

With a bead on the front, you'll only be able to adjust the rear sight's height to obtain zero as you cannot lower the bead's height by filing.  So - the rear sight must be higher than the "CENTRE" of the front sight's bead to give elevation - I'd make the rear sight  2 bead diameters higher than the centre of the front bead to give some adjustment range. This will allow easy testing and give enough material for adjustment by filing.

USE a NEW FILE!

[flinchrocket]

When I sight a new rifle I start at 15 yards and don't move the target until it will hit dead center on the windage. I use a white sheet of paper with a cross made with a black marker. If it shoots a couple inches low,no problem, but I want to cut that vertical line with a moderate load. If you think you can adjust the
windage at 50 or a 100 yds, good luck, when your done sighting in you can cut a few cards.

[Daryl]

Similar - I generally sight in horizontally and vertically at 25 yards, but finish at 50 yards where I can still shoot a group smaller than a quarter - with most of my rifles. Any windage error shows much better at 50yards than any range closer.

As far as "card-cuts" my "card-cut" wall in the shop has 42 cards on it with details of calibre and date, plus a couple or few scattered around the shop I have yet to add to the wall. The calibres used were .32, .40, .45, .58, .62(smoothbore) and .69.

Use whatever system works for you.
 

[Sharpsman]

I would assume that you should lower the rear sight.  If it's adjustable, like so many "Hawkens," you can do it easily.  Otherwise, a v-shaped or small round file will to the job.  Personally, I can't see the middle of the target very well, do to old age.  So I put the sight picture at 6 o'clock, and it hits in the center.  For hunting, you would need it to hit where you aim.  Generally, if it hits low, you flat-file the front sight.  If high, file the rear.

 "For hunting, you would need it to hit where you aim"

Or...hold at six o/clock behind the foreleg with the ball striking 6" or so high!