Smoothbore shooting again or still?

[Jim Jackson]

If a 20ga. Fowler is shooting low, if you keep the same position of your cheek on the stock but you moved the front sight closer to your eye will that raise the point of impact with all else remaining the same?Inquiring minds want to know!

[billd]

Don't take this as gospel.......On a straight barrel moving the sight forward or backward would make no difference.  On a swamped barrel moving the sight backwards would lower the front sight, making it shoot higher. On a striaght tapered barrel, moving the sight backwards would raise the front sight making it shoot lower.    Make sense??

How much low are you talking? Some people bend the barrel, I've neever done it.

Bill

[northmn]

Placing the sight further back would increase the angle of view and should make it shoot higher.  The height of an angle increases with length.  To increase the height closer up would increase the angle or raise the front of the barrel.  Many originals had the front sight 2 inches or more from the muzzle.

DP

[T*O*F]

Your question is really irrelevant until we determine if you only have a front sight on your fowler, or if it has both front and rear sights.

If you only have a front sight, your problem is cured by changing your sighting point on the rear of the barrel.  You don't just sight down the breech to the front sight.  You need to determine a sighting point further up the barrel.  This can be done by putting incremental marks on a piece of masking tape stuck to the barrel and using each mark until you find the one that shoots to point of aim.

[Jim Jackson]

Front sight only on this Fowler.

[Leatherbelly]

  Thanks for this info. My sight is 1 1/2 inch from the muzzle and a low sight. I thought that moving it back to a more traditional distance would change point of impact.(wasn't sure which way,up or down) This gun shoots low and being a low front sight,moving it back may be the answer.Sight has the heart shaped base and am thinking that a "turtle" sight may work better.Any thoughts?

[T*O*F]

The problem is not the front sight.  You are trying to shoot it like a rifle.  99% of shooters trying to transition to a fowler with no rear sight have this problem.

With a rifle, if you place the front sight in the rear notch low, the gun will shoot low.  As you expose more of the front sight, the gun will shoot higher because doing so adds elevation to the plane of the bullet.

With a fowler, this is done by picking a rear aiming point further down the barrel.  To do so, you have to raise the muzzle in order to "see" further down the barrel.    Use the marked tape idea I posted previously to find your rear aiming point.  Then file a small notch, punch a dot, or inlay a small silver arrow into the barrel for future reference.  You will also probably have to modify your cheek weld to do this.  Many shooters cannot adapt to this concept.  If you can't, I suggest you install a rear sight.

[J.D.]

Or, he could just bend the barrel. Regulating barrels by bending them to shoot to point of aim has been been the standard procedure for changing POI for at least a coupla hundred years.

God bless

[northmn]

TOF's suggestion was followed a great deal by the original users.  At least of the NWTG.  Original barrels often show where someone raised a point with a chisel along the barrel to get a rear sight.  Many have been found with a load of shot in the barrel.  They are about the only "original" found in Northern MN.

DP

[Roger Fisher]

Show more frt sight!  If your sight is v low show the base of said sight.  Try it you may like it.!    I did.

[J.D.]

TOF's suggestion was followed a great deal by the original users.  At least of the NWTG.  Original barrels often show where someone raised a point with a chisel along the barrel to get a rear sight.  Many have been found with a load of shot in the barrel.  They are about the only "original" found in Northern MN.

That same  process is used today by knowledgeable pistol and fixed sight rifle shooters for shooting beyond the range for the sight settings.

There are also references to 18th century NDNs regulating the barrels on their trade guns by bending in a notch cut in a tree. So, IMHO, either method would be ok, but I think most modern shooters would be more comfortable shooting a piece, once the barrel is properly regulated.

God bless

[northmn]

There is also the little trick of installing an ill fitting tang screw that fits up a ways out of the tang and just happens to tighten best with the screw slot looking straight down the barrel   Something I heard of somewhere. 

DP

[Jim Jackson]

The tang screw works fine but you can not have it above the plane of the barrel to be legal in Trad Gun matches.I will try it with some tape like was posted to get where I want to be and then maybe mark the barrel at that spot to use like a rear sight.

[Roger Fisher]

The tang screw works fine but you can not have it above the plane of the barrel to be legal in Trad Gun matches.I will try it with some tape like was posted to get where I want to be and then maybe mark the barrel at that spot to use like a rear sight.

Yes, no rear sight above the plane of the barrel (incl I assume a raised 'point')

Let us know how you make out with that tape idea and if you can see it..!  Sounds interesting...

[Daryl]

Taylor's .62 Hawken, back in the 70's, had a bright area on the barrel from resting against the bench when loading - ie; worn browing, that appeared like a band when looking through the sights. Holding this bright 'band' level with the rear sight's flat, and putting the blade in the middle of the target, gave a perfect "0" for 325 yards, the distance to the 12" whitish coloured rock we used to shoot at in Squamish, BC.  such a 'bright band on a browned smooth barrel would do the same - however, it is easier to sigth down the 'plain' of the barrel and place the blade on the taget, the ball striking on it's top edge.  For longer ranges, merely hold up a bit of blade or sight base works.  Bending the barrel is necessary for this sighting system to work on most RB smoothbores - except mine.  Maybe somebody (the maker - Hunkeler) already bent the barrel - but it's perfect and worthwhile doing - correctly.