Sight pictures for Roundball

[Harnic]

Sorry it took me so long to get around to taking/posting these RB!





The front sight is the standard Hawken front from Track & the rear is their Mariano Modena Hawken style rear that I had modified several years ago to a peep.  I removed the ring I soldered on & soldered a piece of brass plate over the back of the sight & blackened it.  I position the bead on the front sight in the "U" notch so the distance between the sides & the bottom are the same (like a peep sight) & set my intended target on top of the front bead, which is a steel ball bearing that I filed a notch in the front blade & soldered on.  It's about the best sight picture I've found so far for my tired old eyes using open sights.

[ottawa]

how well dose it shoot ? looks good

[roundball]

The front sight is the standard Hawken front from Track & the rear is their Mariano Modena Hawken style rear that I had modified several years ago to a peep.  I removed the ring I soldered on & soldered a piece of brass plate over the back of the sight & blackened it.  I position the bead on the front sight in the "U" notch so the distance between the sides & the bottom are the same (like a peep sight) & set my intended target on top of the front bead, which is a steel ball bearing that I filed a notch in the front blade & soldered on.  It's about the best sight picture I've found so far for my tired old eyes using open sights.

Looks good...when I zoomed it up, it looks like the front bead has a "frown face" on it...LOL

I was cleaning out some old stuff in the shop just yesterday including a bunch of targets from a few years ago when I was using T/C Hawkens with their adjustable rear and bead front sights...and was reminded that the accuracy from a fine bead is hard to beat.

The wide square front sights and wide rear sight notches on my long guns are excellent for hunting in low light of the woods, but lack the precision of a fine bead / narrow rear sight notch.

Thanks for the photos... 

[The other DWS]

The ball bearing looks real crisp against that lighted wall background.   Outdoors in bright light do you get reflections off it, or do you blacken it?


My original ML schuetzen has a real fine bead on a post, but its under a hood that protects it from damage as well as shading preventing distorting reflections.  It the rear is an adjustable tang/lollipop.  Of course they were built for shooting 200 yards offhand on paper targets.  If I was to take it deer hunting I'd probably paint the bead with white-out----unless there was a lot of snow on the ground

[Harnic]

Ottawa, it shoots better than any other open sights I've tried, at least for my eyes.

Rb, it does have a frown face!  Lol!  The eyes are reflected lights in my shop & the mouth is the edge of the solder.  I need to paint it with flat black.  As far as precision goes, it's crude, still quite blurred , but with as many years shooting as I have I'm not bad at aiming "by guess & by golly"!

DWS, it looks quite crisp in low light, but seems to blur substantially in sunlight.  As I said, it's the best I've tried yet for my eyes.  I much prefer aperture sights like on my 45 Sharps, but the purists here won't let you shoot with anything but hysterically correct, open sights.

[TNVolunteerEngineer]

I have always found that the best iron sights look like target pistol sights.  A large square-topped post front sight and a rear notch that allows a little light to show on both sides of the front sight. 

[Harnic]

I have always found that the best iron sights look like target pistol sights.  A large square-topped post front sight and a rear notch that allows a little light to show on both sides of the front sight. 

I've tried that Vol423, but all I see is a very wide block out there, so blurred I have no idea which is really the sight...

[The other DWS]

Using the square post and squares notch you have to fit the post width and the notch width to match your vision, and the need.  A wider notch with more daylight showing on each side of the post is quicker to pick up for a fast shot and usually easier to see in dim or dappled light conditions. a narrower slot with some, but less, light gives a finer target accuracy but can blurr into a solid black bar in less than optimum conditions.    Your eye/mind will naturally center the post in the notch horizontally.  It also allows for better elevation adjustment than a round aperture, unless the rear sight is readily adjustable for elevation; but you have to see it.   The target handgunner's old rule is that the front sight's visual image should be crisp and clear and the rear sight and bullseye a little bit out of focus.   Which is fine for young eyes.  for those of us with high-mileage eyes we need to make adjustments.  I have found as the years go by that I have moved to a wider and wider notch and usually a thicker post as well.

  Before I start another rifle I'm going to pick up a simple large rear sight, grind the dovetail off. and use double stick tape to slide it for and aft until I get it the right distance for my vision.  I may also hog out the sight slot and use temporary sight notches cut in blackened card stock to experiment with notch width.

[hanshi]

Yes for us with ancient eyes a wider notch is better for the woods.  On my current main deer rifle the rear notch is quite wide as is the notch on my smoothbore.  Such an arrangement is fast and easy to pick up in the woods which is what you need for deer.  My squirrel rifle has a narrower notch for more precision on tiny targets.  But as things are presently progressing, I may widen that notch, too.