Some advice on my front sight?

[fahnenschmied]

I'm building myself a "Carolina Gun", based heavily on "The TR Gun" with some details from "The Yuchi Gun", a similar "Type G" from a burial site. Almost done - last weekend I hacked out a front sight, based on the top view of the end of the barrel, tennoned and silver soldered in place.  But none of the photos of it show much of the shape.  I suspect the base should be dressed down to the contour of the barrel, and perhaps the blade shaped to a more or less football shape from above?  There was a post of an archaeologically recovered gun barrel with a sight in place, but for whatever reason Photobucket images are blurry on my computor.  Thanks!

[rich pierce]

Some I’ve seen seem to have an oblong shape to the blade. I’d definitely dress down the base to make it blend to the barrel contour closely.

[Hungry Horse]

This is not necessarily advice, its just what worked for me. I built a chiefs grade trade gun, with a thirty inch barrel. The sight I used was a solder on Underlug repurposed into a sight. I found I had soldered it on just a hair to the left. It was shooting a little low, so I tried using the apex of blade, and the base on the right side. It shot like a rifle.

  Hungry Horse

[Elnathan]

I think this is from the Wilson trade gun that used by be in the Dresslar collection. Not sure where I got the picture (probably from here!) or if this is properly considered a Type G or just a Carolina gun (I haven't figured out the variations and terminology yet!).


It doesn't look like it has much of a base at all. I have a rather poor quality scan from Hanson's Firearms of the Fur Trade with with the same side shot of another type G nose area (Flanagan collection) and it has the same apparent lack of a base, though the blade is differently shaped, being much longer and the classic rifle-style triangle shape.

[WadePatton]

... but for whatever reason Photobucket images are blurry on my computor...

Download the image to anywhere and then open it-should clear up.   I just learned this. It's a pain, but for some pics it can be worth the hassle. 

[fahnenschmied]

Hmn - I tried downloading it to my computer desktop - no change.  Worth a try though.

[smart dog]

Hi,
Here is an example from an original English fowler


dave

[Daryl]

I would reduce considerably, the height of the base by filing the height and smoothing the corners down to the barrel. I would
likely just replace it with one of these.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/874/4/FS-NW-2-B
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/874/3/FS-FUSIL-1-GS
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/874/2/FS-FUSIL-1-B

or

[fahnenschmied]

I wanted a clearer image of this sight, from an archaelogically recovered trade gun - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v513/richpierce/originals/Williamsgunfrontsight.jpg

[jrb]

this first photo is the one posted by Rich Pierce of the Williams gun found in the Suwannee and conserved by James Levy. the blade was eroded away likely from the current and river bottom abrasion. Note though the base definitely isn't filed round to fit the round barrel profile.

the second picture is from a relic website and (MAY) be a similar front sight found in illinois. the rear site in this photo seems to be missing the front finial.

[jrb]

Also, in his original post here, James Levy says the front sight on the Williams gun WAS dovetailed into the barrel

[fahnenschmied]

Many thanks, jrb, for the better image of the front sight that Levy conserved.  On my gun I have more or less dovetailed it too, just a slight bump with a chisel to hold it while silver-soldering.  I could indeed file it to fit the barrel contour, but I wanted better and clearer images of this type of sight.  Here is the top view of the TR gun sight - a rectangular base similar to this recovered front sight - but rather unclear as to what the original shape might have been.  It is not much like the teardrop based front sights seen on finer fowlers from a later period, but more akin to a brass underlug in shape.  I can always reshape it later. 


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[Jim Kibler]

Hi,
Here is an example from an original English fowler


dave

Hi Dave.  Not sure, but I think I made that sight.  If that's the gun you got from me, the barrel has been "stretched".  Hard to remember for sure though.

Jim

[smart dog]

Hi Jim,
Yes it is.  I assume you restored it as close to what you thought was original as possible.  Actually most English fowler sights I've seen are either chiseled into the barrel

 or spider sights.


dave

[Levy]

The dovetail for the front sight of the Williams gun looked like it might have been done with a sharp chisel and slightly humped or domed in the middle of the dovetail.  When the gun came into the Conservation Lab, it was missing it's front and rear sights.  I asked them how they cleaned it off and the responded with a high pressure garden hose.  I asked them to go back to the driveway that they'd washed it off on and look for any pieces of brass metal (sights).  They did, and returned with both the sights.  I took the remains of the Williams gun to Mel Hankla's show at Cumberland last year for everyone to study.  As thin and soft as these muzzles were, I'm thinking they must have had some type of mandrel to fit into the bore before they started cutting on them with a hammer and a chisel.  James Levy