locating the rear sight

[jeager58]

on an English sporting rifle with a 31" barrel how far from the breach plug should the rear sight be. In pictures it looks to be about 8".    Is this accurate or is there a formula I should go by.....Phil

[Telgan]

For some it would depend entirely on eyesight and where your optimal vision to see the sight clearly rests.

[Don Getz]

It's a personal thing, you must place it where you can see it.............Don

[Birdhunter]

Usually the older ya get the farther forward it is.
Curt

[Dave Faletti]

Another thing to consider is where your hand will be when you carry it.  I prefer not to have the sight under my hand especially where my thumb wraps around.

[whitebear]

Buy one of these thin flexible magnets and cut a strip the width of the top flat.
Lay this on the barrel and put the rear sight on it, look through your sights.  Adjust the location of the rear sight until you get the clearest sight picture.  Mark this location and put the rear sight on the barrel there.

[smylee grouch]

I like to do what Whitebear does but when the position is marked on the barrel I put sight about 1/2 inch forward of that to compensate for future sight detereation which will happen to all of us.    Smylee

[Don Getz]

Actually the placement of the rear sight is not that important, you can live with a certain amount of "fuzz", but, if you can't
see the front sight sharply you have problems.    Youth is the most important factor..............Don

[Long Ears]

Darn it Don, that's the one I can't get back! Now you made it the most important! I no longer have to worry about the rear sight being near the balance point.

[Hawken62_flint]

With my age and my eyes, I have found that the rear sight is clear about 15 inches from the breach.  It looks a little strange, but the rear and front sights are crystal clear.  Like someone suggested, I place the rear sight on the barrel and then keep moving it toward the muzzle till it becomes clear.  Good luck.

[dave gross]

In my limited experience the rear sight will always end up at the rifle's balance point so that when being carried the rear sight can most effectively gouge into the heel of you hand.......it's always worked out that way for me.

Dave Gross
somewhere in the Maine woods

[northmn]

Another consideration for the rear sight and age.  Fine sights are great when you are young and target shooting.  At this time I make a front sight by folding over a piece of 1/16 sheet brass to get a 1/8 bead.  The rear sight is filed so that I can see light around the U notch.  Most rear sights need to be opened up a bit.

DP

[bgf]

I agree about widening the rear notch -- it helps with sight acquisition and eye-strain and doesn't hurt accuracy much if at all in my experience, since more light on either side of the blade will aid in centering it.  I wanted "fine" sights on my flintlock, but have settled for low with a wide notch, which looks more correct from any reasonable distance but is easier to use.  Easy to try -- just take a needle file (I like square with a front blade) and cut it out.  I think Daryl also showed an express-like sight (bead front and wide v in back) he had made -- if it fits the rifle, it is one of the best types for ease of use.   I would think it would fit the look of an English sporting rifle very well.

Additionally, neither the rear sight nor the target really need to be in sharp focus, as long as the front sight is clear.  Sounds counter-intuitive, but it works.

[jmdavis]

I agree with the others saying that the rear (and the target, can be fuzzy) but you must be able to focus on the front. For me these days, that means that I shoot muzzleloaders wearing a pair of reading glasses (1 diopter). It really does help because if you can't focus on the front sight (crisp clear, see the nicks and machine marks focus) you will not shoot as well as you can.

My chunk gun has a wide front and relatively narrow rear sight. This makes it more difficult to align the sights sometimes. By next year, that situation will be corrected.

[jeager58]

thanks for the input   it helped a lot...phil

[northmn]

I have been using the "Express" sight a great deal lately and like them on my latest builds.   They are quick and will allow for some surprisingly tight groups.  One is on my 25 squirrel gun.

DP