Author Topic: Peep/tang sights back in "the day"? (Read 18138 times)

gumboman · « **Reply #25 on:** January 19, 2020, 01:58:02 AM »

Peep sights most likely go back as far as crossbows and matchlocks. People of old had the same eye maladies as we have today but they had no glasses to correct vision. If a shooter back in the day was lucky enough to live to 45 or 50 years of age, he had to use an aperture of some type to achieve accuracy.

Go ahead and use peep sights. You will love them. I have apertures on nearly all of my muzzleloaders including flints and percussion. They have made it possible for me to continue shooting and hunting. And there is an added benefit and that is the fantastic accuracy peep sights bring.

I make most of my own peeps. They are not difficult to make and its so much fun experimenting and trying different types.

Pukka Bundook · « **Reply #26 on:** January 19, 2020, 07:48:24 PM »

Skychief,

Peep and tube sight gonback to the early 1500's at least, so you are good to go.

Dave C2,

Very neat work on the simple but effective peep!

Elegant is always good. :-)

Justin Urbantas · « **Reply #27 on:** January 22, 2020, 06:29:31 AM »

Quote from: davec2 on January 12, 2020, 08:28:26 PM

Some time back I was perusing photos of a large bore English rifle built by one of my favorite contemporary makers, Stephen Alexander. This rifle had a rear "ghost ring" sight mounted very close to the breech which peaked my interest. I made up some dummy sights and glued them to the barrel of a build I am working on and I love the sight picture through them. In querying Stephen on the rear sight, he told me that this type of sight was frequently used on Turkish flint firearms and on some English and Continental ones as well.

I did find a few peep sighted Turkish flintlock photos and, apparently, peep sights have been around since Roman days (museum pieces, crossbows from Roman to middle age Europe with peep sights),

Here is the English rifle I built with this type of rear sight on it........works great !

I would like to see more pics of that English rifle you made. It's a beauty

WKevinD · « **Reply #28 on:** January 22, 2020, 06:49:57 AM »

Kevin

davec2 · « **Reply #29 on:** January 24, 2020, 07:12:12 PM »

Justin,

Sorry.....I missed your question about the English rifle.....here is a link https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=34719.0

Dphariss · « **Reply #30 on:** February 04, 2020, 08:53:23 PM »

Daryl · « **Reply #31 on:** February 04, 2020, 10:16:05 PM »

Dan- is that your 18 pound .50? I don't recall seeing it finished.
I have an in-the-white photo of you shooting it over a plank.

john bohan · « **Reply #32 on:** February 05, 2020, 01:08:55 AM »

I was having trouble too. I looked at some sights and found the RMC quick peep. worked real good on three whitetails this year,very quick to find in your vision. 72 can make one open to change.

borderdogs · « **Reply #33 on:** February 05, 2020, 07:39:34 AM »

I like peep sights and use them and when building a rifle I would consider putting one on the rifle. If you look at a Hawken flintlock on Brant Selb's website he has one on a rifle he built. I think it looks like a Skinner that has a bone color case finish. But I consider a simple non adjustable sight intriguing.
Rob

OldMtnMan · « **Reply #34 on:** February 05, 2020, 05:18:11 PM »

That's perfect.

MuskratMike · « **Reply #35 on:** February 05, 2020, 07:34:10 PM »

In this last picture of a peep is it available or was it custom made. If available by who?

Dphariss · « **Reply #36 on:** February 05, 2020, 08:19:59 PM »

Quote from: Daryl on February 04, 2020, 10:16:05 PM

Dan- is that your 18 pound .50? I don't recall seeing it finished.
I have an in-the-white photo of you shooting it over a plank.

Yes it is. I put a peep on it cause my right eye was getting bad but only shot it a time or two with it it did not help much. The VA finally paid to get the eye fixed, it had a weird cataract, and I can see the sights on everything again now. Maybe I can hunt with a FL again. The left eye is still good, naturally. The wind caught me and shot 5 is out 2" from center or it would have been much shorter. Or it was me but we always have wind wind. And it seems like there always has to be one. The photo is a composite of the 10 targets. Its amazing how little wind it takes to move a RB.
The matches at Cody died out and the ones we shoot 50 miles West are offhand. But I am going to take a saw horse and a plank over one of these times and shoot it a little without the peep. The link shows some detail of it before I browned the barrel.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000127103372&sk=media_set&set=a.110639535616949&type=3
Dan

Daryl · « **Reply #37 on:** February 05, 2020, 10:04:17 PM »

Tks Dan.

Did you boys note the load for accuracy shooting at 60 yards?

Jim Evans · « **Reply #38 on:** February 06, 2020, 08:25:19 PM »

Who Made this and is there a way to get one?

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #39 on:** February 06, 2020, 09:24:01 PM »

1670ish English 12 bore english breechloading rifle.
https://smg.photobucket.com/user/Gunmaker/media/english%20doglock%20breechloader/060.jpg.html?sort=3&o=18

Daryl · « **Reply #40 on:** February 06, 2020, 10:00:56 PM »

Very interesting gun, Mike. No full length pictures. I think only one muzzle 'shot', but not easily discernible rifling.
Didn't quite get the peep sight holes in a line.

smylee grouch · « **Reply #41 on:** February 06, 2020, 10:46:57 PM »

Dan, can you tell us how much "gain" is in that 44" McLemore barrel?

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #42 on:** February 06, 2020, 11:27:16 PM »

Quote from: Daryl on February 06, 2020, 10:00:56 PM

Very interesting gun, Mike. No full length pictures. I think only one muzzle 'shot', but not easily discernible rifling.
Didn't quite get the peep sight holes in a line.

Badly pitted bore, but rifling was strong in some areas.

davec2 · « **Reply #43 on:** February 09, 2020, 12:36:27 AM »

Jim Evans,
I made the sight when I built the rifle. Not available commercially that I know of.

TonyM · « **Reply #44 on:** February 09, 2020, 06:46:00 AM »

I have to ring in on this. I've been building and shooting sine the mid 70's.
Now I am 71 and cannot use a notched rear sight. I make peep sights but mount them 8-10 inches from the breech. I do my shooting sitting on the seat of my walker as I can no longer stand sturdy enough to shoot off hand. I don't care if they're legal for competition or not as I have long since fired my last match relay. But the peeps do allow me to ring plates, roll cans etc in my backyard range.
Heck, I even put one on my NW trade gun last week.
My gun, my range, my rules...LOL.
Have fun while you can. Life is short.
Tony Maples

smylee grouch · « **Reply #45 on:** February 09, 2020, 07:22:01 AM »

That is exactly right Tony. Keep at it till you just cant any more.

alacran · « **Reply #46 on:** February 09, 2020, 05:48:16 PM »

I can see open sights just fine. But I am building my self a tree stand Jaeger. It has a 25 inch .60 caliber Rayl barrel.
I have been thinking of installing a peep site on it since I came up with the idea. Peeps will give me a about a 23 1/2 inch sight radius.
The question is does anyone have photos of Germanic peep sights from the early 18th century?

MuskratMike · « **Reply #47 on:** February 09, 2020, 07:07:28 PM »

Tony: good for you. Keep shooting any way you need to. If anyone doesn't like it they can go home. I too use a "sort of" peep, more of a ghost ring so my old eyes can see the sights. God bless you, keep making smoke.

45-110 · « **Reply #48 on:** February 09, 2020, 08:07:32 PM »

I went the peep route this year on my .58 Hawken. I milled out the notch in the buckhorn sight with a 1/4" end mill which gave me the radius then soft soldered in a 1/4 disc in place with a centered drilled hole in it. Take good measurements on the height of the notch first, drill hole under size and increase as needed. I had to make up two to get it just right. Since this is my 100 yd hunting rifle the results have proven to be very worth the effort. Allowed me this year take a bull elk with a deliberate neck shot.
A very simple modification.
kw

TonyM · « **Reply #49 on:** February 10, 2020, 07:31:00 AM »

Well done 45-110.
I have found that a 1/8" hole gives me the picture I need for the sight 8-10" from the breech. Really more like a ghost ring but it sure works.
Tony Maples

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Author Topic: Peep/tang sights back in "the day"? (Read 18138 times)

Jim Evans