Old guy sights

[Scota4570]

Per request, this is how I make sights for me.  The front is 0.16" wide.  That seems huge but is the width of the black of an NMLRA aggregate target viewed from 50 yards.  That makes the ball on top of a post, 6 O'clock hold natural.  The rear notch is sized to give a sliver of light on either side ( 0.050" wide and about he same deep).  When used they appear like sights you might find on a modern target pistol. 

I may make a fancier rear sight.  I had this one from another project and it will work, but it could be nicer.  The sights' height is a bit higher than issued, this should lessen mirage. Once I am certain all is as I prefer I'll trim the front sight to match the barrel flats. 
   

[gunmaker]

Nice  flare what bbl. good plan on sites.    old dog

[Daniel Coats]

Back in the last century when I had perfect vision I would have wanted a narrower blade. This just might work for me now! Thanks for posting!

[RedRiverII]

Thank you sir.  It makes a lot of sense.  How about a nice peep hole right through the front post?  That is a nice series of pics,  appreciated .

[Scota4570]

Thank you sir.  It makes a lot of sense.  How about a nice peep hole right through the front post?  That is a nice series of pics,  appreciated .

A diopter front is not allowed in NMLRA competition. 

For hunting rifle it could work.  IF the top of the post were 50 yards and the hole was for 100 yards??  I'd skip the open sight and go with a peep.  It is really pushing the spirit of a flint lock though. 

[Not English]

Scot, Have you ever thought about knocking off the top rear corner of the front site? If you polish up the bevel, it can provide a nice bright spot at the top of your blade.

[Hungry Horse]

 Man you have every angle on those sights  dead flat, which creates such a fuzzy image that the sight picture looks like a briquet in a fur ball. If the back of the rear sight is angled back a little, and the top of the rear sight is beveled on the forward edge, much of the fuzzy image will disappear. In my opinion sights that wide are only good for big targets close up.

  Hungry Horse

[yulzari]

Like your sight. Very practical.

If you cut a slit down the centre of the front sight in one with the barrel you will get a fine bright central line on the wide front sight. As patented as the Lewes Sight used on early Lee Medford’s and some Martini Henrys. Later used on the French Berthier rifles in the Great War. Colonel Lewes made his slot wider at front to make it a triangular funnel to reflect more light into the slit. But that is extra work.

Lewes’ patent is in google US patents if you search online with plans and the written description. Google images has a (very) few photographs of the Lee Metford and Berthier examples.

[Frank]

Had my cataracts removed about three months ago and don’t need these. I use traditional thin blade upfront and get one inch groups at 50 yards. If you have cataracts, get them removed. Zero cost on Medicare.

[Scota4570]

I appreciate the feedback. 

A couple of things come to mind.  First the picture of the sight picture looks terrible because I can not manually set the F-stop and focus on my camera.  ....I hate modern cameras.  It is not a cheap camera either. 

Tilting the back surface of the front sight away from the shooter to catch light causes the impact to shift up and down as light conditions change?  That is why a sunshade is an advantage.  95% of my shooting is in direct sunlight. I have never had decent luck with any front sight designed to catch light or glow. IF the sight glints it becomes a sunburst.  The exact POA is lost.  That is apparently an issue with my eyes only?    Those types of sights may be advantageous in a forest canopy?   

I like the idea of adding a vertical slit to the rear face of the front sight and inlaying silver. 

The rear sight certainly could be angled back. 

Open barrel sights are terrible.  I use them because the rules demand it. 

Day before yesterday I did some load testing with a ML pistol I made.  At 25 yards I made a 5-shot group of 0.72" center to center.  For load testing purposes, I was using a sand bag rest and a scope.  Being able to see what is happening is a huge help.  That might have been a 2" group with iron sights.   

[RedRiverII]

Thank you sir.  It makes a lot of sense.  How about a nice peep hole right through the front post?  That is a nice series of pics,  appreciated .

A diopter front is not allowed in NMLRA competition. 

For hunting rifle it could work.  IF the top of the post were 50 yards and the hole was for 100 yards??  I'd skip the open sight and go with a peep.  It is really pushing the spirit of a flint lock though.

"Forgive me my trespass as I forgive others."  You are correct of course,  but I went with the feeling of the moment.  I realize I overstepped the spirit of this site.  Discipline was never a strong suit of mine,  thanks for the reminder.

[rmnc3r]

Like your sight. Very practical.

If you cut a slit down the centre of the front sight in one with the barrel you will get a fine bright central line on the wide front sight. As patented as the Lewes Sight used on early Lee Medford’s and some Martini Henrys. Later used on the French Berthier rifles in the Great War. Colonel Lewes made his slot wider at front to make it a triangular funnel to reflect more light into the slit. But that is extra work.

Lewes’ patent is in google US patents if you search online with plans and the written description. Google images has a (very) few photographs of the Lee Metford and Berthier examples.

Nice!  Thanks!!

For convenience;
https://patents.google.com/patent/US421943A/en

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/83/a5/43/ed0c3005984ced/US421943-drawings-page-1.png

[Hungry Horse]

 These sights are nothing new. They were all the rage in California over 40 years ago, in fact they even called them California sights. They are nothing but a pistol sight. And they are pretty good at pistol range, shooting large targets, but not at rifles range shooting medium to small targets.

  Hungry Horse

[yulzari]

Thank you rmnc3r. I was shamefully too idle to look up the site. The drawings do not easily display the triangular sloping ‘funnel’ of light coming into the small slit to illuminate it. The French liked it as thick post gave a rapid snap alignment whilst the tiny slit allowed a slower more precise hold when time allowed. The thick post also helped in poor light. A shame the British use reverted to the old fashioned barleycorn and ‘V’ rear sight.

[Craig Wilcox]

I grew up shooting that "lollipop on a stick" sight image, so it still seems natural to me.  Most of the more modern sights seem to want the target to be centered by the front sight - lot's harder to hold than the lollipop.
Learned on one of the old small-caliber suppository rifles, mostly in the basement of a building at the Marine Corps HQ in D.C.  Those Gunny's were adamant about everything to do with firearms.  Sure makes you a safer person!

Never had good eyes until 5 years ago when I had cataract  surgery.  The eyeball cutter was also a bench rest shooter like me, made my right eye a bit sharper than 20/20, left eye just at 20/20.  My previous vision was in the 400 range!  It was amazing, riding back home, seeing things like the mortar between bricks, or leaves on a tree - even with glasses, I had a hard time seeing those things.

And Frank - many thanks, I had wondered why I never received a bill for the cataract surgeries.

I do have a tang Vernier peep sight, and level front sight just waiting for the right ML to put them on - then going to try again at the 500 and 1,000 yard ranges!