Smoothbores shooting round ball super high

[rich pierce]

I’ve got 2 smoothbores with fat breeches and thin muzzles. So of course the rear “sight” (breech) is way higher than the front sight. My 20 ga is 1.25” at the breech. It wants to shoot round balls 4” high at 25 yards. That’s a lot and makes woods walk targets a guessing game on where to hold. It’s an Ed Rayl barrel and do is not going to bend easily. I’m considering a “front sight height enhancer” for round ball shooting. If you have ways to address this issue, pass them on!

I’m wondering how deep a groove I could file in the top flat at the breech but I think it would look dumb. Should have gone with a 1” breech.

[smylee grouch]

"Front sight height enhancer" or new higher sight.   Some might even bend the barrel.

[rich pierce]

"Front sight height enhancer" or new higher sight.   Some might even bend the barrel.

Good advice. I’m fussing unnecessarily. Bending would be the best solution but not sure I can get it right with 1137 steel. Here’s my cob job plan.

[danny]

instead of trying to drill such a small hole accurate hole through the bead, i wonder if roughing it up a bit and gluing the extension on with a little two part epoxy might  work. or even a little silver solder. make the cob a bit a longer than you think you need so it can gently be filed down.

[Gtrubicon]

Is the existing front sight wide enough that you could drill from the top down and add a pin that could be filed to proper height? I did this on an old military surplus rifle and it worked very well.

[rich pierce]

Good ideas above. If I decide I want a permanently taller sight I will make another and problem solved at short ranges. But I’d not like the look of a permanent taller sight. It’s already 3x the height seen on originals where front sights were very low. The pinning from the top might work but if not soldered (and permanent) the extension might spin? I’m thinking a quick release, detachable height extension  may work. Will make one and test drive it soon and report back.

[hanshi]

I was about to suggest a taller front sight.  That would solve your problem and you will enjoy shooting the smoothbore with one.

[rich pierce]

I was about to suggest a taller front sight.  That would solve your problem and you will enjoy shooting the smoothbore with one.

Agree that’s an easy solution!

Whenever I brainstorm and come up with ideas I think nobody has tried, I need to remember that maybe a few folks tried it and that solution bombed! 

[Keith Zimmerman]

Bobby Hoyt just bent a Rayl barrel for me and it bent super easy.  It was the first one he bent and he was surprised how easy it bent.  Try it.

[Hungry Horse]

 I’m a bend the barrel kind of guy. I have enough trouble not knocking the sight off, or bending it, without it being as tall as a sailboat's mast. Besides nothing says amateur more to me than a big tall front sight.

Hungry Horse

[Mike_StL]

The other approach is to adjust the cheek weld to have more of a view of the front sight.  Seeing the entire bead of the front sight will effectively lower the muzzle.  Sometimes you even have to see some of the barrel. 

[rich pierce]

Solved. I went shooting with and without the front sight height extension.  When I used the sight height extender while barely seeing the top of the front sight it shot very low as expected.

When I filed the height extender down keeping the same sight picture it started moving up as expected and got into the black.

When I removed the height extension and shot it with my normal sight picture it shot high like yesterday.

I got advice from a friend Mike from the Gemmer club (Grenadier) to keep the same cheek weld but see more front sight. Not seeing more barrel by lifting my head. Just seeing more of the sight. When I did that I could put it close to the black with the original sight height. I just needed a coach that said something that clicked for me. Thanks all for your suggestions.

[Daryl]

That is how Taylor and I shoot our smoothbores. I see only 1/8th inch of mine over the breech to hit centre at 25yards, while he sees the full height over the line at the wedding band. bull on the top.