Fowler front sight height

[Lone Wolf]

What’s a good starting point for a front sight post on a Fowler that will have no rear sight?  Thanks

[2 shots]

 pretty much depends on your personal hold. start high... easier to file down then to add to.

[rich pierce]

Tapered barrels require a taller front sight if you want to have a round ball on target at 25-35 yards. Compare the thickness of the barrel at the breech. Do the same at the muzzle. Subtract.  The sight needs to be that height to start.

[Lone Wolf]

Tapered barrels require a taller front sight if you want to have a round ball on target at 25-35 yards. Compare the thickness of the barrel at the breech. Do the same at the muzzle. Subtract.  The sight needs to be that height to start.

How high is high?  Reason for my question is a have a sight post I would like to use but it has already been filed down, so I’d like to know if there is a rule of thumb before I solder it on then find out it is too short.

[Daryl]

I would say 2/10" is high. Just measured mine and it's .085" above the barrel. If the barrel and crown are straight and square,
much depends on the difference between the breech height and the muzzle's height above the centre of the bore.
As in, how much elevation does the breech give to the line of sight. 
Does the barrel need to be bent to give the correct point of impact? What is a comfortable sight height for you?

[hortonstn]

Rich
When measuring for sights the rear is that just barrel thickness or rear sight height minus ft barrel thickness?
Thanks

[rich pierce]

My thinking is the rear sight and front sight tops should be the same distance above the bore for round ball shooting. Then the front sight can be filed down so the sight line intersects the ball’s flight at the desired distance.

I was thinking there would be no rear sight and that the “rear sight” would be the breech at the tang.

If there is a rear sight I’d calculate how high the top is above the center of the bore. Same for front sight.

(Hope I’ve got this right). Barrel thickness at the spot where a sight is, divided by 2, equals height of top of barrel from the bore center at that spot. Now add sight height above barrel top surface. That total is the height of the top of the sight above the center of the bore.

Of course the front sight needs to be lower than the rear. How much depends on distance between sights, how fast the ball is dropping, and distance to target.

[Long Ears]

Smoothbore shooting is like shotgun shooting. Fit and sight picture is everything. If the stock is too short or the comb is too high you will shoot high. If you see any barrel between the breech and the front bead you shoot high. Do the math from center of bore for front sight height and then learn the point of impact at given distances. Kentucky windage from there. Just my experience. Bob

[Daryl]

I agree that the top of the front sight, for shooting ball in a smoothbore, should be the same height to the top, as the breech is above the centre of the bore, to start with.
As Rich says, this is for using the barrel's breech height as the rear sight.
When I aim with mine, the front sight's base where it meets the barrel is level with the breech and the "target's" centre is placed on the top of the front sight. That is how I filed in my sights to hit centre at 25 yards.  If I need more height for shooting longer ranges, I hold more barrel above the breech, still placing the target's centre on top of the front sight's blade.

[smart dog]

Hi,
This is a bit more complicated than just measuring the height above the center of the bore at the breech and muzzle.  So much depends on what your sight picture is.  I don't aim down the top plane of the barrel with a smoothbore and no rear sight.  I aim over the barrel and see some of the top of the barrel in my sight picture.  If you aim directly down the barrel, after a few shots the heat waves from the barrel will obscure your front sight.  That doesn't happen if you look over the barrel much like you would aim a bow and arrow instinctively.  You usually don't aim down the arrow.  Your rear sight is where your fingers touch your face and you see the arrow tip as your front sight.  On a gun, the more top of the barrel you see is like raising your rear sight.  The less barrel you see is like lowering your rear sight.  On a smoothbore, your rear sight is your cheek weld on the stock.  Initially, I make all my front sights 1/4" high and then work from there.  That is enough to accommodate all available barrel dimensions and most sight picture strategies. Don't be fooled by original fowlers with lines filed at the breeches.  Those are not rear sights to be aimed down.  They are references so when you look over the barrel at the front sight, the line helps to center the breech with the front sight in your sight picture.  Sometimes you will find those file marks are off center.  That should be the tip off that it is a reference and is used to correct the fact that those guns tend to shoot to one side or the other.   

dave