Change to Buckhorn sights?

[LOZ]

I have 45 cal. Lancaster style percussion rifle with a 42” barrel. Pictured below are the front and rear sights I used to sight the rifle in with. I could hold a small group at 50 yards easily.
Flash forward to sitting in the woods during deer season. A very overcast semi foggy day and the deer blended in very well when they were not moving. I had a lot of trouble sighting in the front and rear sights on the deer. It seemed the front blade was too thin and the rear sight blocked the hard to see deer.
I am thinking I need a front sight with a thicker blade (.062 possibly) and a buckhorn style rear sight. I’m interested in hearing thoughts everyone has experienced and if I’m on the right track. By the way I’m 69 years old with fairly good vision but still 69 years old!

[Daryl]

A 45 degree angle on that sharp rear corner will allow the sight to "shine" in dim light.
Soldering a small piece of brass on the rear will also help.

Like this:



Also: a dry erase felt pen kept in the shooting bag, will instantly make a dull black surface. A permanent marker will make a shiny black surface, barely better than nothing.
The dry erase is dull black and not shiny at all, for bright targets.

[JPK]

The long sight you show would put the rear sight closer to your eye, I would find that to make it harder to see. A silver or brass front blade is easier for my 75 year old eyes to see.

[smoke and flames]

I shoot a buck horn type sight on my Ozark Mt Hawken. There is no notch. I simply use it like a peep sight and naturally center the front in the center of the two ears. I need a taller front sight but it works great for target and hunting

[recurve]

or add a ghost ring sight( like a peep but larger hole) great for hunting fast shots

[smoke and flames]

if you want to use the buckhorn you now have, just cut another dovetail for it to place it where it is good for your eyes

[LOZ]

Thanks for the input. I took a picture of the long buckhorn sight for reference and to see if it would be period correct. I never thought about the mounting distance towards the rear. I am leaning towards installing a new front sight with a sightly thicker blade ( .043 to .062 ) and using the advice of the rear corner filed to a 45 degree. I could file out the center of the old rear sight to give me more of an area to see the front sight and settle it in with the rear sight while still seeing the deer. Or install a rear buckhorn sight that is the same length as the old sight.

[whetrock]

Are you wanting to install an adjustable elevation sight like the one you showed, or are you just wanting a fixed position buck horn sight that would fit the current dovetail mortise (or which could be made to fit with relative ease)?

Log Cabin Shop has a couple of fixed position sights you may want to see if you haven't already.

https://logcabinshop.com/oc30/index.php?route=product/product&path=183_165_46&product_id=25686


https://logcabinshop.com/oc30/index.php?route=product/product&path=183_165_46&product_id=25606

[Daryl]

Using a bead front sight, this type of rear sight is much easier to see, when the eye sight is failing.
A square (45 degree filed blade) also works well with the wide V.

[LOZ]

I’ll look at the Log Cabin Shop. Thanks. Also thanks Daryl for taking the time and posting the photos.

[RichG]

I'm only 62, so just a pup I use a .100 brass blade with a 45deg. flat to ketch the light. You have to make sure that the rear notch is wide enough for light to show on both sides of front sight.
I've recently tried a full buckhorn rear and a .062 nickle silver blade with a bevel. I'm using the buckhorn as a large peep. works very well. It's the smallest full buckhorn TOTW sells.

[Daryl]

I'm only 75, but can't see V U or square notches any more. Just a fuzz ball. The wide V & .072" bead, are the sights for me.

[smylee grouch]

Before you alter or replace anything, make sure the back of your rear sight is FLAT AND NOT SHINY. ALSO THAT THE " V " NOTCH HAS A VERY SLIGHT TAPER  , front to back. More open ( wider )  in the front.

[Birddog6]

Go to any sporting good places & get a white Dot to put on the top part of the rear of the front
sight & try that.  I have done this for years & not a single deer argued with me about it being
PC/HC. I use a permanent black sharpie on the rear around the V if it gets shiny.

Another option. White Out in Bottle, Pen, or ribbon white out correction tape.  Just a tad of that on the rear top of the front sight.  Makes it easy to find the front sight in low light conditions.

[Waksupi]

File the rear sight to a round configuration, and put on a front sight that is easy to see. Then use the buck horn as an aperture sight. You may be amazed at how it works. The eye will still center the front sight, even without the full circle of a peep.

[Daryl]

Some fellows tried that in chunk shooting so the rule came out that the wide at the top od the rear notch. Could not be closer than the widest of the notch.
Years ago, a fellow on tiis gorum send me a fhoto of a set of sights for chunk shooting that had a U notch rear, but a tall one with a long notch. The front was a blade or bead. I don't remember. Sighting was taken with the bottom mof the notch being the defining botton of an aperture sight. He noted with practice it worked identically as an apture rear sight.

[Kurt]

I was out this evening with the flintlock, quitting time 5:42. At 5:10 I thought to look through my sights, rear aperture, front black blade. I had to wave the rifle about to finally find the front sight, and the rear sight was as blurry as it could get. I packed up and headed out. It was still very bright out of the woods.

I tried some masking tape on the front and rear when I got home, and it showed well, but recreating the lighting I was experiencing earlier in the woods, I'm not sure.

[Steeltrap]

They didn’t have whiteout back in the 1700-1800. But if they did they likely would have used it.

[Dave R]

I have used liquid WHITEOUT with good results!

[hudson]

Having problems with my eyes about twenty out of eighty five years now, though I should go through the process I have gone through. I have always liked the partridge type sites flat top square notch and matching post. As I aged kept opening the width of the notch lots of light on both sides of the front, around a bit over 1/8 in. not too long ago. One site I liked was a fixes Hawken semi buckhorn I filed the inside flat with slightly rounded outside corners to blend then filed in a more or less square wide notch. The tops of the ears give you another option as they can be filed down or used as is at the top with the post top held at the top for really longer range that you may shoot, option of holding between for other ranges.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/parts/detail/2670/7/rs-mh-16
Lately eyes are at the point I am seeing two front posts in the rear site. Presently playing with my collection of sites and it appears the British express site with its wide open v will work with post or bead front with glasses through the later years.

[Hawg]

I have a full buckhorn on my scratch built Hawken. I'd love to have one on my flint longrifle but I can't find one that fits a 3/4" dovetail.



The long, elevation adjustable sight is a Gemmer sight which wasn't used until sometime after 1860

[beerd]

I have a full buckhorn on my scratch built Hawken. I'd love to have one on my flint longrifle but I can't find one that fits a 3/4" dovetail.

there's a Tutorial for that:
https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=28998.0
..

[HSmithTX]

While not HC/PC a fiber optic front site is a complete gamechanger for hunting, had it been available in the 1700's you can bet they would have used it too.  For a rifle that is already sighted you would need an orifice drill and a file to prepare the sight for it.  File a notch in the top of the sight deep enough that the fiber will be supported by it but the orifice drill will come through right in the bottom.  Leave .080-.100" full height on both ends of the sight and drill through the ends.  Cut the fiber about .040-.060" longer than the length between the outside of the drill holes.  Gently heat the fiber and press it against a smooth surface to mushroom the end a bit, that end becomes the end you are looking at sighting the rifle.  Place the fiber in the sight and heat and mash the other end to lock it in place.  Green is my preference.  I started using them years ago on run and gun pistol stuff. Combined with an aperture rear anyone young enough to still get out in the woods will be able to hunt legal hours in the morning and evening with a fiber.

[Daryl]

Here's one Taylor made that replicates one of an original bag-grip Hawken rifle.
The head and cape are mounted on his living room wall.