thompson center big boar front sight question
 

hey there guy's i finally got that rear sight for the big boar from gun works i have it 90 % polished and the rear notch started got it on the rifle tonite and it looks like the front sight is going to be way to tall ? i left the peep sight on it and looked thru the peep and thru the semi buckhorn and can tell it's going to shoot way low with the original front bead type sight which is almost 1/2 " high from the top of barrel to top of bead or post . any ideas on front sight height with the semi buckhorn ? i'm thinking about 1/4 inch ? anybody have this set up ? thanks !!

muzzlestuffer,

Seeing as how your Buckhorn is a fixed sight, here's what I would do. First remove your existing front sight from the dovetail so it's out of the way. Take a piece of thin but stiff cardboard and fold it so that it's like two 90 degree angles (or two letter L's) back to back so that you have a vertical post and a base. I would try to make the vertical post close to what your current front sight height is. In a sense, you're making a temporary front sight. Put a little super glue or similar in the middle, or folded section so that the "post" is solid because you're going to trim it down as you go. Tape it onto the barrel with some electrical tape just ahead of where the dovetail is and as near center as possible. Don't worry if it's not bug nuts, as you're more concerned with figuring out what height you need for the elevation you want than the windage.

If you're satisfied with how your rear notch is now, take the rifle out and do some shooting with a normal load at say, 25 yards and trim the top off the makeshift sight just a wee bit after each few shots until you get near center but a bit low still. Move the target out to 50 yards and continue the procedure as you'll probably hit a little higher than you are at 25. You also know you still have the option to file the rear notch a bit more at this point if you choose to do so.

I think you get the picture now. When you're satisfied with your elevation, take a measurement of the height of what's left of your makeshift sight post and order yourself a front sight of that height.

If you're ordering a traditional blade type front sight, you might order one a bit taller so you can file adjust it to precisely what you want for your specific load at a determined range.

Please let us know how it works out for you.

BPS

good idea thanks for the tip. actually i want a gold bead that i can leave in place and use the open sights when i have to for the match and hopefully i can put the peep back on for hunting or match shoots that allow the " any metallic sight" as i like the peep and brass bead combo very accurate !! i'll keep you posted thanks !!

Glad to be of help... once you determine the proper height you need, you should be able to find a front sight like you want here...

http://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearc...s+front+sights

BPS

got ya ! i found some on the williams web site as well thanks !!

finally finished fitting rear sight i reshaped the buckhorn part of the sight by opening it up so as to get a bigger more open sight picture and i changed the front sight to a small brass bead but still have to go to the range and see if it shoots with that set up.

I hope it works out for you. I like that rear sight too.

yeah i hope so too. i'll sight it in then blue it when i'm done with the notch. i'm hoping i can use the shorter and smaller front bead for both the lyman peep sight and the new rear buckhorn sight. the original front sight was too big and covered the whole target at 100 plus yards so hopefully i can dial in that brass bead on paper a little better now? i'll just take one or the other off when its not being used.

We used to make front sights for T/C traditional rifles out of silver dimes. My buddy was always so proud of his solid silver dime front sight. Then we'd trim them to zero. The dime was easy to see, and easy to trim. Also because it was so much thinner then the factory front sight, I found it easier to aim off of.

But good luck with your rifle. That sounds like a great rifle.

I think I'm going to try my hand at installing a dovetail into my barrel and put one of these sights on one of my muzzies. I was looking at the dovetail cutting fixture made by Wheeler Eng. from Midway USA. Looks easy enough. But I have a question in to them to see if it will work for a 15/16" and/or 1" octagonal barrel.