Cabella's hawken sights.

[starmac]

I have a cabellas hawken lefty, that I have had for several years.

my eyes are not what they used to be, and I now wear glasses. Does anybody make a tang sight for these.

I know there is or was a tang sight for the tc, has anybody ever used one.
I always wandered how the accuracy was when you removed the barrel to clean it with the sights on the stock. Do you have to resight it every time you remove the barrel. Thanks.

[405]

Yes to first part. I've had a couple of the T/C tang sights for a looong time. I had better than 20-20 vision all my life until about 15 years ago then got the "old age itis". Now need reading glasses for stuff under about 3 ft. So it did affect some of my rear sight definition and resolution for shooting when using regular open sights. Now any aperture sight is far superior for my shooting including a couple of the muzzleloaders I put them on.

No, to the second part. If the hooked breech is reasonably secure and plumb to the tang no reason there should be any POI change when taking off then replacing the barrel for cleaning or maintenance. One thing I do when I get a hooked breech gun is to check for tightness or wobble at that joint. I file and dress with great care the two surfaces to correct any wobble while not loosening the fit. Then I glass bed the whole unit so it stays put and doesn't shift during recoil or after taking out then replacing the barrel.

While the T/C tang aperture sights I have work very well, they do seem kind of expensive for what they are. Their windage/elevation adjustments are anything but crisp and repeatable. But once locked down with the set screws the wind & elev seem to stay put fine.

[RBak]

I have an old Hawken that I built from a kit sometime in the early 1970's and I put a T/C Tang / Vernier sight on it right away.

It has had literally thousands of rounds fired through it and I've worn three, maybe four detent balls out on the sight base.
However, when I ordered the balls from Brownells, I somehow ordered a bag of 100 of the little devils and I have already lost many more than I'll actually ever use, but I suspect there still enough for another 100 years of shooting....they are so tiny they are hard to manage.

Here is the old Hawken with the sight down;
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/RussB256/Guns/sightdown.jpg


Here is the Hawken with the sight up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/RussB256/Guns/sightup.jpg

As you can see the "stem" of the original T/C Vernier is relatively short, and the maximum range with the sight up is about 150 yds....at least that's my limit on using that sight when hunting.
The Iron sight is zeroed at 3" high at 50yds, with the vernier sight down, and that is pretty good out to the 100 / 110 yard mark.

This is strictly a round-ball shooter and doesn't shoot well with any of the conical, to include Real, Maxi, or Mini Ball.
I have on occasion shot a few 1" groups at 75yds using the vernier, but that is far from an everyday occurrence.....has a lot to with the phase of the moon, the tides, and me flinching just right, so it can't be counted on.

Still yet, I have killed a lot of rocks over the years, a few of those rocks even resembled lions, charging tigers, Bighorn sheep, and old log works good for a alligator......you get the picture?

An old smoke pole like this can be a ton of fun with just a little imagination. [smilie=f:

Russ

[docone31]

I share your pain!
I also have a Cabellas Hawken. This is the ticket,
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/partDetail.aspx?catId=14&subId=167&styleId=766&partNum=RS-HA-5
Goes right on, with a little touch up and on the lowest level, dead on!
It is like a large aperature sight.
Looks good also.
I am going to get another one for my wife's CVA Mountain Rifle.

[scattershot]

I have used the T/C peep for a long time, and it works well. Once you get it sighted in and locked down, the sights remain zeroed after removing the barrel for cleaning, in my experience. Your tang may even be pre drilled for this sight.

Good luck!

[405]

starmac,
The Cabelas version tang geometry should be very close to the TC. You may have to drill/tap a hole and come up with a screw or two- no big deal.

The older TC tang apertures were a simple staff type (the kind I have). The later options included the vernier type as RBak posted. Even some other companies offered the short tang sights for these. I think any of them would work very well.
I know the discs are standard Lyman/Redfield thread... not Marbles.

Pics are of one on a TC. The front blade is a slighty thinned TC blade. The aperture rear with the medium front blade is the best combination I've found for these guns and older eyes.

[rdstrain]

Find a good eye Doc. Have him make a pair of shooting glasses. For right handed shooter, normal distance vision in left eye, about 39" focal length in right lens. Now you can see like you were 20 yrs old again. Helps if the doing the exam is a shooter.