Width of rear sight notch ?

As a general rule is there a set width on rear sight notch in relation to the width of front sight ? I just put new front and rear sights on my flintlock as the thin and low ones were getting more and more hard to see for me . It's a 36"barrel front is .075 wide I've cut the rear notch in narrow with a dremel cut off blade as I don't have a really ultra thin file . Just don't want to go too wide right off the bat . Thoughts ? My eyes are still fair I guess for being 49 need cheaters to read fine print though far vision is a touch fuzzed but not bad .

Tim

Way too many people think that you want a narrow gap on each side of the rear sight when looking at the front sight.......WRONG! Your eye will center it perfectly even with a wide gap. When the gap is too narrow you won't be able to find the front sight in dim light. I shot major competitions for years with open sights on handguns and I can tell you for a fact that a very narrow gap is a handicap. Same with a rifle you'll be using for hunting. With my 45-70s and open sights I can shoot moa on a good day (I'm old....very old). Here's a thought....get a narrow rear sight and file it open as needed. You can take metal off, you can't put it back. You'll soon find that in dim light you'll need more width in the rear and a small file will be all it takes to add it.

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For my use, I prefer a more visible front sight blade (actually, a bead) - not traditional, but very helpful.


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I use a rear sight with a small hole from TOTW and for a front sight I use a blade with a piece of split brass tube soldered to it. The tube comes from hobby shops and when the target, round front sight and the hole in the rear sight all line up.......bang.
John

I make wide front sights, and cut the rear notch so I see equal amounts of light on both sides of the front blade. I like the light on both sides to appear as wide as the front sight.

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Originally Posted by waksupi

I make wide front sights, and cut the rear notch so I see equal amounts of light on both sides of the front blade. I like the light on both sides to appear as wide as the front sight.

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If the gun's accurate, that's a hard combo to beat. You can shoot some really small groups with a wide front sight. Just settle the target in the middle. Most people don't realize the human eye can see differences of .001" if they can see what they're looking at.

Going on 72 and my eyes aren't the best. I file the rear notches on sights depending on what the gun will be used for. The rear notch on my smoothbore is very wide so I can easily see the front in dim woods. A couple more rifles have a fairly narrow rear notch for targets. The squirrel rifle also has a narrow rear notch as snap shooting a tiny moving target won't happen. Deer rifle is sorta in between those two.

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Originally Posted by waksupi

I make wide front sights, and cut the rear notch so I see equal amounts of light on both sides of the front blade. I like the light on both sides to appear as wide as the front sight.

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Thanks , I'll slowly open it up some more till I get to that point and then hopefully go get it sighted in IF it ever stops raining and dries up some .

I have used a triangle file to open up the rear site a bit. It seems to help with longer shots and allows distance elevation adjustments.

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Originally Posted by RU shooter

Thanks , I'll slowly open it up some more till I get to that point and then hopefully go get it sighted in IF it ever stops raining and dries up some .

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The older your eyes get the fatter the sights - mine are a front blade that covers about ten inches at 100yards and a good wide gap at the back - on a decent day I can still shoot a group that is half or under the width of the front sight -- interesting what old eyes can do if ya let em!

You can purchase a set of needle files for not much money. Should be one in the little pack that will work for you. I have to open up the rear notch on about all the open sighted rifles I buy. So far, at 65, most front blades or beads are ok.