Sight for a muzzle loader

[gbrown]

A few years back, I got a 9mm Spanish made BP rifle for a good price. I've taken it to the range a few times. Looked around for a projectile and didn't see anything I wanted to invest in. Took some of my cast OO buck pellets and patched them, and off I went. It's a hoot. Don't remember my load, I got it saved somewhere. LOL Seems to be pretty accurate, but the problem is, it has a rice grain diameter front sight, and a notch or short groove in the tang. Anybody have ideas on this? 1st and most important--I don't want to invest a lot of money. This is a, should I say, cheap rifle, but it is fun to shoot, and I have dreams of going squirrel/rabbit hunting with it. It seems to be a shooter, as the groups I've fired with some terrible sights, seem to be all right. I'd like to see if I can tighten them up. I'm a pretty resourceful person, a skill set(not a gunsmith) and have a few ideas, but I'd like to reach out to this forum, because I know there is a world of knowledge/experience here.

[arcticap]

Is it a smoothbore or smoothbore shotgun, or does the barrel have rifling?
Is the barrel octagon or round?

Smooth rifles can have rifle sights, often an adjustable rear.
Smooth rifles can often have an octagon barrel.

Is the front sight in a dovetail?
What's the size [width] of the dovetail? Standard dovetail is about 3/8".
And about how thick are the walls of the barrel?

A few photos would be nice.
Sights need to be dovetailed, drilled & tapped or sweated on.
They can be a fully adjustable rear, drift adjustable front or rear for windage only, or totally fixed.
There's also peep sights if you need them or a ghost ring.
A sight on the tang increases the distance between the sights [called the sighting plane] which can help increase sighting accuracy.

if you install a fixed or only a drift adjustable rear sight leaf, you'll need a front sight that is higher than needed so that you can file it down to size depending
on your load and target distance.
Unless it's a matched sight set, or an adjustable sight that has plenty of adjustment.
But matching up a front and rear sight that aren't part of a set can sometimes be tricky.

Do you want fiber optic sights with a bead front, a partridge front with a square notch rear, a metal beaded front sight or what?
Cost of a sight set can be an issue for some people and then there's the cost of installation unless you do it yourself.
There's plenty to think about.

[gbrown]

Appears to have some rifling, AIR, I'll have to check. I'm thinking something simple, like a blade front and notch rear. Something of like a small piece of saw blade up front, hacksaw or handsaw, I have some cheap junk, and then something like a piece of brass or an alloy, notched, to the rear. Maybe silver soldered on, I dunno, have to check with some of my friends about the soldering. Then, a good bit of range time to file and get it right. Looking for input for if I'm headed in the right direction, or is there something simpler I am overlooking.

[gbrown]

I have a good gunsmith who can do all of what you are talking about, but he's only backed up about 2 years worth. LOL I'm looking for something I can do, with limited skills. I can learn, though.

[arcticap]

I would think that at least one sight should be drift adjustable.
I realize that you may want to file a new notch, but that can't always be done blind and be perfect.
Not easy to replace after it's been soldered on.
If the barrel is round it may be tougher to get straight alignment.

I would suggest one dovetail sight as long as the barrel is thick enough for a shallow dovetail.

[gbrown]

Thanks for the info.

[irishtoo]

look on the Track of the Wolf web site. lists many sights. consider learning how to cut a dovetail with hand tools, not difficult. go slow. file and fit, file and fit. irishtoo

[Beerd]

You, too, can be a gunsmith. Cut your own dovetails. Carve a couple of basic open sights. All it takes is a couple of files and a hacksaw. Your first try may not be pretty, but it will be YOURS.



from an old Shooters Bible Black Powder Guide.
..

[onelight]

Dixie has a selection of sights
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/...ullText=Sights

[arcticap]

Here's the same dovetail cutting guide sold by 3 different vendors.

https://www.jedediah-starr.com/close...d=918&offset=0

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/...+CUTTING+GUIDE

https://www.logcabinshop.com/catalog...oduct_id=26069

[dondiego]

Do any of you guys have a used dovetail cutting guide that I could purchase or rent?

[LAGS]

I had a Dovetail Cutting Guide , years ago from Brownells.
But I cant find it now.
But if you are careful, you can cut a dovetail without a guide and a two sided tri angular sight file.
I have done it Freehand for years.
But the guide probably gave me the basics to be able to do that freehand.
I don't cut that many dovetails, but having an old barrel cut off makes something nice to practice on and keep your Skill Set sharp.
An old piece if Pipe works too if you do not have any barrel cut offs.
Practice is the Key.

[LIMPINGJ]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...etails-by-KSCO

[dondiego]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...etails-by-KSCO

Thanks for that! I looked at the jigs and the cheapest that I could get to my door was $48. I am not too confident on doing it free hand but may have to try.

[LAGS]

Practice on a scrap piece of steel or pipe.
But make sure you only work the file in Forward Strokes with Even pressure.
I hate it when I see someone filing back and forth like they are playing a violin.
That just dulls your file, and rounds off your cut.
How many years did gunsmiths or machinists do things by Hand and eye before they came up with these fancy Cheat Jigs, that make it EASIER.
But the skills are not that hard to learn, or even teach yourself.
Save yourself $48 and give it a go.
What do you have to loose. You need the file anyway right ?
If you then feel that a Jig will help, then spend the money for it.

[dondiego]

I am looking for a file source right now. Would it just be less expensive to grind one side of a triangle file?

[Beerd]

Yes, grind off one side of a triangle file to make a "safe" edge. Grind SLOW, keep it COOL.
..

[LAGS]

Grinding one side off a triangular file works.
BUT.
Most triangular files that you can buy, are Tapered.
When using them, you have to watch to make sure you are not starting off on the Thin end, then as you go forward on the file stroke, you are into the wider part of the file, and the pressure increases.
That is why Sight file are Straight sided, and they ask more for them.
But if you can learn to stay on the straight portion of the tapered file, they will work just fine.
Triangular files also have a Slight Radius on all three corners of the file.
When you grind the one side to be a Safe Side, make sure that the one side is ground low enough to remove that radius on the two edges.
That gives you that True sharp edge that a sight dovetail needs to match the sight base.
But the double cut corner that still has the radius, can be used.
But after the cut with that edge is made, you just sharpen up the corner of the cut with the reground corners of the file to remove that radius in your dovetail cut.
I hope this helps

[dondiego]

Yes, all of the advice is helping! Thanks!

[country gent]

With a little time and practice sights can be made with hand tools. A front sight with a small base and the rear sight with base can be soldered or glued on. Draw up what you think you want and then find a bar of stock that's cross section is big enough to fit it out of. Lay out ink or a marker is your friend here. You want this piece of stock to be 8" to 10" long. Remember your cutting the sight on the end the length gives you a piece to hold on to. Lay out your design and with a new fine blade 32 tpi rough cut it out. then carefully file it and finish to shape and size. When its done cut off bar and finish bottom side. In this way you have 5 of the six sides finished and something to hold on to. Always leave extra to finish and work slow and easy. The front sight can be made to "size". The rear cut out with blade "tall" and no notch. Align and shoot using a simple fine marker line in place of the notch. Here you are concerned about windage so when the mark centers the group cut your notch in place to depth and width . Now file to set elevation and your done. Tools needed a good hacksaw and new blades, jewelers files, a few larger files with safe edges. Sand paper and hone stones.