Fold-Down Sight on 1885 ?

[August]

I'd like to get the leaf sight out of the way of the receiver sight on my 1885 Traditional Hunter. Has anyone put a folding, leaf sight on their barrel?? If so, what height would you recommend ?

Thanks for any information about either the Lyman, or Marbles folding sights.

[45 2.1]

I have a Marbles folding on a 1885 that works pretty well. Can't remember the height as it was put on a long time ago. Marlin rear sights fold down also.

[pietro]

The Marble's is a long-leaf folder, and would look better on a classic rifle - while Lyman make a folder, too (#16, IIRC), it's pivoted over the dovetail.

The principle is the same as some of my tang-tighted leverguns - a folding barrel sight zeroed for short range(s) and the tang for long range.

This is a Marble's long leaf, on this Winchester:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1056072/JGKET-.375.jpg

[Doc Highwall]

I just put the rear sight elevator at the lowest setting so that when I am looking through the tang sight at the front sight I use the rear sight as a help in sight alignment. After a while You get use to it being in the lower part of the sight picture and you can tell if the sights have been knocked out of alignment.

[pietro]

[I just put the rear sight elevator at the lowest setting so that when I am looking through the tang sight at the front sight I use the rear sight as a help in sight alignment. After a while You get use to it being in the lower part of the sight picture and you can tell if the sights have been knocked out of alignment.]

You might, respectfully, want to rethink that process.

It may work our alright on some rifles, some of the time - but not on all rifles, all of the time.

The reason it might not, is that the drilling for either the tang sight screws and/or the barrel sight screws (or it's dovetail position) may not be aligned on all rifles - but if each sight is zeroed separately, it should make no practical difference.

One of the advantages of any peep sight - tang or receiver sight - is a clean, uncluttered sight picture of the front sight and target.
A folding rear barrel sight, or it's removal, results in the fastest, and best use of a peep.

[Doc Highwall]

Let me reclarify my statement. When you are shooting a military rifle like a M14,M1 the front sight has ears on either side of the front post and when you are centering the post in the rear aperture you can see the wings on either side and they help in sight alignment. When I shoot my highwalls, with the rear sight all the way down the ears are on either side helping me in sight alignment. In my previous post I should have explained it a little better. When I sight in the rifle I sight the rear barrel sight in first for windage and elevation, say 100yds, then make note of what notch it is in and put it in the lowest setting. Now when I sight in the tang sight at 100yds for my zero sight setting, the ears of the rear barrel sight are in alignment for windage with the front sight but low in my sight picture. When looking through the rear aperture at the front post these wings are equal distance at the bottom of the sight picture like 8 and 4 o'clock giving you another reference point in making shure of your sight alignment and stock weld are perfect. Now you work on target alignment and trigger squeeze. I am talking about the Browning Traditional Hunters that have a bead front sight. I went back and reread your statement pietro, when the gun is sighted in say for 100yds with both barrel sight and tang sight they will all be in alignment, your eye the two rear sights and the front sight. Now to get a better sight picture just lower the rear barrel sight and if something happens to your tang sight all you have to do is raise the rear sight to the correct notch in the elevator that you made note of for your 100yd zero, and the wings will be at say 8-4 o'clock looking through the aperture at the front sight.