Elavotor sights

[crankycalico]

Ive been looking online at them, a few replica guns come with them. Namely the 1866 Winchester I think. And some sharps.

How do you guys get along with these critters? Any worse then what the military used with the 1903?

[pietro]

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Once initially zeroed, they're "set-n-forget".

Hopefully, the zero with the ladder raised will be in agreement with the trajectory of whatever cartridge it's chambered for.


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[northmn]

Jim Corbett talked about the 275 (7mm Mauser for practical purposes) and the flip up sights he used that were preset at the factory. These were set for a specific load and bullet weight.

These ladder sights were set for a specific load also. Think of the fun you can have finding a load that matches the calibrations.

DEP

[country gent]

These sight can be very accurate, but you cant take the graduations for granted, they need to be tested. Once zeroed write the setting down ( ie* toy 200 yds zero may be 1 notch or line above or below the 200 yd mark, 400 may be 2 or 3 marks off ) once the settings for a load are known its easy to repeat. On the tang sights the vernieer gives the setting. On the M1a / M14 Garand and ARs sights most competitors count "clicks" up for each yard line. ( IE 200ys is 3 clicks up 200 yds is 6 clicks up 600yds is 26 clicks up and 1000 yds is 46 clicks up). The range marks on the drum are ignored mostly. In this way sights repeat very accurately and reliably. Same is done with windage MZ is set and windage is then in clocks right or left of MZ.

If a standard blade front is used it can be cut down to lower rear sight and align the first mark but unless ammo matches the scale the rest are still off.

[crankycalico]

Well I know the graduations aren't always going to match what they are supposed to, but in some cases they were

"when service rifle model X is sighted in at X meters/yards with service cartridge ABC, the shooter will be able to hit a man size target at these distances"

There is a lot of room to play with this type of sight.

[Don McDowell]

The ladder sights on the original rifles were in fact regulated for the cartridge the rifle was chambered for.
Now days it's anybodies guess, and the yardage markings on the sight don't mean much. But by replacing the front sight with a good blade, and enough load testing and adjusting the front sight height, yup those ladder sights work fine, except for in the wind.. no windage adjustment other than using "kentucky" windage.

[crankycalico]

The ladder sights on the original rifles were in fact regulated for the cartridge the rifle was chambered for.
Now days it's anybodies guess, and the yardage markings on the sight don't mean much. But by replacing the front sight with a good blade, and enough load testing and adjusting the front sight height, yup those ladder sights work fine, except for in the wind.. no windage adjustment other than using "kentucky" windage.

There are some ways to get windage adjustment, not much but some.

[Rick R]

Smith Enterprise makes a ladder sight for the 1895 Marlin Cowboy. It isn’t graduated for range but it is marked to be repeatable. I mounted one on an 1894 Marlin in .44 and after trying a few front sights got it sorted out. Then someone offered me money and I let it go down the road.

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/sights/rear-sights/rifle-m-95-long-range-rear-sight-prod18599.aspx?avs%7cManufacturer_1=SMITH%2bENTERP RISE

[35 Whelen]

A few years ago I bought a 1866 Uberti Sporting Rifle with the ladder sights. I found a good BP and smokeless load running a 220 gr. RNFP around 1300 fps. Fortunately it shot a little low at 100 yds., so I worked the front sight down until POI equaled POA, then with the sight raised and at its lowest setting, it was very close to perfect at 200 yds. I had to run the slide up the ladder to a little past the "300" mark for it to actually be on at 300 yds. But the rifle is a load of fun to shoot with the sights, especially at long range.

35W

[northmn]

When you are talking about ladder sights on the lower powered cartridges like in a 73 or 66 you also have to consider that at the longer ranges a little of error in range estimation goes a long ways. You can set them up on a shooting range where the range is known but out in the field it gets pretty tricky.


DEP

[35 Whelen]

When you are talking about ladder sights on the lower powered cartridges like in a 73 or 66 you also have to consider that at the longer ranges a little of error in range estimation goes a long ways. You can set them up on a shooting range where the range is known but out in the field it gets pretty tricky.


DEP

True, but a rangefinder that fits in a shirt pocket solved that problem. The big issue is wind. A 10 mph cross wind does nasty things to stubby little bullets at 300 yds. I found that out first hand!

35W

[crankycalico]

Im trying to set up a mainly cast bullet rifle in a modern cartridge. ideally 30-30 if I could on a bolt action.

For hunting I have a tendency to hunt at short range in the woods, and I use distance markers so I always have a decent estimation of range.

if deer is half way between 50 and 70 yard marker, deer is most likely 60 yards away.

But I also am considering a scope on it with quick detach mounts.

[Don McDowell]

The trajectory of the 30-30 makes having to be dependent on exact range estimation a mute point to 100 yards or even a bit further. That's why it made a whole bunch of cartridges that preceded it obsolete by 1900. Bolt gun look for a savage 340.