Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Open sights on client DGR rifle- cosmetic or necessity?

I suppose if your of a generation that didn't grow up using iron sights then the scope might be the way to go, but I recommend that and DGR have irons for a number of reasons, such as scope failure in the field, inclement weather, and even to have an option for follow ups...

I personally would not own a gun without iron sights and I NEVER want to go into the bush after a wounded cape buffalo with a scope on my rifle. Normally I hunt buff with iron sights, and my tracker carries my scope in case of a long shot, or in case we run into a record book Kudu or whatever out at 300 or so yards, at least I have the option....

A buff is a big target and his vitals are large. I can hit him at 200 or more yards with irons and the last thing on this earth I want is a scope when a buff gets the jump on me at 5 or 10 yards or when a mama Lion comes flying out of the tall grass intent on changing my appeareance, and that has happened to me and think goodness I didn't have a scope on my rifle. and its happened to many a PH and that is why they have iron sighted rifles....

To each his own, but that is something that each of us must decide for ourselves and I suspect experience, sooner or later might change a lot of minds about the exclusive use of scopes. I think too many have gone and shot a couple of buffalo with scope sighted rifles and it worked as it usually does so they have come to hasty conclusions that I disagree with, its when things go South that the story changes and those 100% dependable iron sights are akin to a heavenly angle..:)

Your building a nice rifle, you may as well have iron sights installed on it, it sure can't hurt at thing..As to the barrel band swivel, I wouldn't be concerned about banged up knuckles, but a barrel band swivel does lower the rifle on your shoulder considerably, and in the thick stuff that is a plus and inasmuch as you never use a shooting sling with a big bore anyway why not take advantage of haveing a proper African rifle! ..

I would go with what has worked for decades with the Africans and when in Rome do as the Romans do and that includes barrel band swivel and iron sights! My opine only, what you do is up to you of course.