I'm putting some more thoughts into the sights of my muzzleloader build, the 32 cal underhammer squirrel rifle.

I obtained the merit #4 hunting disc:



and was planning on making a simple lollipop type post to set it in at the top of the tang where it meets the breech.

I sketched up a bunch of designs for making the post have a front slot rather than hole so it can be adjusted for windage, but in the grand scheme, for a squirrel rifle, is it really necessary?

Theoretically, a driftable front dovetail should give me all the windage adjustment I need at the effective rifle range, correct?

With a 12-28 threaded post, a couple turns will give me more than enough vertical as well.

Thoughts?

Do it!

Oh, I'll do it all right.

But do which?

Slot or no slot?

Adjust windage via the front sight.

^^^^^ this^^^^^

LOL! Reminds me our "Ten Commandments" drinking game. Everytime someone says "Moses, Moses!", you take a shot!!!!

You hit a double when he hits Mount Sinai?

Surely The big G deserves a double..

Absolutely!!!

(Isn't Mt. Sinai in Bourbon county?)

Pics or a drawing when done, please. I'm faced with the exact issue for the Vincent Ohio-style .32 I'm building and had pretty much settled on a lollipop tang sight too. I'm thinking I'll put mine farther down on the tang to get it close to my eye.

If you will pardon the link to another forum, here's one I made on the cheap that works quite well for me.

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/bla...9852-two-dollar-lollypop-peep-sight.html

I've wrestled with that as well, and spent an inordinate amount of time with a 48" long 1x2 board, with a nail on the end and varying placement of a small diameter washer, deciding where I wanted this thing to go.

And I may still move it back some - haven't drilled yet.

Placing it where I plan is #1 an easy drill job, #2, provides the shortest stem length, and #3 - will be easy to fill if need be.

Of course, there is always something along the lines of this, which is easily adjustable to distance from eye, although I probably wouldn't put in the adjustments with the knobs.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_j7PMWDJke...jo/s1600/Billinghurst+action+closeup.bmp

I gotta hand it to you- that is ingeniously simple.

That means RWE won't do it. Dwarves have to reinvent the wheel, make the SOB triangular first, then figure it out later in some convoluted, Rube-Goldberg manner. It's just their way. Don't hate...

Your reasoning makes sense. I'm thinking of a cardboard mockup once the front sight is installed. I'm thinking in terms of a steel plinth brazed onto the tang with its top surface parallel to the top flat of the barrel, providing mainly more meat for the screw to bear in, as well as making for a shorter staff (for the same reasons you are, I guess).

I'm familiar with those sights as shown on the Billinghurst, and actually made an even simpler version and attached it to the .45 Vincent rifle I built 20 years ago. That first deer season I whacked it good while getting the rifle up into a tree stand, bending it. In all fairness I had made it out of cold rolled when spring steel or somesuch would have been better. I took it off anyway and went back to regular barrel sights which remain to this day. Even my 64 year old eyes can still hack them, with cheater eyewear- ok for deer hunting but not so ok for putting a .32 ball in a squirrel's eye at 40 yards.

(I lucked into a Rayl .32 barrel, then I got to thinking what to do with it, and then, and then....)

I would do it to prove you wrong.













Then, I would take a pic, remove it, then add a triagular rear sight that I eventually make round...

Luck is a cruel mistress.

I lucked into a switch barrel action billinghurst with a fast twist 45.

Then lucked into a 45 roundball barrel made for the same action. (pure luck)

Then I lucked into the 32 round rifled barrel.

Then I thought I should build a new billinghurst squirrel gun with a smaller action.

Then I thought I should just mount the 32 to the billinghurst.

Then I though, no, I should take the 54 RB barrel off my fullstock allen foundary underhammer I built and put it on the billinghurst, along with a 48 twist 54 barrel for maxi balls, and make it a four barrel big game set.

Then I would take the 32 and retro it into the AFU, which meant filling the barrel channel with a sawdust/epoxy mixture to take out the gap, and shimming the ramrod pipes to hold the smaller ramrod. Which is done, but now I need an end cap and refinish the wood...

Then of course, I need new sights on it.....

Ain't it great?!

It's like a saying my friend has "Pity the people who don't drink because when they get up in the morning that's as good as they'll feel all day." It's the same way with me. Pity the people who aren't rifle loonies because when they get up in the morning they have no projects to exercise their minds all day!

And he would made it from the Rheingold, and all the missed shots would already have been removed!

Wise words, Old Sage !

I really like the practical, rough and ready aspect of that brass aperture sight,....and reckon that once I had it all dialed in I'd soft solder the whole works solid.The stem looks a bit fragile, for beating around in the rocks and trees.
When you fellas are blessed with an original vintage piece, but saddened by the fact that the original "kit" is long gone,....either lost or sold separately, ...give me a holler, and discuss FINE quality recreations therefor.
Sights,false muzzles,lock parts, ..."whatever"









You are going to LOVE that Merit disc, RWE
Best regards,

GTC

Well, on advice of some other sages, I took a hard look at my LOP and dropped it from 14"ish down to 12-1/4" +/-.

Felt a little queersome at first, considering I had used it for a couple years in its prior config, but given the new 32 cal carbine length 34" 13/16AFF barrel, it actually wasn't too hard to get accustomed too.

Should be able to mount that Merit #4 right at the breech of the tang.

A 12-28 post, and a single small set nut will keep it low profile.