Home Forums Hunting & Shooting BPCR "LADDER SIGHT"

In the earlier post of 'Tang Sights', there (at least to me) seemed to be a reluctance for anyone to define exactly what the term 'ladder sight' means to them. I wondered at the time if we were all 'on the same page' with this terminology, and still do. I could not see where anyone attempted to 'take this on' ?!? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I've always associated the term with a foward ( barrel) mounted set up, meself............Many variants, certainly.

And I guess a tang sight is just that, whether a simple Marble's, or a highly evolved Soulle.

GTC

Same as Crossfire said goes for me, as well.

idahjo,

I should have seen this sooner, must be vision challanged. Ladder sight, I think what most are referring to here is the barrel mounted sight usually in a dove tail that pivots up and down and has a "Sliding" horz bar for the elevation. The bar is a somewhat tite fit and uis held by pressure and moved by sliding it up and down, and no screw or positive type if mechanical movement. These are usually marked like 100, 200,300 or something like that. At best these types of sights are for very rough corrections and never where meant for "Target" work, but probably work well in hunting. They also are not aperture sights but V-notched for use with a blade front.

In the earlier thread you mentioned your Axtell Long Range no windage sight, and said that you had probably miss spoke when you called "IT" a ladder sight. This Axtell is a true Vernier sight, and is much more period correct for one of our type of rifles. Now with that said they also are simply useless for any type of target work. The shooter must have windage in the games we play today, not it would be good to have but "MUST" have.

When a feller stops and thinks about we the shooters of BPCR rifles are doing today in competition what with our over a century old technology it is amazing. The accuracy of these old rifles at great distance using open sights, cast bullets and Black Powder is hard to explan to someone who has never tried this. But and this is a big but. Our rifles are extremely accurate at "KNOWN" distances. Move any of these targets just a few feet and there is no hope of hitting the damn thing. Wind is a fact of life in all shooting sports, however with our components and really bad BC and trajectory problems we must have correctable sighting equipment. And to go along with that equipment we must have very good spotting ability, very good. Those two elements when taken together make for a hell of a lot of fun. Take one of them away and its not much fun watching all of those miss's.

Gunny

Thanks guys, it appears we are on the same page. As I thought about it, I was more inclined to think that the older military sights (into WW2) were sported on Springfields, Enfields, Mausers, British MK's, etc. I guess the 'ladder' could (may or maynot) have a screw adjuster, although any old Military rifles I have had or handled seemed to all have a slide bar with detent.
I can affirm that screwing on a front-adjusting windgage sight is a "challenge" given that one has to run a 'backwards' calculation through the 'ole-brain when you crank on the knob and hopefully move the sight in the opposite direction you want the impact change...[and all this after backing the slack 'outa the threads!]
(damn confusing to do exactly correctly all the time) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

.............Saw , in one of the mags recently a micrometer lashup, for use with the Buffington " Ladder Sight" on the later trapdoors................No mention was made ( I found this odd )of the great P. J. O'hare, and his sight micrometers, for precise control of the elevations on the Krag, and '03..................At his booth at Camp Perry, he sold these, and a bunch of other good " Rifle nut " oriented plunder.

This is one way to get performance out of a ladder sight, but in rapidly switching conditions, way slow.

I'm lookin' for an original one of Mr. O'Hare's , '03 sight Mikes, to draw prints from ( they are apparently pretty valuable collectibles)......be assured that if I were to build 'em, all appropriate credit would go to the originator.

GTC