Using a penny for the front sight

[dm3280]

First of all, thanks for all the great replies to my question on color of sights for a buffalo hunt. I have decided to go with open sights. I took my rifle into the woods and pointed the rifle at a tree about 50 yards away and with a hooded front sight I could not see a thing, at least to make an accurate shot. I replaced the tang sight and hooded front sight with the open sights and things were totally different.
Many suggested using a penny in place of the silver front blade. I took a look at mine and was not able to get the silver blade out of the base. Are they silver soldered in? How would you recommend removing the silver blade. As far as finding a pure copper penny, I am sure I have one in that 5 gal bucket of pennys I have there is one that will fit. Wish I had a bullet for every penny I have.
Thanks

[ffffgdave@yahoo.com]

a penny is too dark and gets darker with corrosion.. and darker yet after sunset.. remember there is 1/2 hour shooting after sunset.. then you could be in the trees, in the mountains.. now thats dark.. the silver is correct do not change it.. it could have a slight round at the top facing you.. this is what i have and it is like the orriginals i think, but i am not sure.. what this round area towards you does is reflect what ever light that is behind you back at you.. it can soemitmes decieve you as to the exact possition of the top if the sight.. it can couse minor elevation problems, but htis is not a proble with big game.. but this silver sight is for dark targets.. ,(remember bufalow) lets see what color is a coroded penny??(remember bufalow).. on my gun it luckily sets with the center of the top front sight in the center of the buckhorn hole at 100 yards.. i can see in the lowest light of any open sight ive seen and it shoots darn well at 100 yards like this.. its an over grown peep sight.. i can flip up the lawrence sight for other distancees.. i keep two dowels with drill bits in the ends held in a bullet sock on my stock. also a very short blow tube about 4 inches long. and 5 rounds or so.. if the shot is over 100 yards i pull out one of the dowels and set the drill bit under the slide and slide it down to the bit and its dead on at that yardage.. quick, easy, and very dead on.. drill bits come in .001-,002 increments. you can put the drill bit under the side of the sight or under the center of the slide , 4 bits give 8 combinations.. than you have the buckhorn and the sight under the slide.. i need a cheat sheet under the bullet sock .. im sighted in from 10 yards to 300 yards.. at apropriate intervals.. why sight in at 10 yards? grouse for one, or better yet try shooting singel strand crossed strings at a rondevue at 7-10 yards. youl find out in a hurry what you know about your gun, .. good luck dave.

[JAGG]

Spray paint your front sight Black and when dry use white enamel modeling paint on the edge only facing you . JAGG

[Josh A.]

4FgDave:
Ok, I've been cogitating on your sight setting system. Now I am intrigued. I've been spending some time looking and measuring on my 40-70ss hunting Shiloh. It is set up with a blade front and semi-buckhorn rear. I also have a full buckhorn on hand for measuring. The full buckhorn blocks out too much light near dark, so I don't have much interest in it. Using an 0.062" (is that 3/32?) bit, which was the smallest I had around, under the slide looks like it is going to be out around 440yds or a smidge past the setting I use to hit my turkey swinger. Using it under the slide and edge of the sight holder, it looks to be somewhat past my pig swinger. Both ranges are probably out of what I consider hunting range.

Do you mind giving us the bit sizes and ranges you have worked out with your set-up?

Thanks,

Josh

[ffffgdave@yahoo.com]

ok, i have a lawrence sliding site and gun from across the road.. i dont know what shilows lawrence looks like, but im guesseing its the same or very simillar.. with the ladder UP with 70 grains 3f goex and aprox 400 grain bullet with spg lube . one thing to note is i didnt like the rounded bottom of the sights of the bottom of the ladder and the bottom of the slide so i took a small file and flattened them out so the v comes into a flat topped area, not a rounded area.. this lowers the rear sight., and may be the difference we are talking about.. the bottom of the knotch sight (with no slide) is on at 20 yards, at 25 yards the bottme of flip up with not using slide is 1 inch low, at 50 yards using the bottom of the flip up no slide and putting the front site one square up its sighted on..(one square up is holding the front sight up the equivelant of the width of the sight above the top of the knotch, this can be done quite accuratly with practice.. if you have a bead it would be called one bead up, or half bead up etc..))) ..bear with me im a total non conformast and come up with all kinds of wierd stuff, but it works.. at 60 yards i put the slide all the way down on the ladder and sighted in at 60 yards the gun shoots 2 inches high.. at 75 yards slide dn im 1 1/2 inches high.. 100 yards using a 7 /64 bit under the side of the sight, that is under the outside of the slide bar betwen that and what the bit will hit on if held parralell to the barrel.. (it hits on the dovetail base.). one big diffeernce between yhour gun and mine may be the height of the front sight.. my fornt sight is 3/8 inces high...and could be a difference we are talking about.. i havnt worked out eh specifics of alot of the further loads yet but im guessing that 1/8 inch bit under the side for 125 yards,, 200 yards is about 1/16 uuder the center of the slide, and 300 yards has been for some time with even differnt loads 9/64 bit under the slide.. now both slide sight and bottom of the slide sight have been lowered by fileing the top of the notch flat, and ive centered them by wideneng the knotch to get them both to shoot on side to side.. widening the notch will also lowre my sight in distance as the bit will sit lower there.. but i think the main difference we are talking about here is the height of the front sight.. so as to givving you sighting references i cant help you.. but i do know that when i put the 9/64 bit under the slide the center of the group will be pretty much on at 300 yards consistently with this load.. you will be able to maintain a .001 inch sight height consistnecy with a good round drill bit that doesnt have a lip (burr) on the base of the drill bit .. dave.

[Josh A.]

Dave, I am starting to follow you. In addition to front sight height, my front sight is on a standard weight/half round barrel. That should put my front sight quite a bit lower than one mounted on a full octagon barrel.

I am going to go over to the range for a while and try a few different approaches. I'll get back to you with what I find.

Thanks,

Josh