HELP: Full Buckhorn Rear Sight...how do they work..?

[1894c]

I have a new to me Rossi R92 in .38/.357 and want to replace the factory rear sight (no time to have my Williams FP sight installed) . I was thinking of a flat top rear sight, but started reading about the "FULL BUCKHORN" stryle rear sights...so I have two "stupid" questions:

QUESTION ONE: how do they work? I fully understand that you place the front-sight bead in the "u" or "v" notch of the rear sight, but can you use the "full buckhorn space" as a peep sight...other words allowing your eyes to use the open space as you would with a receiver sight...I apologize in advance if this sounds stupid...

QUESTION ONE: Can I use a rear sight that Marble's make? ...should I buy the long (2 3/4") or the short one (1 7/8")....thank you in advance for answering my questions... :)

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[jnyork]

Not at all a stupid question, perfectly legitimate. And, yes you can indeed use a full buckhorn just like a receiver (peep) sight. I have harvested multiples of pronghorns with a 50 caliber flintlock equipped with a full buckhorn, used it like a peep, worked perfectly. Still does, for that matter.

[Canuck Bob]

#1, they don't work, at least for me, I hate mine
#2. shorter sight moves the sight farther forward. Some believe barrel sights work better with the rear moved well forward the way the Europeans often do it. Shorter sight radius but they can focused better. I would consider the folding sight that sits right at the dovetail.

My hat is off to you, jnyork. You have convincingly proved they do work. Hard to argue with, "multiples of pronghorns ….. with a flintlock ". I am in awe and full of respect for you as a hunter!! That sir deserves a detailed thread of its own, please? It also throws the myth of what an antelope rifle must be in the trash can.

I tried to warm up to the buckhorn my Winoku 92 has. It was an exercise in futility.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

For making snap shots at short distances say inside 50yds (depending on target size) they work well as a ghost ring. Just put the front in the center. Farther out you will need to lower the front into the "U" notch more.

I know of one CAS shooter that uses a full buck on his CAS rifle in 44-40. He tells me at CAs distances and target sizes if he puts the front on the target and it's anywhere inside the circle he will hit. f
For 50yd +_ shots on smaller targets he sets the bead in the "U". For 100 yd he can bring the bead up to the bottom of the horn tips, hold at 6 oclock on the target and he's on. For 200yd he sets the bead on top of the horn tip and holds center.

[J Miller]

1894c,

The two different lengths of sites was for carbines (short), rifles (long). The rear sight dovetails were set farther from the front of the receiver on the early rifles, closer on the carbines. Not so much any more, but if you ever look at some of the originals you can see it.

I've never used a full buckhorn sight but I do have a one rifle with a semi buckhorn sight. I always put the front bead in the notch.


jnyork,

Back in 1964 when I first visited WY we came in from the south on I-25 or what ever the highway number was. I distinctly remember seeing antelope all over the wide open places on either side of the highway. I never could figure out how a human could sneak up close enough to take one with a normal rifle. Doing it with an antique design muzzle loader is something else. Congrats on your success.

Someday I'd like to take a WY antelope. I think I just put that on my bucket list.

Joe

[jnyork]

[quote="Canuck Bob My hat is off to you, jnyork. You have convincingly proved they do work. Hard to argue with, "multiples of pronghorns ….. with a flintlock ". I am in awe and full of respect for you as a hunter!! That sir deserves a detailed thread of its own, please? It also throws the myth of what an antelope rifle must be in the trash can.

.[/quote]

Well, thanks, Bob. Very kind words there.

Not much to say about it, you sure as heck cant sneak up close enough to a pronghorm to bust him with a flinter or a percussion rifle for that matter, at least in the traditional sense, the new inline so-called muzzleloaders are a whole different story I guess, I sure wont be finding out.

Hunting technique probably dates back to the atlatyl days, all you need to do is go sit down somewhere in the sagebrush and wait until one comes by close enough. Helps quite a bit to be familiar with your hunting area and the habits of the animals. Got to admit it take a bit of patience.

I hunted these guys with a muzzlestuffer for about 25 years and only got skunked once. Longest shot was bout 65 yards or so, closest about 20.

[1894c]

Thank you all for your quick replies...the experience and the expertise on this forum is outstanding--again, thank you... :)

[AJMD429]

They are nice, but I think the Marbles 'Bullseye' sights are better, because they block out less of the sight picture, and are VERY fast for snap-shooting, yet allow you to take that extra second to be very precise as well. You can use the different rings for 'ranging' if you really want to 'hold over' for long shots.

This is from a long-ago post I did on aperture sights:

I find the Marbles "Bullseye" sight to offer one of the best 'views' of sights I've used - better precision than an 'open' sight, and you don't have the entire lower half of your field of view blocked out like on open sights (and most 'peeps'). Windage is only drift-adjustable, but makes a great hunting sight. Anyhow - no gunsmithing needed, simply replaces your factory sight in the barrel dovetail; not the 'best' sight in all situations, but WAY better than the factory sight. In addition to the conventional elevation-adjustable model, a more compact fixed model is available (might be a great 'ghost ring' for a shotgun or hog gun if you wanted to swap front sights to get proper elevation). Note that some (?all) Puma's have wider-than-standard dovetails, and a bit of shimming is needed when swapping sights; I just slip a bit of thin metal or plastic under the sight before driving it into position. Notice how much of the field of view a 'conventional' open sight blocks - I did not change the front sight out, so the rear would block as high as drawn, and was the same width as the outer aperture of the Marbles.

As to the long vs. short Bullseye model, they are inexpensive enough to get both, but I have both, and saw no real advantage to the longer one. I suppose it would be able to rise higher with adjustment, and offer a very slightly longer sight radius.

[Pete44ru]

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This:



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[AJMD429]

This:

Thanks for posting that - that is why the old-timers liked the Buckhorn Sights...! I'd like to see a hybrid between that and the 'Bullseye' ones, sort of skeletonized so no visual blocking.

[Nath]

Jnyork....you use real guns! I never knew!

N.

[Mescalero]

How does the meat taste?
How do you cook it?

[Mescalero]

Coming down the mountain from my N.M. place going south, you drop onto a plateau that looks just like that.
There are always antelope on it, but I have never hunted one.
Like Joe said, one for the bucket list.
Come on out Joe, we will go together; you are only 1 day older than me.