I just bought a Shiloh Sharps with a full buckhorn rear sight. My Question is how do others use this style sight as the groove in the bottom is very narrow and not quick to pick up. The buckhorn is almost a full circle like peep would be only open at the top. Would you sight it with the top of the front silver blade centered in the buckhorn like a peep or would you sight it with the blade at the small groove or does it matter if hunting or target shooting. It seems that there would be a big difference in impact elevation. I use open sights a lot but haven't used a full buckhorn before. I haven't fire the rifle yet. Thanks.

Tom;

The only rifle I own that has a semi-buckhorn is my 336CB in 38-55. It has an octagonal 'heavy' barrel. It's the factory Marlin sight.
When I set up the sight picture, I align the front sight with the shallow groove @ the bottom of the buckhorn.

Farthest I have shot it was 200 yards, and used the elevator ramp- up one notch- to raise my point of impact/aim.

Hope this is of help.

__________________
Chris in NH.

"some days, I wish my dogs could talk"

Many years ago when I was in high school I found an old gunsmithing book in the library. It had not been taken out for some 25 or so years. Dont recall when it was published. It talked about the full buckhorn rear sight on a 44-40 Winchester rifle. When the front sight was down in the groove level with the top of the groove it was supposed to be zeroed at 50 yards. Using the whole sight as a peep with the top of the blade in the middle of the opening it was on at 100 yards. When held up at the top opening the zero was supposed to be 200 yards. This was with the factory standard velocity loads of a 200 gr bullet at around 1400 or so fps.

Years later I had a Marlin 44-40 1894 original model made in 1897. It had the full buckhorn sight. I zeroed it for 50 yards with the blade down in the groove. Then tried it at 100 yards using the center blade hold. It was right on. Never tried it at 200.

Of course it will be different for other loads and calibers so YMMV.

I have since used the full buckhorn sights on a number of leverguns. For me, I just zero it at 100 yards using the center blade sight picture. Works great with my old eyes and is very fast.

Thanks for the responses. It just dawned on me there is no elevation adjustment on the buckhorn so I'll just have to see what works when I get a chance to shoot the rifle, hopefully a day or two. The buckhorn does fold down and turns up a ladder sight for longer range. I don't want to file on the front sight until I have worked with some different 45/70 loads. The groove in the bottom is very narrow and I may end up filing it a little. Maybe my experience at 50 to 100 yards will be similiar to what you guys had. Can't wait to get some ammo loaded and try it out.

In October of 1918, The Century Company published Townsend Whelen’s book, “The American Rifle.”
Whelen had this to say on the buckhorn sight:
“As before mentioned, the simplest form of rear sight is the plain open sight consisting of a bar having a “V” or “U” shaped notch. Fig. 44 shows one of the oldest forms of rear sights still frequently met with on hunting rifles. It is known as the “Buckhorn” sight because of the similarity of shape when viewed from the breech to a deer’s horns. It is not a good sight, and it is remarkable that it should have been so popular. The shape is such that it hides much of the target in aiming, and it is very difficult to get and keep the aim on running game with it. It is very hard to align the front sight evenly for elevation in the very small “V” notch at the bottom of the crotch.”

Whelen was not alone, Crossman and others were also writing in favor of the Lyman sights.
In 1892 A.C. Gould wrote on the poor quality of the buckhorn sight in his book “The Modern American Rifle.”

__________________
slim

I think what you have been bought up with. I learnt to shoot in the Aussi Army Cadets using a SMLE which has flat topped sights and used to hunt with a BSA meteor air rifle and a Sportco (Aussi made) Semi Auto, all of which had flat topped sights, and that is generally what I prefer.

I have never really done any good with a buchhorn (HaHa, that's buckhorn, I can't even spell it!!!!) sight, usually finding the groove at the bottom too fine (which is becoming more of a problem as the years go by). I have one such sight on my Rossi 44Mag. I must attack it with a file and see how I go. If it doesn't work out, I will fit a Marbles or similar.

I am getting my RCBS Progressive Press back from my friend today, he has been using it to load a big batch of 44Mags. I will load up an ammo can full and make a point of getting on top of this sight one way or another.

__________________
"I'll help you down the trail and proud to!" Rooster Cogburn.

The only advice I can give on buying rifles so equipped is that I immediately threw them in the bush! I don't intend any disrespect but the darn things seem to do most things poorly. When using them I used them like a standard barrel notch sight. Putting the bead in the notch as it fit. i should add that I'm quick to alter the notch if it doesn't suit my eyes.

My new Win 92 has them and I have gotten okay at close range plinking. I have tried to keep them to keep the rifle as issued which might be your desire as well. I plan on throwing the thing in a box and probably drilling and tapping for a Lyman steel 66 I have. I'm currently experimenting with different possible barrel sights first for an education. Check out the next thread as a good discussion is ongoing on iron sights.

I don't mind filing sights,but am reluctant to alter original sights on old rifles.

__________________
"I'll help you down the trail and proud to!" Rooster Cogburn.

Most all of my lever action rifles wear the Marbles flat top folding as a backup open sight. I have huneted quite a bit with this sight on the Winchester Trapper. This is a good open sight.
The windage adjustment is helpful.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
slim

Nice looking sight,be good pn running game as well. I had a very similar sight (Williams I think) on one of my rifles. I wasn't fond of the white triangle or the rounded dip in the middle, I turned the blade around and also turned it upside down. Ended up with a flat bottomed groove, loved it, sold it, you know how it goes, lol.

__________________
"I'll help you down the trail and proud to!" Rooster Cogburn.

Slim, that's the style of rear sight that my Savage 99 is equipped with. I find it pretty good as open sights go (I struggle with them any more); definitely better than a buckhorn.

I suspect that the O.P. decided upon his course of action probably last year, but it would be interesting to hear.

__________________
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." --Gerald Ford