Front sight

[Shultz]

I have a First Generation Parker Hale I want to get skirmish ready.
I have a load developed but the Rifle needs a taller front sight because it shoots extremely high.
The rules state a dovetail front sight has to be permanently affixed.
What are my options to affix the sight?
Are there other options other than a dovetail front sight?
Thanks for your help

[Muley Gil]

You can file off the old blade and slot the base, then install a higher blade. I presume you have already found a good load that groups tight and is centered. A dovetailed sight is good in that it can be adjusted for windage before being soldered into place.

[spadegrip]

I have a First Generation Parker Hale I want to get skirmish ready.
I have a load developed but the Rifle needs a taller front sight because it shoots extremely high.
The rules state a dovetail front sight has to be permanently affixed.
What are my options to affix the sight?
Are there other options other than a dovetail front sight?
Thanks for your help
I wouldn?t touch the sight. I shoot a first gen. Parker-Hale rifle musket and is shoots dead on at 50 and 100 yards. I shoot 39grs of 1 1/2 Swiss with a .576 495gr bullet-very accurate, and it looks right.

[Shultz]

Thanks for the reply.
I hadn?t thought about changing the load but it makes sense.
My load was 41 grains of fff with a Minnie that weighs a little under 400 grains, it grouped decent but was 16? high.
I have a RCBS bullet mold I think weighs about 500 grains when cast, now I just need to find some 1 1/2 Swiss!
Thanks for the help

[John Holland]

In addition to adjusting the powder charge, have you tried using an extremely fine sight picture?

[Rick R]

At the risk of being Captain Obvious, work up your load for the best possible group and then don't mess with it. Make the necessary sight changes only after the load work up. You may already be there.

I shot a PH 2 band for several years. I needed to elevate the sights significantly to offset minimal drop of the Enfield stock and performed the dovetail on the sight base as mentioned.

My load was 47.5 FF by volume and a Lyman 575602 ball Alox in the grooves.

[Rob FreemanWBR]

Rick is correct.

Enfields, due to their long range, ladder rear sights are sighted in a bit differently...

True - determine CORRECT sizing of your rounds first. Then work up a load that GROUPS tightly.

With Enfields - 100 is determined first, with rear sight elev set at 2. Paper target is best to capture/determine the group, and then measure the distance from where the group is on paper to where YOU want/need the group to be in relation to the target.

Of note - with Enfields and their open sights... The front sight blade is NOT to be lined up even with the top of the rear sights SHOULDER. Instead the front sight should resemble a SQUARE, i.e. the same amount of front sight width is all the height which should be exposed in the rear sight NOTCH. This was the same practice of English troops in the 19th Century.

After any needed front sight adjustments and the piece groups at 100 where you want it to group, then 50 yards can be addressed. With the rear ladder sight dropped to its lowest possible setting on the base, shoot your group at 50. Obtain a TIGHT GROUP at 50 prior to making ANY sight adjustments. By now with 100 yard squared away, windage should NOT be an issue, only elevation for 50 yards. In addressing elevation for 50, measurements from the group on paper can then be used to determine any needed work/adjustments to set proper rear sight elevation - for 50.

The aformentioned procedures maybe as clear as mud, but its whats been taught to me and it does work for Enfields that is.

[Shultz]

Thanks for all of the great input from everyone.

Rob, if I understand you correctly the wide base of the front sight should not be visible in the rear sight at all, only the thin part of the sight is used?
i like the way you were taught to sight the 100 yard first and then work on the 50 yard next, I probably would have done the opposite.

I have two different molds to try.
One is the large RCBS Minnie and the other
is a Moose old style Minnie.
What powder and what charge would be a good
starting point for each?

[Rob FreemanWBR]

Schultz,

Correct - you should not be able to see the base of the front sight. In fact the wide base of the rear sight, should make that an impossibility.

But key is, when sighting in - to look for the SQUARE ONLY for the front sight (height equal to the width of the front sight blade) in the rear sights NOTCH.

Either mold should work. I've been told, and have used with success the lighter Hodgson round.


Pure lead, fresh lube, Hodgson round with 45 grains of 3f Goex should be a GOOD starting point when you begin load development. RESULTS MAY VARY

[JBratu]

Since joining the N-SSA a few months ago I have become an expert at silver soldering, first with my Pedersoli Enfield then with my just purchased skirmish-ready Parker Hale I bought at the nationals. Pedersoli shooting 14 inches high, then the PH when I was doing load development the front sight fell off.....

Couldn't find a local gunsmith that would solder them on, so I just learned, really not that hard. Will dovetail the next bunch though.

[John Holland]

Just be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules on dovetailing sights.

[JBratu]

Glad you brought that up. This thread made me go look at it, not sure the Enfield barrel is thick enough to cut a dovetail... Also I guess you would be referring to 19.9.1 a and k. Thanks, I have been prone to try just for the hell of it before the brain kicks in.

[noonanda]

Glad you brought that up. This thread made me go look at it, not sure the Enfield barrel is thick enough to cut a dovetail... Also I guess you would be referring to 19.9.1 a and k. Thanks, I have been prone to try just for the hell of it before the brain kicks in.

Dan Whitacre can do it, I have him dovetailing both a Euroarms Enfield and a Miroku/Navy Arms 1864 Springfield. Id give him a call and see what he says

http://www.whitacresmachineshop.com/