Them vernier sights

[Sierra Sherpa]

Fellas, I don't know for sure where to ask this so figured I'd start here.  Normally, I hang out on the Handi-Rifle and single-shot pages.  But I got a nice Uberti Highwall .45-70 and I'd like to learn more about those long-distance tang sights that you all here use.


The gun sports a simple Marble tang rear sight and stock Uberti front post sight.  I'm thinking of trying one of those Soule-type setups but the gun is not used for formal competition and is mostly a casual range day shooter and carried in the Sierra Nevadas come deer season.  I shoot mostly 300-gr. Hornady HPs and smokeless, but have also started reloading 405-gr. cast SNS lead FPs with SR 4759.  It's a good shooter and I like it alot.  Last time I was at the range, a fellow shooter with his tricked out Black Gun just oogled my rifle until I let him have a close-up view and discussed its "fun" factor.


Here's my question:  if I was to try a long-range Soule-type setup and switch the front post with a globe-insert would that be the wrong move for a hunting gun?  My 63-year old eyes ain't what they used to be, doc says I'm getting some astigmatism in the right (non-aiming, I'm a lefty) eye.  Are these sights really just for target shooting?  Right now, I'm noticing a ghost image on the front post at times, but with the right load can still print consistent 2" groups (sometimes better) at 100 yds.  My local range offers public targets out to 300 yds. and has a 500-m. silhouette range for paid members.  Appreciate your thoughts.


Oh, is there a mid-priced, quality vernier sight you all could recommend?  Thanks.

[Ranch13]

To get the most out of a vernier sight you really need to add a "Hadley" eyecup so that you can adjust the rear aperature to let the amount of light in that your eye thinks it needs. If you don't have a Hadley try the largest hole you can get in your eye cup.
 You might want to take the aperature out of that Marbles and see if you can loose the "ghost" around the front sight, also blackening that front sight will help on bright days.
 Sure you can put a globe on that thing, but you may have trouble picking up the front sight in low light situations encountered during hunting.
I find the blade front serves fairly well on targets and gongs to around 6-700 yds but then it starts to cover to much of the target and you really have to use a deep 6 oclock hold, that may or may not be repeatable.

[Sierra Sherpa]

Thanks Ranch13.  The Marble came with 3 different sized inserts.  I normally use the smallest one when testing handloads and have not really worked with the other (larger) apertures.  I will give them a try.  Thanks also for the tip on blackening that front post.  Is there a spray for that or do you just paint over it?  Wondering if painting a bright white/hot orange stripe on the post would help even more?

[Ranch13]

Just use a black magic marker on that front sight when the glare gets to bad.