Mounting a tang Sight on a Buffalo Classic

[philb1732]

Has anyone out there mounted a tang sight on there Buffalo Classic...the tang less rifle and if so what sight did you choose and whats the best way to mount it...Would appreciate any and all help...

Thanks
Phil B.

[quickdtoo]

Welcome aboard Phil! Please see the long range sights for the BC/Target in the FAQs and Help sticky, lot more stuff in there too.

Tim

[philb1732]

Thanks Tim...Been looking for that thread but cant seem to find id can you direct me?

 

[towpro]

Against the recommendations of about 1/2 the people I talked to, I did.
I just used to antique looking wood screws and mounted it direct to the wood.  I can't recall if they were 1/2" or 5/8". 

My tang sight is the one the other posts point out from Track of the wolf. 

Problems I have had so far:

The tang sight really does not click at the perfect upright position, its leaning a little forward. I have found myself pulling it back with my thumb as I shoot to clear up the sight picture.  I swapped around the base spring and it made it a little better, but not perfect.  I have plans for how to fix that.

The sight hole was around .030", way to small for past 100 meters for my eyes.
first I opened it up to around .038" and it was a lot better past 100 meters, but was still dark past 400 meters.  (I did have hits on the steel turkeys at 400 meters! )

This weekend I opened it up to .042 and its better, but I could not get onto the long range.
I might still open it a little more. I was reading about some expensive tang sights that talked about .048" for target and .05? for hunting or dark days.  Don't forget to mark the inside of the hole black after you open it up or it will reflect light.
(If you double the size if the hole, you get 2X the amount of light.  Note double means double area of hole, not diameter of hole!!!!!)

there is no marks for windage.  You have to get it on target and put a scratch in it.  To adjust elevation you have to loosen the eye cup which also locks the windage, in other words, the windage will change every time you adjust the sight.

At 400 meters with the lightest load of H4895 and 405 grain Lead, the sight was at the top of its adjustment range.  I do have the "to high" globe site on the BC that came with it.  changing that would help. Also a hotter load would help since I am doing around 1400fps if the books are correct.

I was told I should expect problems with the sight to move with weather/temp because of the way I mounted it on wood. Last weekend I sighted it for 100 meters.  next weekend I will return to same 100 yards to see if it is still set.

the results at 100 meters:
27 grains of H4198 (yes I switched powder) with the 405 grain lead.
Using a shooting bag for a rest, barrel just ahead of fore arm wood sitting on bag. (I need to buy a better rest.)
Using the 28 front insert the black on the target is a little smaller then the 28 hole (you can see white around the black in the sight).

I had one 5 shot group with 4 holes in a 4 leaf clover and one shot to the side with 1/2" of paper between them (target in sun).
I shot a group of 20 in one string with target in shade, I had 10 through the 10 ring (2" across) with the other spread out to around 4" across group.  the sun really helps with the small hole in the tang sight!

When I started this project, I figured if it did not work, I could fill the holes (and match color), or switch to these inserts that you mount in the wood and attach stuff with 4-40 screws.

so far I have no regrets.  But proceed at your own risk after doing research.
For next weekend I loaded 50 rounds with different levels of H4198.  If I can duplicate the results of what I saw last weekend I will go play with the cast bullet match guys in 2 weeks.  Problem is they are all shooting $2000 guns with 20X scopes but I will still have fun, and that's what this is about.

edit:  If you do use add one, take a pen and paper (and reading glasses) to document the settings for future use! You can spend a lot of ammo "walking the shots" up or down the target getting on sight when you have 3" of sight adjustment

[trotterlg]

Double the size of the hole and you get 4 times the amount of light. A little goes a long ways.   Larry

[lonewolf5348]

I have open my peep hole to .080 on mt flint locks with peep sights.
I spoke with bernie and he mounted the rear peep sight this way.
1/4 plate steel inleted at the wrist of the wood the plate screw is drilled and taped for the sight to screw to the plate :The 1/4  plate in glass-beded to the stock

[handirifle]

After having mine mounted in the wrist of the stock, (see the article Tim referred to or see my website) I'd do it differently if I do it again and here is how.

First off let me recommend this guy, Lee Shaver, as a source of the sight http://egunsmith.com/



This is a pic of them.  I got the taller one and at 600yds and mid level loads, It was only elevated half way up.  Very precise adjustments and fully windage adjustable, clearly marked for elev and windage.  Worth every penny.

Now back to the changes.  The disadvantage to the wrist mount is threefold.  First, as mentioned, the possibility of wood swell or the stock moving, and second, in the way of some hands, mine wasn't, and third, being a break open action, the barrel may minutely lay in a different place than the last time.

The first two are bigger concerns in my mind, than the third.  I do not feel there is enough play in a closed NEF action to matter that much, just my humble opinion.  What I would do this time around, is build or have built, a section that matches the back end of the receiver perfectly, about 1/2 to 3/4"" thick.  In the back of this section, on the top, would be a 2 1/2" long tang.  This section will be bolted to the back of the receiver, and the stock bolted to the new section.

I actually have thoughts of having this "plate" threaded and having the stock held on with a nut instead of a bolt.  How this would work is, the front half of the bolt would screw through the "plate" into the back of the receiver, with a fixed in place, nut that holds it (the plate or section as I called it earlier) firmly to the back of the receiver.  The back of this bolt, also threaded, would let the stock slip over it, and a nut run down the stock hole, threaded onto the bolt and tightened.

This might all be a pipe dream, but it is what I envisioned for the "next time".

Hope this makes sense to someone besides me.

[philb1732]

Ok...as a follow up...I got my barell back today and when I put everything together I was happy to see that I could see the level through the smith ladder sight...sooo i am not so much in a rush to spend more money just yet...have to take it out and test it first...thanks for all the info and time it took to reply...stay tuned for the test report and maybe some p

phil

[Tennessee.Traveler]

Well, I told you I was on page 3.  To use that Lee Shaver tang sight you only need to do what you said in your post!  Make what they call a "False tang".  Lee Shaver does that routinely.  I think I remember Handirifle having one done.

Dick

[handirifle]

Yea I did and will likely do it again.   Since I got my Marlin 45-70, I have all the fixins again.  This time I got all the casting stuff as well to keep costs down.  As soon as I pay off my other projects, I'll send it off for a BC barrel.

Here's some pics of it.



One thing I did do, was have Lee reverse the way the sight was mounted in the base itself, and turn it around.  This placed the sight farther forward, allowing my hand to fit comfortably behind it, with my thumb wrapped around the wrist like I'd do normally.  Turning it around allowed it to fold BACKWARD towards the buttstock, instead of forwards towards the receiver.  I thought it would look a little cleaner.  Lee did mount a false tang in the stock, and the tang was drilled and tapped to allow easy removal of the sight.  The Soule sight is well worth the extra dollars.  It's solid, accurate and repeatable.



The Smith sight is a good choice also.  Hope these pics give you a good idea of how it can look. 

Here's a three shot group at 100yds using the Speer 400gr JSP.