Cocking-piece mounted sight

Ammunition, reloading, shooting, etc
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Dick Hosmer
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Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 4:11 pm

Cocking-piece mounted sight

Post by Dick Hosmer »

I used the fine 1902 stock once on 482440 (which was the wrong date for it) to correct/restore my BoOF rifle 388786. With that project behind me, I am looking to make a shooter out of 482440 as it is in excellent condition with a fine bore. The only "nice" loose stock that I have on hand is an undated 32" one for an M1899 carbine.

Several years ago, the late Bill Mook gifted me a Lyman CP sight, which I treasure. Now I'm thinking that, with my old eyes, I could assemble a pretty nice Scottish-style "stalking rifle" using the above mentioned components, hurting absolutely NOTHING in the process.

So, does anyone have experience with a cocking-piece sight? Does the much-extended sight radius, in conjunction with a proper aperture, make up for the two obvious faults: slightly slower lock-time and the fact that it is not solidly mounted to the receiver?

All thoughts are welcome.

waterman
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Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:29 pm

Re: Cocking-piece mounted sight

Post by waterman »

My FWIW observation is that a cocking piece sight is intended for a hunting rifle. The accuracy intended is "minute of moose" at about 100 yards. It isn't a bench rifle. If fired off a bench & sandbags with a load of known accuracy at a bullseye target at 100 yards, I think a 3 to 4 inch group would be quite acceptable. Maybe even 5 shots in a small paper plate. The cocking piece sight will not be precisely aligned from shot to shot. The front sight needs to be something that is easy to see in bad light. Good for huntin' but terrible on paper. Too many variables.

The accuracy of such a rifle ought to be lots better than a Krag made into a stalking rifle and left with either the original military sight or one of those "buckhorn" gizmos. Accuracy will probably be less than the same Krag stalking rifle fitted with one of the "no drill" receiver sights.

How close did those Scottish deer-stalkers get when crawling in their tweeds through the wet heather? If you shoot the moose while it's belly deep in the lily pads and you shoot from the bow of your canoe, you have a lot of wet work in the offing. Are any of us geezers going to do that?

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butlersrangers
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Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Cocking-piece mounted sight

Post by butlersrangers »

Dick - Check below in 'Sporterized and unofficial modified Krags' - 'neat Lyman sights'.

I have 'bumped' a year-old thread regarding Lyman striker-rod 'peep' sights.

I don't have any experience shooting one, but 'Cat Man' has had good results.

FredC
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Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 4:38 pm
Location: Dewees Texas

Re: Cocking-piece mounted sight

Post by FredC »

Waterman, it sounds like your big game is spookier than what we have around here. I drive by deer every day on the ranch. I could nail them with a sling shot out the car window. :-) Sometimes when walking I can spot one, then stand still many times they will walk up closer to figure out who or what I am. I am talking less than 50 yards.
I had a friend that was married to a King Ranch heiress in the 1950s. He talked about hunting deer at night with a baseball bat around the cattle troughs. During the hot summer nights that was the only water available. They would just hang the killed deer up (without gutting them) and once a week the Alice Canned Tamale company would pick them up. I think the Alice Texas tamale company is long out of business. Mystery meat including roadkill that was hanging outside in the Texas summer heat would not be allowed anymore. :-)

ebruce
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Location: Georgia

Re: Cocking-piece mounted sight

Post by ebruce »

Mystery meat including roadkill that was hanging outside in the Texas summer heat would not be allowed anymore. :? :o :shock: Sincerely. bruce.

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butlersrangers
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Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Cocking-piece mounted sight

Post by butlersrangers »

"Hunting" in Texas, suddenly doesn't sound very appealing.

FredC
Posts: 1991
Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 4:38 pm
Location: Dewees Texas

Re: Cocking-piece mounted sight

Post by FredC »

That was not hunting but a commercial meat operation.

A lot of hunting today is done from blinds with a couple of feeders to bring them in. I used to knock it but with current hunting laws, having a bunch of deer at the feeder allows you time to pick the one you want. A person could take a trophy, or maybe the runts to improve the herd by leaving the larger better looking animals.

On the attached photo, I would estimate the buck is 3 to 3 1/2 foot tall at the shoulder. Not sure if it was an antlered doe, a buck that was severely malnourished as a fawn, or a genetic abnormality. With only one white tail buck tag per year would you kill this one to improve the herd or maybe take it and have it stuffed to show off a freak? I saw this one out the window of the shop and stepped outside with a camera to get the shot.

Back to the sight on the cocking piece, at first I did not like the idea. But it does give you a longer sight radius and the .010 inch that the sight could move from side to side would be less of a problem. The spring pressure will tend to make it go to the same place every time and when you start pulling the trigger the cocking piece will tend to follow the trigger down to the point where it will be more or less centralized. I would think that point would be fairly consistent. In practice the accuracy could be better than you would think.
RuntBuck.jpg
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