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There are several globe front sight and Soule rear sight manufacturers that are
popular with BPCR shooters (i.e. Montana Vintage Arms, Sharps, Ballard,
Pedersoli, Winchester, and Steve Baldwin). Three of the more recent entries are the Kelley Soule rear sight, the Hoke Long Range Rifle Sight from Kermitool, Inc., and the
Ukrainian-made target sights offered by Parts Unknown Inc..
The Davide Pedersoli Company sells more Sharps, Rolling Blocks and Trapdoor BPCR
Rifles in one year than all BPCR manufacturers combined. They also sell
Creedmore and Soule Tang sights, front sights and accessories through their
distributors and dealers. See them listed under our Resources & Links
page.
In addition, the same company that made the front and rear sights for Browning’s
line of BPCR rifles is now offering those same sights directly to consumers. Go
to www.advancemfgtech.com
for information about pricing and availability.
Standard vs. Hadley Eye Cups
Some rear sights come with standard eye cups (fixed aperture). Many shooters
choose to replace their fixed aperture eye cup with the adjustable aperture
Hadley eye cup. Montana Vintage Arms (M.V.A.) manufactures what they call the
“MONTANA MAGNUM” adjustable aperture “eyedisc”. It has a larger selection of
openings for you to choose from than standard Hadley eye cups. Pedersoli
also has an "adjustable diopter eye piece" available through
www.cabelas.com.
Check The Thread On Your Rear Sight Before Ordering
What you have to keep in mind is to order the proper size (10-32 or 10-40)
thread when you order any new eye cup. Which one you order will depend largely
upon the manufacturer of your rifle or the maker of your set of rear sights.
Measure Your Vertical Spacing
Another thing to remember when replacing your front globe sight is to pay
particular attention to the measurement from the bottom of the dovetail to the
centerline of the sight insert. This will affect your rear sight elevation
settings and you might end up with the eye cup too high for comfort.
Also check the dimensions of the dovetail slot in the top of your barrel. Shiloh
Sharps’ front sight dovetail is .450” while C-Sharps’ is 7/16”. Other rifle
manufacturers, especially European makers, may use metric dimensions on their
front sight dovetails.
Front Sight Inserts
Front sights for Long Range BPCR should have replaceable front inserts with an
inside diameter of .085 thru .155. Sights such as those that came with the
Browning BPCR rifles use the Lyman 17A style inserts. Both Lee Shaver and Ron
Snover offer their own version of the 17A insert. An excellent source for these
sights and inserts is Buffalo Arms Co. (208-263-6953).
My personal preference for sight inserts is a heavily outlined insert like those
offered by Ron Snover. His sight insert card is available from IXL Enterprises
(423-234-0184).
Interchangeability of Sight Inserts
The front globe sight made by Steve Baldwin has a unique feature that many
shooters appreciate — the spirit level is located inside the globe which
provides added protection from damage or glare. The sight comes with twelve
inserts, but they are not interchangeable with any other manufacturer’s inserts
and are not heavily outlined. You can reach Steve Baldwin at Mechanical
Accuracy, Inc. (405-399-2875).
By George Liotta
Copyright© 2010 All Rights Reserved.
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