Tang sight versus stock

[kimwcook]

What does everybody else use or do to keep their tangsights from beating their stocks to death.

On my Sharps I've glued a piece of leather onto the top of the ladder and it works for it but my '86 has a shorter sight and the eyepiece has already put a couple of dings in the stock. I can only imagine a hunting trip packing it around as to the stock looking like a beaver got a hold of it.

[crs]

So what are a few beaver chaws to a real hunting rifle?

My Marbles tang sight does the same thing on my 1886, so I bought a small leather bag with a pull string to keep over the sight when not hunting. This bag must be soft and pliable(not thick, stiff leather) or it will not stay on well. There may be many other solutions and you should soon hear of them from others with the same problem.
crs

[ScottT]

I had my MVA sight modified so that it cannot contact the stock.

[J Miller]

I saw a photograph of a rifle once that had the area of the stock the tang sight hit relieved for clearance. That was one mans cure for the problem.

Not the one I would have chosen though.

Joe

[Cimarron Red]

kimwcook,

I use a leather sight sack from MVA whenever I'm not actually using the gun. Also, MVA's Hadley eye cup has an 'O' ring set just inside the perimeter of the cup, and this helps prevent stock nicks. When cleaning the gun, I pad the point if the comb with a shop rag before folding the sight back. Even with these precautions, the stock will suffer a few nicks. As a good friend of mine once told someone who was complaining of squeaks and rattles in his car, "just turn the radio up," I've learned to ignore the battle scars on my guns.

[kimwcook]

ScottT, who'd you have do the modification?

I'm not so concerned with my Sharps as I'am with the '86. It's has a Marble's sight and it hits the top of the comb. It has the large eyepiece. I think the dealer lost the other two pieces prior to me getting it. I should get a hold of Marbles and see what I can do about that. But I think I'd still have the problem even with the smaller reticles.

[ScottT]

I had Kirk at Shiloh do it. Sort of an experimental deal.

Originally I was going to put a brass rod or tack into the comb of the stock to give the sight something to rest on. But Kirk tried this idea and it seems to work well. I'll know better after I take it to African and back.

[kimwcook]

Thanks Scott, I'm anxious to see how the sight holds up and whether or not Kirk will make it available through the shop.

Cimarron Red, I appreciate the response. The idea with the O-ring outer makes a lot of sense. I don't have any experience with the Hadley. At least the one I recall has a rather large eyepiece with a rotatable ring of different eyepiece orifices. I think that eyepiece is for target shooting. I think it could possibly get in the way huntng. Don't know, just speculation.

[Cimarron Red]

kimwcook,

Generally, the Hadley eye piece is a target proposition. But most of them have a larger aperture that can be used for hunting. If not, one of the aperture that's much too small can be drilled or reamed to a larger one.

For hunting the large aperture on a Marble's sight without a smaller eye piece is better under most conditions.

ScottT,

Was your tang sight modified in such a way as to limit the amount it can fold to the rear? If so, does it interfere with the cleaning rod?

[ScottT]

Yes, it is now limited in how far it will fold back. Stays about 1/4 inch off the stock. It does not interfere with cleaning rod use at all.

[Cimarron Red]

Sounds like a good mod., Scott. But with the vernier sights on both my 86 and 85 Brownings, the comb is high enough to cause interference with a cleaning rod, especially because both sights wear Hadleys.

[marlinman93]

I bought a cheap pair of gloves and cut the fingers off. Took the cut off fingers and slipped hem over my tang sights with a small rubber band to hold them in place. Works great and you get ten finger covers for a couple bucks!