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This may seem like a rather dumb question, but can someone explain how you would align a sourdough front blade sight with an express "V" rear sight? I'm only familiar with beads for front sights, so the wide space of the rectangular sourdough blade has me perplexed; should the bottom of the rectangle sit in the crotch of the rear sight V or should only the top of the rectangle remain visible in the rear sight? Additionally, can someone clarify what is meant by filing the sourdough sight down. Are we talking file the bottom to lower it, or file the top to shrink the rectangle? Thanks in advance and happy holidays! ____________________________ If you died tomorrow, what would you have done today ... 2018 Zimbabwe - Tuskless w/ Nengasha Safaris 2011 Mozambique - Buffalo w/ Mashambanzou Safaris | ||
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I shouldn't answer here but in the absence of real expertise, here goes: A Sourdough sight is the same as a Patridge sight with the possible and welcome addition of a brass insert. The square sides and top are somewhat immune to light coming from the left or right or the top. The point of impact is less likely to change with the square profile compared to a bead. The brass insert is an attempt to make the front sight more visible in muted light. It's unlikely that the brass is faster to pick up in medium to bright light. The Sourdough sight is best mated with a U or square notch in the rear sight. The top of the front sight is aligned with the top of the notch in the rear sight. It's simple and intuitive and very very effective within the constraints of range and available light. An Express V is usually a wide V and I suppose the intent is speed speed and more speed. Precision will require a very careful placement of the bead exactly nestled in the V. It's not obvious how you would accomplish either speed or precision with a square edged rectangular front sight and a shallow V rear sight. If you were to file a Sourdough sight the expectation would be that you would file straight across the top because your rifle was shooting below your point of aim. It does take a bit of skill and care to maintain the original profile. Haste is not your ally. | |||
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Ramsgate, Could not have said it better myself, well stated. I have rifle set up with Sourdough front and so called express island rear sight w/ one standing and two folding. For the one standing I did cut square notch at bottom of the shallow V to mate with the front sight square post front width wise w/ visible space on either side. Dressed front sight height to regulate shot placement at 50yds. and it works well for me. Did same for folding ones as well. For me and my vision, use, etc., it works well and is quick to pick up that very bold brass front sight post. Have others with shalow V and bead front and it works OK, but above arrangement is better suited to my eyes. | |||
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Sevens, You really need to use a square-notch rear sight or a peep to work with the sourdough. Anything else would be a mess. I shot NRA lever-action silhouette for years and used the Lyman #2 peep with a sourdough front on my model 94. I held the top of the front sight at the 6-0'clock position on the bullseye. They can be very accurate, but not real quick to attain the target. | |||
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Well said Ramsgate, All I can add is that for patridge/sourdough front sight, the rear sight is best with flat top and square notch. Or a peep rear, as Bitteroot said. That shallow V rear should be filed down to a flat top, with square notch. This makes it more precise and fast. A platinum, white, or red line leading to that square notch on the rear is sweet. Front patridge could be brass or white, inserted or painted, blacked for paper targets only ... it depends. Square notch in rear sight should be about about twice the apparent width of the front, as viewed when sighting. Allows daylight on either side of the front and instinctive/automatic centering of front in rear. If the front sight is twice as far from the eye as the rear, then the rear notch needs to be the same width as the front. If the rear sight is closer to the eye than half the distance to the front, then the rear notch will be smaller in width than the width of the front. Depth of the rear notch should be whatever makes it square, given the width selected. You can use the patridge and flat-top-square-notch to shoot to different elevations when familiar with it. Like Elmer Keith shooting coyotes at 600 yards with his Six-Gun. You would need zimbabwe's white dot in your patridge to allow use of a shallow V. And that would be much stronger than a bead on top of a slender blade, and just as accurate. A patridge front with a flot-top-square-notch rear, or a peep: Best iron sights for me! 
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Thanks for the clarification everyone. I thought something didn't quite add up. ____________________________ If you died tomorrow, what would you have done today ... 2018 Zimbabwe - Tuskless w/ Nengasha Safaris 2011 Mozambique - Buffalo w/ Mashambanzou Safaris | |||
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Normally the Sourdough is used with a receiver sight as it was designed for. However the old Texas Rangers used a shallow V rear sight with a square post, and it is fast and accurate and the human eye lines it up perfect every time...You use it with the V just like you would do with the square notch on a Pistol sight. Hold the top of the Sourdough level with the top of the V.. Most of my iron sighted big bores are so set up and not only is it easy to file them in to zero, it is super fast and accurate, in fact it seem to me faster than a receiver sight and every bit as accurate, and fantastic for running shots.. I happen to have an old 3 digit Texas Ranger mod 94 SRC carbine, that belonged to my granddad who was a Ranger in the 1800s and 1900s, The gun is so set up and I learned to shoot with this gun, so it's a pretty natural set up for me. I killed a lot of deer, antelope and elk with it growing up. Everyone should try it, you might really like it especially if your eyesight ain't what it used to be and you would still like to shoot iron sights. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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On a rifle, a sourdough front sight is properly mated with an aperture rear sight. These sights work well even for those with less than perfect eyesight. On a pistol, the sourdough front sight is properly called a Patridge, after the fellow who invented it, and is properly mated with a square notched rear sight. Good (as in young) eyes are needed to use these well. Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Big Bores How to use a sourdough sight?
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