I'm in the process of building myself a custom rifle off an original Farg action. Not a double I know...but seems most doubles have folding rear leaf sights as the org. Fargs. did.
Question: As I have never shot under this type of sight system, so I'm woundering if you like such a set up?
Are they easy to shoot as a back up...because I plan on Tally rings and a scope.
Thinking one standing and maybe one folding or is more better?
I'm at the age where iron sights are hard to shoot, but I do want a back up sight system.
Educate me!
375 N.E. 2 1/2 caliber

What's the calibre? On old time rifles with bullets trundling down range at no more than 2,400fps they may have made sense.

INMH they look nice but are the devil to regulate beyond 100 yards (and if they aren't regulate what's the point) and one stand, one fold is all that really is needed for, say, .270 WCF or .30-06.

The reason some "Brit" rifles have them out to one thousand yards is twofold.

First for Africa to brown off into a herd of wildebeeste to fell three or four animals for meat.

Second that if an officer's rifle was capable of being used at one thousand yards it would be transported for him at his regiment's expense when it was posted overseas.

So you can usually tell a "Brit" rifle made "for Africa" from one made "for India" by that one thousand yards sight.

Hope it helps! Oh! One last thing! If your bases block your iron sights then they are useless. The old Williams type are sufficiently tall that with appropriate ramp foresight that they will still be usable with your sight bases in place on the receiver.

375 N.E. 2 1/2...
Scope base and rear sight integral on barrel rib...won't be a problem.

I think they are mostly a gimmick. At the distances most iron sighted rifles are shot just practice and learn where to hold the front sight.
Most people do not have the time to estimate range correctly, pick the correct sight, then shoot.

srtrax - A 100 yard leaf with notch 1" above the centerline of the bore will work fine at keeping a 270gr Speer BTSP shot with MV of 1975 fps within 1.5" of the line of sight (LOS) out to about 130 yards. From there it falls rapidly, hitting nearly 4 inches below LOS at 150 yards, 5" below LOS at 175 yards, 10" below at 200 yards.

If you want to use a second leaf for shooting further then I suggest another zeroed at 150 yards. That leaf will keep the above load within 1.5" of the line of sight from about 125 yards to 175 yards, providing a nice little overlap between the first and second leaves.

You can add more leaves but they can get tedious and the value of these sorts of sights much beyond 150 yards is questionable.

I've got the English 'safari' sights on my Mauser 404 with one fixed and three folding. The old timers used to use them successfully but probably had more experience estimating ranges and using iron sights. Not as easy to hold over with a rear notch and front bead or blade as if you want to keep the same 'sight picture' the target is blocked out as you hold over. Obviously you can raise the bead or blade in the rear notch but then that becomes a guess as the bead to notch picture changes. Flip up the correct leaf and use the same sight picture i.e. bead position in the notch and hold on the same spot on the animal.

I've never used my folding leafs in anger but then I'm not shooting anywhere near 100m, or more, with the 404. The safari sights fit the bill for style though .

Read Tayler!

Taylor?

I don't think that the multiple leaf sights were a gimmick.
Looking at this type of sight, you will note that the increments in leaf lengths (heights when flipped up) are not linear. Especially on the black powder rifles of the day shooting heavier, slower bullets there is a greater increase from one lead to the next.
Later nitro rifles have less incremental differences as they have flatter trajectories.
I sure would like to run a test off a bench with a bolt gun that has these sights.

Builders use a mathematical formula to arrive at the heights of those sights. Neat to watch them analyze the trajectory and factor this equation. I flunked math so I was lost when it was explained. My 50 and 100 yard sights are usually spot on. The only time I tried 200 yards was with a 450/400 and I shot low and to the right by about 6-8 inches. I wouldn't blame the sight, though.

I use to shoot the fire out of iron sights, but I was way younger back then. Bought a 30/30 lever a couple years ago and took it to the range just to shoot with the irons...it had been years and had I been shooting a shotgun you wouldn't be able to tell. I got out the pellet gun to practice and relearn them.

I was kicking this around more so for resale value, if that would even make a difference or not should I sell it at some point. I was thinking more along the line of a 50 yard and a folding sight. I just now purchased a Leupold 1.5 x 5 scope for it and will probably always use it...and the sight as back up on the scope should it fail.
Thanks...lot of good info...going with one standing and one folding.

IMO, a Farkie just would not look right without at least one fixed and two folding leaf express sight. As far as the longer range, hell, I would do well to use more than the 100 yd leaf, but those are the most beautiful single shots ever made and I would kill to have one! Building it along the original English pattern would sure look nice and you picked a great caliber, even if you don't use the leaves, they sure look cool!

How many of you actually use the folding sights for longer range shooting on your doubles while hunting?
If you have, please share the experience that required them to be used.

Snowwolfe

quote:

How many of you actually use the folding sights for longer range shooting on your doubles while hunting?

Great question...?

Hunting only with doubles for 15 years and shooting them for 30 years, I have NEVER used anything but the first leaf.
Cal

lee440...I like your way of thinking...

Took my Coggsie Farquharson out Friday to test the leaf sights. Only shot the 100 yard as it printed one on top of the other. Amazing rifle. Benched it and it really performed super. It's a 450 3 1/4 NE. Will shoot the 200 yard after Dove season.

Dutch44...Sounds like a great rifle...thanks for the input.

Actually most of the doubles and single shots Ive used shot spot on at the different ranges usually marked.. 0ne person in a 1000 ever tests them and even with multiple sights they only use the one standing..One thing Ive notices if the one standing is sighted in properly the other fall right into place on the older English guns. you will notice a stair step in each..Im pretty sure most double rifles worked with the regulated loads, at least the ones Ive tested could be made to shoot the same with some reload testing.

I like the multiple system if the sights are properly sighted in at 100, 200, or 300 yards. This of course will depend on your ability to judge range or perhaps the use of a range finder.

Therefore, from a practical point, one standing sight sighted in at say 2 inches high at 100 yards works as well for many folks. More than anything else, it should be decided by what YOU like, not opinion of others..

quote:

Originally posted by srtrax:
Snowwolfe

quote:

How many of you actually use the folding sights for longer range shooting on your doubles while hunting?

Great question...?

My Whitworth Express chambered for 375H&H has one standing and two flip-ups. The standing is for 100 mtrs, the second one for 200mtrs, and the third one for 300 mtrs. They are spot on at the ranges engraved on them with 300 gr bullets.

When I bought the rifle some years ago, I took the rifle to a silhouette range to check the sights at the proper ranges!

Even though I have a 3-9 scope in quick detach rings and bases that return to zero when removed and replaced on the rifle, I wanted to make sure the flip-ups were zeroed properly in case the scope was somehow broken, so I could finish a hunt with the irons !

I recommend the flip-ups be tested on a rifle so fitted, to be used when one encounters a long range standing shot where it would be hard to get closer, or if your scope gets damaged!
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The closest I ever got to using the leaves was just before I took my Rodda double to TZ. My club range only goes out to 300 yds. and it had a 18" steel gong. I flipped up the 300 leaf and hit it 1,2. I was surprised(at me, not the gun!). I handed it to my buddy, same result. I then handed it to my wife, who proceeded to ring that gong twice and I said to hell with it! All three of us were going on the Safari, and I felt pretty confident that we all could hit something with it. Whether you use them or not, they just look right on a classic safari rifle!

Thank you...one standing and two folding should be here tomorrow.

Same experience as Lee440 I was at a range with a buddy who was laying on the ground ringing gongs out to 300 with his latest "Tacticool" long range rig dialing turrets and taking notes. I had my 450NE with me and walked over having never shot at anything beyond 50yards or so. Flipped up the 200 yard leaf and proceeded to whack the 200 yard gong with a right and left, still giving my Bud a hard time..

The problem is probably 1 owner out of a 100 has ever tested the multi sight systems on those old guns..Most of them work is my guess. Like I said, mine have worked and its a warm feeling, you know the manufacturer went the extra mile, that smells good to me. How many would do that today, today it's mostly eye candy and nothing more from what Ive been told.