I’m having a custom hunting rifle built. My backup sights are the NECG Masterpiece hooded front barrel band and a rear NECG Peep that attaches to a Weaver base. The rifle isn’t built yet.
How should I store the rear peep when using optics? ....or should I give up and us a barrel mount rear sight? Just wondering what creative ideas are out there.
If it matters, it will be a custom M70 with a Brux barrel chambered in 300 Sherman all set in a customized B&C stock. Great rifle....still working on the exact scope. I have a scope, but it might be the wrong one...
Like you, I have rifles with both receiver sights and scopes, and have thought about this issue over the years. My receiver sights are original steel Lyman 48's, and so the part that detaches is much smaller and less complex than your NECG. The thought I keep coming back to is a buttplate with a trapdoor in it, milled with a recess in the stock for the elevation slide of the Lyman.
That is unlikely to work with your NECG. Another thought I have had is to have a pouch sewn to the sling (leather) which will hold the aperture slide, or in your case, the NECG. I admire your dedication to using the much better peep sight rather than the open sight, and hope you come up with a good solution. Please keep us posted on what you come up with!
All the best, John
Posts: 126 | Location: Right here, for now! | Registered: 03 November 2015
Hope you find a solution. I think the one about a bag in the sling is a good one, but I would put it in a plastic bag and keep it well oiled. Leather tends to cause rust!
Posts: 536 | Location: South Africa | Registered: 28 April 2020
Standard on older Griffin & Howe sporters with auxiliary Lyman 48 receiver sights was to store the slide in the trap door butt plate. The slides are often still found there.
Posts: 84 | Location: Eastern USA | Registered: 08 December 2009
The "patchbox" storage would certainly be effective; I doubt I'd use a sling pouch because one often removes the sling if hunting in brush for dangerous game.
If one uses a back up rear sight that clips on the typical higher modern rear base, the front sight often has to be inordinately tall for the irons to work. Besides looking odd, the tall front sight is more vulnerable to damage.
I've come to prefer the typical fold-down vee sight mounted ahead of the scope on the barrel, which sits much lower and doesn't require a tall front. Alternatively, I'll fit a fold-down aperture to the rear scope base. Lyman used to offer a wonderfully light and compact folding aperture that was screwed to the rear base. It had oblong mounting holes that offered enough elevation and windage adjustment to allow sighting in with a front sight of appropriate height. You can't order them, but one will show up for sale now and then.
The above resolves the "too-high front sight" issue, but there still remains the problem of eye alignment with both sighting systems. If your eye is centered in the scope with a proper cheek weld, your face will be mashed into the stock when aligning the irons. I use the obvious solution of not-huge scopes that don't require tall rings. This has worked well for me and is offered to others for what it's worth.
Dave Manson
Posts: 701 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 04 November 2007
Lyman used to offer a wonderfully light and compact folding aperture that was screwed to the rear base
I think it was Redfield, called ace in the hole peep. I have one screwed to the rear scope mount of my 30-06. It's mounted with number 2 screws. Irons of any type can be a pain to use with a stock setup for scope use. I now carry a sighted in backup scope. Most of my scopes are mounted of Weaver style bases and use Leupold PRW rings.
Dave
Posts: 2086 | Location: Seattle Washington, USA | Registered: 19 January 2004
I am having a .404 Jeffery built and we have an original Jeffery fold-back peep sight to go on the end of the bolt. John McLaughlin (mclaughlinfirearms@gmail.com) of Montana makes a similar sight that does not need to be demounted for scope use. He is on the web.
Posts: 874 | Location: S. E. Arizona | Registered: 01 February 2019
When I built my 6.5x57 I used the Talley bases, rings and the aperture sight with the same question as to where i would carry the sight when not in use. When I made the ammo carrier I added a pocket at the end for the sight which has been an effective solution for my purposes.
I carry mine on my cartridge belt, mine is a Talley for talley bases and its quite small and handy..sometimes I just drop it in my pocket and other times I carry it on my gun and use the scope as the secondary unit and carry it in my day pack..Whatever fits the moment.