Just a question for the group. I am having a model 70 300 Weatherby rebarreled to a .300 H&H so I can have my working mans .300 H&H. I would like to keep the African theme and go with the NEGC folding single leaf rear sight and the front barrel band sight with folding white dot. What my gunsmith who is doing the job is questioning my selection of a non-adjustable rear sight. I firgured that I could just file it to my best 200 grn load once I get it going since I plan to use it as a scoped rifle and the iron sights would only be needed in the VERY thick brush for under 50 yard shots. Any thoughts comments or helpful hits would be great.

Thanks Brad

Here are the photos

I like what you picked but I don't know if I would put the flip up night sight on a 300 H&H. I would think that would be more apropos on something starting at 375 H&H and then on up. IF you are determined to have the flip up, the i think finding a good load and filing is as viable as anything else...it's your rifle. As long as you are fine with a 'fixed' load for the open sights (i would be) you are good to go...

Now...if you forego the flip up, you do have adjustment with taller beads for that particular front sight so you are again...good to go...


Are you using factory bottom metal and stock? Neat project...


P.S. Don't forget to look at the H&H style front ramped sight with the flip up hood... rehape the flat ramp to one more like you show above and you have, in my opinion, the best looking/functional front sight out there....but that's just me...

Baxter:

Thanks for the help. I tried to suggest the H&H setup but the smith tells me it wont fit the barrel profile. Maybe I should just go with the standard front sight which I'm fine with. I assume that would solve the load problem since I could select different heights? I haven't explored this idea but might make the most sense. I was just thinking the white bead would be nice if I'm in the dark thick here in Oregon and need a bigger front sight. I'm using a supergrade factory classic stock and the one piece bottom metal. FYI

Brad

I hear you about the dark thick stuff...I'm 180 miles north of you!

Check out the Recknagel website, they are the ones who make the stuff you are looking at. They have many more sight insert options than are listed on NECG's site, including just plain white beads, big and small, as well as some hi-viz options.

Good luck!

IMO your choices are splendid. I have several suggestions and comments, however.

The usual protocol is to get a rear sight with a leaf that's slightly too tall for your intended sight-in distance and then you file the vee notch until the desired elevation zero is obtained. No need for any additional different-height beads, the small bead that comes with the flip-up night bead will work fine IF the 'filer' (grin) does his part.

Secondly I would suggest that you file a slanted flat on the rounded face of the small bead, in order to NOT suffer unintended windage changes caused by light on one side or the other of the round bead surface. I angle the flat at 45-degrees and polish the newly-filed surface with an Arkansas stone when finished forming the flat.

Thirdly I would suggest that you attach the rear sight out close to the end of the forearm, maybe 8"-10" forward of the receiver ring. I've found that as my eyes age, I can focus A LOT better when the rear sight is placed further forward than usually seen on some rifles. And, contrary to popular belief, you WON'T suffer any accuracy impairment with the shorter sight radius.

And lastly I hafta comment that the flip-up bead is intended as a NIGHT bead! The writings that I've read have stated that one of the most common uses for it is for shooting various varmints around the campfire at night, and of course this shooting would necessarily be at very short ranges. Therefore IMO there's no need to restrict the night-sight feature to big bores only. For instance I have one on my 280-chambered Mauser plains rifle.
Regards, Joe

Joe:

Thanks for the support I was hoping the group would understand what I was trying to achieve. I really see this as being a scope hunting rifle however, I want to cover all my basis. If you look at the Ruger African sight set up they have it right as far as I am concerned.

If you buy the NECG front sight ramp with the adjustable insert you get the best of all worlds. Full adjustmentfor elevation via the front sight and windage via the rear. Basically the same sights. I have my fronts with red fiber optics beads.

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
If you buy the NECG front sight ramp with the adjustable insert you get the best of all worlds. Full adjustmentfor elevation via the front sight and windage via the rear. Basically the same sights. I have my fronts with red fiber optics beads.

+1 on this front sight, particularly with the rear you have chosen. They also offer the blade in 3 or 4 heights so lots of adjustability there. I have one on my ZKK 602 375 though I use the large white bead.

Sounds like this might be the ticket?

No offense, but you need to enlighten your gunsmith as to how easy it is to make and contour a quarter-rib.

My local guy makes barrel band sling swivels and ramp front sights, and quarter-rib. Years ago I showed pictures here how easy it was. Like me doing it under his watchful eyes on the mill and lathe. Less than two hours a piece.

I don't understand why your smith cannot install those sights on any barrel unless your using a Mod. 70 barrel with the old dog knot on it but even that can be turned off..The base on the rear sight has a lot of metal on it and barrel band ramps and sights come in many different heights...all of them need fitting.

Idaho & Ray:

Thanks for the input. I think that he is factoring cost into the equation and is just trying to save me sight in time and money. I have a nice Ruger Express 7mm mag setup with the quarter rib as well as a BGR 89 with a quarter rib and express sight. I'm starting to see this .300 H&H as more of a NW woods rifle rather than an african style plains rifle. I may punt and go with a NEGC fully adjustable rear and a tradition front site with the band. This might be more inline with the classic winchester look. I've got more time at this point than money so I'm letting my ideas sort out before he starts cutting metal. Making a quarter rib in two hour wow never seen that before?

Thanks

Brad

Brad, FWIW (grin) here are some more thoughts and opinions.

For an iron-sight-only rifle and especially for any rough-country hunting, I personally MUCH prefer a sturdy blade front sight over a bead unless the bead is mounted VERY low on its ramp like the early M-S sporters and similar. I've found that a Sourdough-type blade with a highly-visible angled insert is far FAR stronger than any of the usual beads we see today, and I personally have bent and broken too many beads over the years to ever feel comfortable with one as my primary sighting instrument. JMOFWIW.

Similarly, I much prefer band-type or rib attachments for the bbl-mounted sights and any bbl-mounted swivel base, again for the sake of sturdiness.

I've also found that I'm more accurate and faster with the open vee rear sight mounted closer to the front of the rifle's forearm rather than back toward the rear of the barrel.
Good luck on your build, I can sympathize with the 'more time than money' concept BIG TIME, regards, Joe

Joe:

I think you have a great point! I took my Ruger Express out this morning before the sun came up in my rural tree covered yard and the nice little gold bead was gone. I liked the V express rear but I could only pick up the front base ramp in the early dawn light. I never considered a ramp blade since most of my rifles have fancy little gold beads. The rifle will most likely have a 2.5-8x or 3.5-10x scope as my primary sight since its a .300 mag and I plan on taking shots up to 300 yards if necessary. So at this point I think you may have a very good point since I hunt in dense wooded areas at times and banging the rifle muzzle or a tree or rock is very possible especially if it drops and my scope breaks in the process of falling to the ground

Thanks Brad

Brad, the reason I mentioned these things is that in the past I have experienced ALL repeat ALL the mishaps you cite (rueful grin).

My usual 'road-ready' rifle has an interchangable front blade with spare under the trap grip cap, plus a middle-barrel vee express sight zeroed at 75 yds plus a QD peep zeroed at 200 yds stored under the trap buttplate plus one scope in QD rings zeroed at 300 yds plus a spare (zeroed QD-ring) scope in the rifle's hard case.

Overkill? Sure it is! But IMO it's way cool and My Bride says that planning stuff like this keeps me off the streets and outa trouble, so....

Your rifle build sounds great to me, please keep us posted as it happens!
Regards, Joe