The custom & usage in the past has been:

open bbl sight zeroed @ relatively close range(50-100)
higher peep sight zeroed @ longer range (150-200)
hood is always removed or folded down before use
large bead is for close range only, night use

This sight setup has long been the norm for US bolt rifles made by folks like Hoffman, G&H, Owen and similar. It's somewhat of a holdover from the early days when scopes weren't as dependable as today, and IMO it's one of the ideal setups for most game rifles.

Yes, the folding front sight hood & bead is unusual over here but has long been used in the UK and IMO is perhaps the most practical front sight setup ever. Ditto the 2 rear sights and scope, I can't imagine a hunting catastrophe that would incapacitate ALL the sights without also doing the same to the rifle.

Re the cheap lower mounts on the expensive Euro rifles: seems to me that the Euro smiths are either lazy or deliberately uncooperative for whatever reason. It's easy to make lower mounts and IMO there is absolutely NO excuse for a too-high mounting other than either laziness or stupidity. I mount all my scopes as low as possible, it's a little more work in the beginning but no excuses and no apologies necessary.
Regards, Joe

The stock on this one turned out really nice.

quote:

Originally posted by J.D.Steele:
hood is always removed or folded down before use

I cannot agree with you there Joe.

I had a similar sight on a 1920s 318WR I owned. With the hood down, light is reflected on the angleled face of the foresight blade, making it shine like a fibre optic dot, and therefore stand out against a dark target.

However, when shooting a brightly lit target, having the hood up produced the opposite effect, making the blade look like a black dot.

It is unbelievably effective.