[TheSmayWay]

Has anyone put this style sight on your flintlock? I don't like how much of the target the factory sights in my pa pellet cover up. Thought the fine cross hair might be nice for next season. Thoughts?

https://www.gohunt.com/read/skills/increased-accuracy-from-an-open-sight-muzzleloader#gs.h=LD0G0

 

[zimmerstutzen]

the sight in the article is an iron sight, but not an "open" sight. It is an aperture sight, receiver sight or peep sight. See the definition of open sight here: http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/g/definition-of-open-sights.htm The front sight in your article is a covered shaded "globe" sight. Also not an "open" sight. I shot competition for years. Not under NRA rules or NMLRA rules is that an open sight. for a sight to be open, the sight notch and front sight must be open to the sky. any sight where you look through a hole that is covered is not open. If you check the Williams sight catalog from a couple years ago, their offerings are separated into two divisions, (1) open sights and (2) aperture or peep sights. what is described in the article would be under the peep sights section. Under NMLRA rules, any shaded sight is expressly excluded from the term open sights, but is considered an iron sight, because there is no glass or mirror. Folks tried all kinds of things to cover the sights with shades that were open on one side but still kept sun light off the sight, those added contraptions became known as "Friendship cheaters". (Friendship, Indiana is the town where the NMLRA national matches are held)

For thirty years the PGC prohibited peep sights by requiring flintlocks to have "open sights" then with great fanfare about 2005, the PGC amended the regulation to take out the language requiring open sights, announcing that peep sights would now be permitted. and just 4 or 5 years later, for some inexplicable reason, they put the language requiring open sights back into the regulation. The digest still says peep sights are permitted, but the regulation does not. When questioned about this, somebody at the PGC said peep sights are open sights. If that was true why did they use the words open sights for thirty years to prohibit peep sights. I suspect that particular "somebody" has no idea what the term "open sight" means, had no idea about the history of the PGC's use of "open sights" and was covering an embarrassing mistake.

Just as an example, there are sights called X-tubes. these look just like a scope, but have no glass. they have adjustable cross hairs, just no magnification. They are a form of "iron sight" but certainly not open to the sky, so not an open sight. The shaded Globe sight, in the article, is just a shortened form of x-tube and is definitely not an "open sight"

 

[Blue Bird]

Those are modern sights friend. They have no place on my flintlock.

 

[Byron]

Well, about an hour ago I put a new peep sight and FO front sight on my great plains rifle. I'll spend tomorrow sighting it in and getting used to it.

My theory is that anything that's legal and gives me a better chance of making a clean, humane kill, is a good thing..

I haven't shot the gun yet, but I can see a huge advantage in this setup simply by aiming at the squirrels in the yard ...

 

[007hunter]

Very cool. I may do something similar as a winter project bc I HATE the sights on my current gun.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Well, about an hour ago I put a new peep sight and FO front sight on my great plains rifle. I'll spend tomorrow sighting it in and getting used to it.

" anything that's legal "

That is just it, under the wording of the current regulation, it is not legal.

 

[007hunter]

PG. 32 of the digest. "It is unlawful to use telescopic sights. Peep sights are permitted."

So whats the problem?

 

[zimmerstutzen]

read the comic book in the beginning where it says it is not the law. Here is the actual regulation:

(b) Flintlock muzzleloading deer season.

(1) Permitted devices. It is lawful to hunt deer during the flintlock muzzleloading deer season with a flintlock muzzleloading firearm. The firearm must be an original or similar reproduction of muzzleloading firearm manufactured prior to 1800. The firearm’s ignition mechanism must consist of a hammer containing a naturally occurring stone that is spring propelled onto an iron or steel frizzen which, in turn, creates sparks to ignite a priming powder. The firearm must have open sights and be a .44 caliber or larger single-barrel long gun or a .50 caliber or larger single-barrel handgun that propels single-projectile ammunition.


See the part about "The firearm must have open sights..." Peep sights are not and never have been open sights.

Here is the definition of open sights from the reference I cited above:

Open sights are the most common form of gun sight, and most often consist of a blade, bead, or post front sight and an open-topped notch as a rear sight. The lack of any type of cover over the sights is what makes them "open" (as opposed to a peep/aperture sight).

the digest LIES!

 

[Byron]

In the event I should be cited for having peep sights on my flintlock, my statement to the court will be as follows;



Yes, the disclaimer in the digest, and the digest itself. The digest that is dispensed to each person who buys a hunting license. The digest that is clearly intended to be a guideline to the very long and very complicated laws of the arresting organization. it's not the law, it's a basic summary of the law. There is clearly, in print, a disclaimer, warning people that the digest is not the actual law, simply a condensed version of the law.

However, the digest is provided by the arresting organization as the only readily available interpretation of the law.
Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking the law. However, it is my opinion, that when an arresting organization intentionally or unintentionally misleads the public, by distributing written guidelines of said laws that are not accurate, then the blame of ignorance can not be placed on the arrested.... And lays fully on the shoulders of the arresting organization..


Thank you, you Honor..


PS I love my peep sight... ... hunt on.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

only readily available interpretation? Most folks can pull up the actual regs on their smart phones. It is actually one of the few game regulations written in plain English.

 

[Bumble Bea]

Do you mean title 34?

 

[zimmerstutzen]

no, title 34 of the Purdon's PA statutes is the Game statutes passed by the legislature. Pa Code Title 58 contains the regulations adopted by the commission. It is in title 58 in the big game hunting section. section 141.43

 

[Bumble Bea]

Thank your

 

[Sojourner48]

So does anybody ever bring this discrepancy up at a commissioner's meeting, to a GW, to anybody at the PGC??? Maybe they don't care if I shoot my flintlock with a peep sight?

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Yes it was brought up in a letter to my area commissioner and to John S a few years ago. I pointed out that the reg was changed back to require open sights and he responded in his usual condescending manner, and when he checked the law, says he called his cronies at the PGC and they allegedly said that peep sights are open sights. I have never seen anything in writing about that sudden contrary reversal.

for hunting deer in the regular season, the regulation permits only flint, percussion and primer ignited muzzle loaders for deer. The guns must be single barrel 44 caliber and up. Yet the Digest says quite wrongly, "any muzzle loader" (of proper caliber) Under the regulations, matchlocks, wheel locks, needle fire and rim fire ignited muzzle loaders are not legal. Double and triple barrel muzzle loaders are not legal. (Such as the double barrel Kodiak rifles sold here in the US) Even more ironic, under the SRA regs, any ignition muzzle loader is permitted in the SRA's. Muzzle loader pistols, that do not shoot as far as muzzle loader rifles, are permitted in the rest of the state, but not in the SRA's.