Im sorry I kinda lost track of this thread .
A few things I would like to bring up.
First is the non rear sight issue . Frankly this is something I wish we as a community would stop propitiating as frankly there are as many original examples of smooth bores with rear sights as there are without . This includes trade guns and fowlers . Im also not talking about whats refered to as a smooth rifle .Those are completely diffrently designed guns .
While it is true that most of the trade gun/smooth bore shoots have rules specifying no rear sight . However they are one of those rules IMO that frankly has very little base and nothing more then a "becouse i said so " type of rule .
Factualy the rear sights on smoothbores range from simple fence style sights . To V type sights both simple and highly ornate , to even channel type sights that ere molded into the tangs or breech areas .
In the case of those that do not have rear sights . First we have to understand what a rear sight actually is . A rear sight is simply put , nothing more then a rear reference used for alignment . As such even those of us that have no defined rear sight , still actually use a reference. In some cases it’s the tang screw . In still others it’s the barrel flat itself . Sometimes its even the width between the stock inlet and the tang . What you use will be up to you . But you will still end up with a reference of some sort .
The other issue I would like to bring up is one of accuracy . While I believe it is true that you probably wont , without a lot of practice , see the same pin point accuracy seen from a rifle , you should , with practice be able to hit pie plate size targets out to 75 yards and even hold groups in at least the 24 inch range at around 100 .
With a properly built smoothbore , and with practice even better .
a lot of the events I shoot at use the rifle trail as their smooth bore trail . Its not uncommon to see dedicated smoothbore shooters hitting with regularity oxygen cylinder size targets at and beyond ranges of 100 yards , without rear sights .
In fact this this year up at the Seneca Or , Voo a group of us got together and shot at a 6 ft X24 inch cylinder that was placed at 200 yards . Of the 5 of us shooting “from a rest” each was able to hit the target at least 1 time in 5 shots . two of us , Don Smith and Fred Wisner , hit the target 4 out of 5 times .
Don shoots a Fusil De Chase and Fred shoots a Type D fusil .
Now alittle note about Fred . I build the Type D he shoots and I still have his original targets from when I delivered the gun to him .
Let me also say that 3 years ago Fred had never shot a flintlock . While he had some smooth bore experience it was concerning SXS .
The gun carries a 42 inch , .618 bore and is stocked in burl cherry . Lock is a Davis .
first 3 shots at 25 yards
target shot off hand at 50 and 75 yards . 18 shots
top 10 are at 50 yards . lower center as well as bottom flier is at 75
