New TR sights for fullbore and .22LR

[Hudsville]

Hi folks
First time posting so pls let me know if I make any gaffs

I'm getting back into TR after many years.
Been shooting smallbore for 7 months with club rifle, FAC due imminently (been 9 weeks waiting)
Have two 2nd hand rifles reserved, an Anschutz 54 0.22LR and a Musgrave 7.62 TR.

I was wandering if anyone can advise if it's possible to share the same rear ironsight on both rifles, just transfer from one to other, and use a ladder foresight to take up a majority of the slack on the fullbore rifle.
It seems that .22LR rearsights (Gehrmann, Anschutz) are very different to those for fullbore (RPA Trakker).
I just thought that it would be better to have one really good sight rather than two 'cheaper' sights having limited funds :-(

What about fineness of adjustment (clicks per minute etc)?

Also, what about corrective lenses as part of the rear iris assembly (I'm -1.25 short sighted), as I don't much like the hassle of wearing my shooting frames - seems far better to have a lens permenantly fixed to the sights (like the Anschutz Monoframe).

Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading it and hoping you can help smile2

[Gaz]

If you're going to have a common rearsight for both rifles, you might want to think about potential for damage when taking them off and on.

Also consider, what happens if you forget your smallbore sights on a fullbore day or vice versa? You don't get that problem if the sights stay attached to the rifle ... Bearing in mind (for 25yds indoor .22 anyway) that once your sights are zeroed, they're pretty much set - I'd say you're best off buying a cheap(ish) Anschutz rearsight and sticking with that for .22.

Clicks per minute vary. Virtually all fullbore TR sights work on 1/4 minute per click. That's a bit big for smallbore, which tends to work better with 1/8' clicks or even 1/16' if you feel up to it.

[Hudsville]

If you're going to have a common rearsight for both rifles, you might want to think about potential for damage when taking them off and on.

Also consider, what happens if you forget your smallbore sights on a fullbore day or vice versa? You don't get that problem if the sights stay attached to the rifle ... Bearing in mind (for 25yds indoor .22 anyway) that once your sights are zeroed, they're pretty much set - I'd say you're best off buying a cheap(ish) Anschutz rearsight and sticking with that for .22.

Clicks per minute vary. Virtually all fullbore TR sights work on 1/4 minute per click. That's a bit big for smallbore, which tends to work better with 1/8' clicks or even 1/16' if you feel up to it.

Thanks Gaz, much appreciated.
I neglected to add that I shoot 0.22 at 25 yrds in winter and 50 and 100 yrds in summer, so not unlike a day on Century or Stickledown.
Good thinking about potential for forgetting to transfer sights accross, and damage, though I see lots of folk removing their sights at the end of a day's shooting (certainly at our smallbore club anyway).
I didn't realise that 1/8' or 1/16' existed - thanks for info.

Has anyone any comments on the corrective lens question please?

[AHPP]

I'd suggest sights on each rifle. Less buggering around and cheaper and less stressful by the time you've re-zeroed every time and/or generated a new variable (unless of course you're looking to grow your list of poor shooting excuses). Sights are hundreds of times more robust than necessary for the easy life TR rifles get so leaving them on isn't going to cause damage.

[Dougan]

Hi Hudsville - Welcome to the forum

You have picked two good TR rifles (I have a 54 myself) - unfortunately you can't use the same rear sight for both - The Anschutz sight fits to the rail on the rifle, where as full bore sights are usually inserted into a mount that should be permanently fixed to the side of the action.

You can pick up the Anschutz sights second hand on Eblag - like this type http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Anschutz-Targ ... 3cc4f84e14 (though I've seen them in better condition...) - they usually go for between £70 - £90.

As for the Musgrave - will it not come with sights? - Usually the mount is permanantly fixed, so people tend to sell the sights with the rifle - If not, then you can get even cheaper second hand FB sights...but I don't know what it would cost to fit them...

Also, it's absolutely fine to remove either type of sight when not shooting - I have to to get my rifles in the cabinet; but it's normal practice by a lot of TR shooters - FB sights are rock solid, and it won't affect the zero at all by taking them on and off, and with the Anschutz rail type sights, you just have to put them back on where they were before on the rail, and it'll shoot exactly where it did before

The only thing is, that when you go shooting you'll have to remember your bolt AND sights...

:cheers:

Dougan

[IainWR]

If you are shooting TR competitively do check the rules on lenses with care. You need permission in advance to use a lens in the rearsight. And the biggest difficulty with lenses in the rearsight is that if it gets wet or fogs up it is just about impossible to do anything about it during a shoot. Other problems include misplacing the lens if it includes an astigmatic correction and it being difficult to clean in situ. Personally I would (I do) stick with shooting glasses, especially as I'm now getting to the stage of needing a reading lens for my scorebook as well as the distance correction for the sights.

Iain

[andrewh]

Remember that Anschütz sights adjust the other way round from most TR sights!

[Hudsville]

Thank you all SO much for your invaluable comments. I really appreciate it.

@AHPP, I love the idea of adding in capacity for excuses (in my previous day bedding screws were blamed - I guess things have come on over the decades. Reassuring that the sights are robust.

@Dougan, I'm much encouraged by your positive comments on the rifle choices
This afternoon I went back to the gunsmith and he dug out the sights, you were absolutely correct that the rifles came with them (they had non fitted on display). The Anschutz one were a bit of a mess. The Musgrave ones looked old but were indeed rock solid, and clean. Even had an adjustable iris with filters (though I might need pliers to adjust them).

@IainWR, I hadn't thought about the fogging up or getting wet issue. Just assumed that hat & towel would do the trick but last time I shot fullbore hardly anyone used lenses in their sights. Thanks for that caveat.

@Andrewh, Yes, still get caught out by this because most of my smallbore history was with cadet No8s with parker hale "wise man winds his watch UP the RIGHT way" sights.

Due to all your comments I am tending towards trying the musgrave sights as they are (with a good clean & polish) and maybe a new iris, and trying for 2nd hand newer sights for the Anschutz or even treating myself to something shiney and clockwise if poss. And an appointment with a rifle shooting friendly optician next week to reassess my shooting frames or at the most a monoframe. Also I'll look into getting permission for use of a lens just in case.
Again, much appreciate you inputs - You've probably saved me a few £100
:cheers:

[ovenpaa]

This reminds me of shooting service Rifle in the grimmest of conditions one Saturday morning. It was torrential rain from the off and I wear contacts, on a couple of occasions my contacts actually got washed out of the centre of my eye and I had to frantically blink to get things straight again. Then all of a sudden through the rear aperture I had perfect vision, the target was displayed as a crisp black disk as I had never seen it before, it took a moment or two to realise a drop of water had filled the aperture and was acting as a perfect lens, sadly the recoil from the next shot dislodged the droplet and I went back to shooting hell.

[JonC]

Totally off topic, but some of the earliest microscopes used a droplet of water as the lens.