French Style Rear Sight

[Archer]

A couple of years ago I built a French style fusil, my first attempt.  I know that sometimes these guns came with a rear sight made of brass.  I mounted a brass rear sight on mine but it's not really the right style.  It's just the closest thing I could find.  Does anyone know where I could get a brass rear sight for a "Type C" style French fusil?  I'm thinking about finding a small piece of brass and using the Dremel Tool in an attempt to copy the pictures.  Anybody got any suggestions?

Archer

[mario]

I don't know of any original French gun from the 18th century with a rear sight other than the one owned (but apparently never used) by General Montcalm. And that is a REALLY ornate piece.

English guns like the Type G/Carolina gun and the later NW gun do appear with them occasionally. The ones on the NW guns may be later additions as they vary quite a bit in style.

What pictures are you referring to? If you can post them, perhaps I can come up with a suggestion.

Mario

[Captchee]

Hamilton shows a Type C  with a rear sight  in is book :Colonial Frontier Guns, by T. M. Hamilton.
  Now a few years back  a English Type G was   uncovered in Florida which also had this same type of sigh as well as a dove tailed front sight  .
 The gun was documented by James B. Levy ,Historic Conservator, Fla. Dept. of State
 You can read and see photos about it here
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=4828.0
 
 Jack Brooks  had an original  Type D  barrel as I recall that also had a V type rear sight  . He sells the casting for that sight
 You can see and read alittle about it , here
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=23679.0

Now past that .  Link , in his  Thesis; the Flintlock , it origins and development    
  Documents  a great number of times , rear sights on French  guns .
  The sights range from very high end  to very simple .
What they all have in common is that they are a butterfly/ Vee , type rear sight
 Very much like those found on some English trade guns .
 The difference  IMO  seems to be that the French rear butterfly sights , seem to be soldered on  while  some of the English rears are clearly dove tailed

 eather way , they are a very simple sight  to make

[Archer]

Hamilton's book is where I first saw the French sight.  If you do enough searching online you will find others.  I did notice that the English sight is very similar.  TRS offers the "Type G" sight but who knows how long it would take to get one?  Thanks for the info Captchee.

Archer

[Captchee]

sorry , i inadvertently dropped the 2nd link  showing the sight jack brooks  uses
 i updated my post with that link
 In the main time , here are a few more Vee type  sights

[mario]

Hamilton shows a Type C  with a rear sight  in is book :Colonial Frontier Guns, by T. M. Hamilton.

Page number by any chance? I can't find it.
 
The images that you posted are for really high end guns (2 of them being 17th century). Don't know if I'd personally use it as a reference for a simple trade gun.

But if you're looking for a Type G sight, Mike Brooks has them and IIRC, so does Ward Oles. I'm sure either would be a heck of a lot faster than TRS.


http://www.fowlingguns.cm
http://www.attheeasterndoor.com

Mario

[MedicineSoldier]

Clay Smith has Type G sights.

http://www.claysmithguns.com/finishing_supplies.htm

Medicine Soldier

[Captchee]

ill have to  dig it out mario . ill try and do that for you  and get you a page number . Working nights sleeping days  . In the main time  you can enjoy the links I posted  which will give you  something to chew on for a few days

as to real high end guns , a high end gun is nothing but a basic gun that’s decorated  .
 They all have the same components.  How one decorates and builds those components and the skill in which that’s done . That dictates high end .
But    
 only one  is what I would call  high end and thats the one with the lions head V sight . the one on the left   has nothing more then a sculpted lock  . not elaborate . Not highly carved or decorated . The sight is simply a channeled V block that’s banded to the barrel .. Under magnification it does appear to  carry very nice wood . But past that , its fairly basic.
 The  first one isn’t  from a high end piece either. Ill have to look that one up as I  don’t have notes on it past, French fusil ordinaire, Pope .
 The file is dated 2005 . So ?? ill have to look through  the writings that i have from Pope .

 The point however is  that this V / butterfly style sight is what should be on  that gun , IF it is to have a correct sight.

[mario]

Found it. The pic of the sight is on pg 33 of Hamilton.

It also mentions 2 sights found in digs from Ocmulgee and Frederica on pg 29.

Mario

[rickevans]

Good info and sources, thanks guys.

[Archer]

I believe that with a little patience and some files I could make that sight from Clay Smith look pretty close to a French sight.
Archer

[Captchee]

its a simple sight .
a chunk of brass and a set of good files , you will have  it fairly done in  20-30 minutes