I'm looking at getting a hunting rifle with a lightweight barrel. I want to have iron sights installed on the barrel, which I assume will effect the accuracy of the gun, but how badly? Would it change a 1 MOA rifle into a 3 MOA rifle? 5 MOA? Assuming a 20" lightweight barrel in .308.
Iron Sight Installation Effect on Accuracy?
- Thread starter NoYesIdunnoMaybe
- Start date
I'm thinking drilled and tapped on the barrel. The rear peep would be in the way of a scope mount, and I am guessing the drilled and tapped irons are less intrusive than dovetailed.
Oh, I suppose so.
The least invasive are clamp-ring blocks with a globe front, but I'm not aware of anybody that makes a clamp block for less than about a 0.750" tennon. There's always custom though.
Installing decent drill/tap irons should not be particularly material to accuracy if done correctly. The screws are probably #6-48, which is not much of a hole...unless drilled too deeply.
Put another way: there were generations of mid- and Long-range National records set with screw-mounted front sight blocks on rifles like the 1903 and Model 70.
The bigger question, particularly if you go with something like a "buckhorn/bead" combination, is whether you can even AIM within 3 MOA. Depends on the exact setup, but that's a pretty tall order, to be honest.
A rear aperture "peep" sight, on the other hand, is plenty workable to 1 MOA, even with exposed blade front posts, without a whole lot of practice.
Stare at this for a minute:
https://warner-tool.com/collections/rifle-hardware/products/wtc-iron-sight-scope-combo
...and see that the side-mount base for something like an RPA or Redfield rear sight has nothing to do with the scope rail. The scope comes off (as it would anyway), the rear iron goes on and gets torqued to spec, and you resume shooting. Rinse/reverse to put the scope back on. With good equipment, and just a modicum of care on the part of the armorer and/or shooter, the two systems will repeat well within 1 MOA of their prior zero.
-Nate
The least invasive are clamp-ring blocks with a globe front, but I'm not aware of anybody that makes a clamp block for less than about a 0.750" tennon. There's always custom though.
Installing decent drill/tap irons should not be particularly material to accuracy if done correctly. The screws are probably #6-48, which is not much of a hole...unless drilled too deeply.
Put another way: there were generations of mid- and Long-range National records set with screw-mounted front sight blocks on rifles like the 1903 and Model 70.
The bigger question, particularly if you go with something like a "buckhorn/bead" combination, is whether you can even AIM within 3 MOA. Depends on the exact setup, but that's a pretty tall order, to be honest.
A rear aperture "peep" sight, on the other hand, is plenty workable to 1 MOA, even with exposed blade front posts, without a whole lot of practice.
Stare at this for a minute:
https://warner-tool.com/collections/rifle-hardware/products/wtc-iron-sight-scope-combo
...and see that the side-mount base for something like an RPA or Redfield rear sight has nothing to do with the scope rail. The scope comes off (as it would anyway), the rear iron goes on and gets torqued to spec, and you resume shooting. Rinse/reverse to put the scope back on. With good equipment, and just a modicum of care on the part of the armorer and/or shooter, the two systems will repeat well within 1 MOA of their prior zero.
-Nate
That makes a lot of sense. If I had to switch to the irons, my range would dramatically decrease, so I was more concerned with the effect on the long range accuracy with a scope. I suppose I should trust my good old gunsmith. He'll do a great job like always.
Thanks!
Thanks!
And it’s always good to have iron sights as a backup in case your optic fails in the middle of a big hunt
