doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Has anyone ever seen this front sight

You are not wrong. I used to hunt with a Beach sight for a while. It was always in the wrong position when I needed it. Flipping it up or down is really not what you want to be doing when waiting for that mule deer to stop and look back for a second. This sight, like the Beach and maybe even more so, can easily get a bit of gun case lint or a fragment of a leaf or other junk under that stop that would affect the height of the sight, resulting in a high shot. A retractable blade is kind of cool, but it is both a solution in search of a problem and a disaster lurking waiting to happen.

That said, LRF's design is pretty interesting, especially if it could be made to pop up to 2 different (and selectable) heights on demand. But more complexity is probably more opportunity for Murphy to be injected into the game.

Fred and Brent you seem to be focusing on backup sighting systems never actually intended to be used. The Red Dot, same as a rifle with a telescope, is the principal sighting system. In fact at the on set of the concept of this project no provisions for fixed opens sights were even intended. Then I saw the Burgess sight and thought I like the presentation and looks of it, kind of cool. Many, many rifles today are built with no provisions for open sight at all, as you know. This thread was meant as a discussion of design and engineering, which I thank Ken for his input and his understanding of the purpose of the thread. Not peoples would have could have failures at hunting in the field. It is not my job to cover them.

In my case, no. Definitely not a back up system. When using a front sight, what else is there? And anything that is a back up never intended to be used, is not, by definition a back up.

I hunted for a few years with a Beach front sight and barrel or tang sight. I like lollipop tang sights on lever rifles, but they are not repeatably adjustable on the fly, so a front sight with two different altitudes made some sense. One long, one short range. Unfortunately, as I said, the Beach sight is simply not the solution for the reasons mentioned. I got rid of it (actually 2 of them).

Ok Brent not sure what lollipop sights have to do with this thread

Only to try to make the point that it was not a backup system that I was talking about or had used.

My point in my original post, is that there are ways the front sight could go south on you, unexpectedly. And, implicitly, perhaps you could creatively think of something to do about it.

For instance, Could you design a shroud that goes around the front end of the sight in such a way that material could not get in the way of the two surfaces that control the height of the sight?

You seem to have taken my comments very negatively.
They were not intended that way, but merely to point out that there can be issues with adjustable front sites, and I have experienced them. It ain't pie in the sky stuff.

There is nothing quite like having a big mule deer buck staring back at you while you are fumbling around wondering how your sight got in the wrong position. Fortunately, it wasn't a charging cape buffalo.

How about instead of a press fit for the pivot pin,,make it a slip fit.
In the center of it's length there be a slightly smaller dia slot the width of the blade.
The hole in the blade for the pivot pin to pass thru be an elongated hole with round ends that match the pin dia.

The assemble..place the blade into the slot and push down into the base till the elongated hole shows clear thru the base.
This will require that the blade be pushed slightly lower than flush with the top surface of the base.
Then push the pivot pin in.

Release the blade, which is spring loaded by way of the small flat spring that toggles it up & down positions over a high point on the lower edge of the blade,

The spring will push the blade upwards and the blade will rise up into that slot and will pivot on that radius.
The pivot pin can't come out as it is locked into the base by the blade

Push down on the blade front and rear to allow the elongated hole in the blade to clear the pin and push the pin out.

Just a thought for a Field expedient repairable/replaceable front blade.

Too much coffee maybe??

No, (on the coffee) sounds do able. Let me work on it in the model and see. But thanks for the idea.
Update
I originally wanted a design in which the pin did not turn. The reason is because, no reason, other than the Tom Burgess pin did not turn in the pictures I showed. I don't know if that was planned or just it worked out that way. But I can't see any reason which should or shouldn't pivot, pin in base or blade on pin. Kutter's idea is the good one and very manufacturable and can easily be assembled/disassembled without tools.
So I think that checks all the boxes and I very much appreciate the design input. Makes me feels like I am back before retirement managing large design projects. With creative input of all kind. Some very helpful and then.........

Kutter, I have modeled up your concept and it does work however it has one negative that I am not sure I like or not. Depending on size differences of the major diameter of the pin and the groove diameter in the pin and then the amount of distance allowed between the centers of the offset diameters in the blade when the sight id fully assembled and the blade has popped up into the groove there will be a gap at the top of the pin that would so to speak let light shine thru from the side. Now is this an issue, I really don't know. How big is it well lets say if the major dia of the pin is .160 and the groove is .150 which would give a .005" retention of the blade which I believe is enough. And the offset of the holes in the blade is say .007" so you have fit clear of and extra .002" then the gap when assembled at the top would be at its worse .007". Tapering to nothing 90 degree toward the front of the hole.
Here is a pic. This is a bit embellished to enhance the issued. Actual dimensions given above would have a little less gap. Now first question did I understand your concept correctly?

You have found a flaw in my idea!

You are correct in that the blade/button (one piece) would have to stand away from the pivot pin the small amt that the clearance allows for TD and re-assembly in order for the idea to work.
The area where the button portion rt angles outward from the blade and forms part of the pivot for the blade is where it would show a clearance gap

Looking at the orig pics of the sight on pg1,,the blade/button piece is a nice, tight fit to the pivot pin in that 12 to 3 oclock quadrant. Enough clearance for it to rotate but that's it.

My idea would have to allow for the extra clearance needed to depress the blade downward into the base assembly to remove the locked-in pivot pin and to re-assemble.

Being one-piece, the blade and the button must be depressed as one and that nice tight fit at 12 to 3 around the pin (looking from the RH side) would have to be
compromised.

Well it was an idea anyway!

Back to the press fit pin I guess..

If I was to design such I would employ the over-center principle to keep it in the up and down position, and use the screw to control elevation.