Artillery Front Sight

[Don]

HI, I'm Don, and brand new to the Forum (but I did post a profile.) I'm really enjoying it!


I recently acquired a 1915 artillery shooter, and it has a strange problem (at least strange to me). The adjustable front sight is so loose that it drifts to the left after I fire a few rounds. I have to screw it back in alignment, and it almost immediately slides to the left again. (I've found one of the adjusting tools & ordered it, but for now a screwdriver seems to work fine.) I'm used to old guns being frozen, but not being too loose. Has anyone encountered this before? Thanks.

[Patrick]

Don, have you taken a good look at the screw threads with a magnifying glass? Approx. 90 years of taking punishment is quite a long time. Maybe Loctite would hold it in place. I�´ve got a fine-adjusted LP 08 rear sight that will have to come off soon as the teeth holding it in the rear position are just worn out. At the moment, I�´m still using it with a different front sight blade. Patrick

Gentlemen, What actually holds a fine tune front sight in place, is the rim of the fine tune screw (original has two spanner holes --- no slot) engaging a slot in the right underside of the sight blade, so if these parts are not in proper engagement (worn or not original) the front sight blade may be free to drift on its own. I do have the proper fine tune screws available. Rather than Locktighting the whole thing in place, and loosing any right or left adjustment, I'd recomend removing the existing blade & screw and installing a standard snug PO8 front blade. Then at least you have some manual ajustment potential.

[John Sabato]

I fear that the rear sight on my artillery frankengun shooter has broken teeth because it frequently ends up in the highest position when fired.


Does anyone know how or even if this condition can be repaired short of replacing the sight leaf?

[Buddy]

John,


I have that same problem. I'd like to replace the leaf but it is hard to come by and expensive. I think what is happening is that recoil is pushing the slider back raising the leaf. I took the slider off and put a little Lock-Tite on the leaf pin and it seems to hold position pretty well when shooting. And with no threads to hold on the pin it's not permanent. It doesn't look right but most people don't notice and it's a shooter anyway.


Buddy

[Patrick]

With mine - that makes three. The only remedy I can come up with is to set the sight on the last existing teeth and adjust the height of the front sight to match. Patrick

I do have newly made unserialized LPO8 rear sight scales available @$75 each. Since this is originally a numbered part, on a matching collector grade LPO8, I'd recommend having the orig scale teeth welded up and recut, a more expensive alternative. The guys that I know who can do it right are John Martz or Gale Morgan, and I doubt with their back log that they'd be interested in such a small job. If Ted welds, here a new source of business.

[John Sabato]

As soon as I can push that much money into a pile I will let you know...


What is the appropriate finish for the rear sight scale?


Strawing, Blued, or raw steel?