air guns, rifles mostly,

have become a pursuit for me now.

I'm now in the process of making a new front sight for an air rifle.

i, personally, prefer open sights for the taking of game for close in ranges (100-150 yards, generally) beyond there it's scope time. air rifles are 'close range' hunting tools for the biggest part; just like archery tackle.

oh, there are air rifles that're very capable of taking big game, but not at very long distances; those 'longer' distances are when i go to the centerfire rifles with scopes.

there's not much game in north America, that can't be taken within 100-150 yards with a 357 magnum carbine, as an example, most deer, coyote, fox, bobcat, mt. lion even smaller black bear. now i know there are many other calibers in that category that will take bigger game I'm just using the 357 as an example...you could also say the 30-30.

point in mind about open sights vs scoped rifles at those ranges: if you are able to see a target as large as a deer or coyote at, let's say, 70 yards, your rifle should be sighted in well enough for you to place the projectile where it will do it's job as intended, using just YOUR own eye(s) and open sights.

when harvesting an animal, all that's necessary to do so is to disrupt major organs and their function as quickly and as massively as possible; "pinpoint" accuracy is NOT a "must" all one must do is hit the heart, brain or lungs, with an adequate projectile, traveling at an adequate speed, to disrupt/destroy them. when you do that...it's instant "lites out".

now...if you're shooting at an "X" in a bulls-eye at a competition...or if you're shooting at a deer at 400 yards...that's a little different; then a scope is a "must".

it's all mostly, just personal preferences on the part of each shooter. but i recall my days on the range at Ft Ord, California with an M-1 Garand shooting at targets at up to 500 yards away with open sights...i could barely see them under optimum conditions. i could have used a scope then but the U.S. Army had something to say about that.

i'm getting all sorts of

projects underway to modify some of my airguns and i had to change the front sight setting on my lever action carbine.

i have the laser lite system to 'bore sight' a firearm. when using it on the lever carbine, it was to the right of the sight alignment so i had to make a drift punch and gently change the location as the rear sight is elevation adjustable only (the traditional 'buck horn' sights of a lever action carbine from marlin.) it's now "right on the money". all i gotta do is take it out and fire it live to verify the sighting.

i am an advocate of open sights on any arm when it's designed to be used within 100-150 yards, such as the 38/357 lever action carbine, and has them as a standard feature. that's why i use open sights on my air rifles whenever they're equipped with them...air rifles are normally for within 100 yards; at least mine are, and i have up to .25 caliber air rifles.

don't get me wrong, i know, understand and agree that telescopic sighting devices are desirable and useful, too. i have them on most of my centerfire, LONG RANGE shooting rifles like my .308 Winchester, Savage 12fv and Rem 700, 22-250; ya gotta have 'em to see the target in order to hit it...

I'm also in the process of fitting muzzle brakes onto my springer, break barrels. also fun and challenging.

i tore apart the Cometa Indian, .177 air pistol as it was performing horribly. it wouldn't shoot a pellet more than 15 feet; i found the seal on the piston was deteriorated away to nothing...just pieces. now i have to locate one (a piston seal). they're made in Spain and not real popular here so not many dealers carry them.

well...it's back to the mill to finish the brake.