TexasMac's Web Site
Last updated 9/2/20
General Information
There are several suppliers of quality front and rear sights for single-
shot black powder cartridge rifles. Since I’m often asked for a list of
suppliers, my initial intent here is to identify them for the reader. But
since this web site is focused on Miroku manufactured Browning or
Winchester M1885 BPCRs, I will also provide specific details you may
need to know when selecting sights for these rifles. When reading the
following information, please keep in mind that I’ve only had direct
experience with three suppliers (Advance Manufacturing Technology
aka AMT, Montana Vintage Arms & Lee Shaver) therefore I’m not
prepared to provide details on the overall quality, benefits and
features of one supplier versus another. To make a final selection will
require further research on your part. I suggest you run an Internet
search and/or ask for references and recommendations on several of
the Internet BPCR discussion forums. With that said I really like the
design of the Hoke sights which utilizes a “gibb” to ensure there is no
slack in the sight staff, plus the 80 minutes of windage adjustment.
Regardless of the supplier you choose, I strongly suggest selecting a
vernier soule-type rear sight design, and a front sight with a spirit
level which helps in reducing rifle cant when shooting at long range
targets. A“soule” or “soule-type” sight is named after the inventor,
John W. Soule, who was issued Patent No. 410,039 on August 27,
1889. It has the windage adjustment in the base of the sight rather
than on the eyecup or peephole assembly. Adjusting the sight for
windage on a “soule” sight moves the entire sight staff and eyecup.
Another excellent accessory is a selectable-aperture eyecup. Key to a
clear and crisp sight image is using the correct aperture diameter to
match the ambient light. Traditional eyecups with fixed aperture
diameters work well, but a selectable-aperture eyecup is a real
convenience when frequent adjustments are necessary for varying
light conditions. Hadley-style selectable-aperture eyecups are
available from Lee Shaver Gunsmithing, Davide Pedersoli, Montana
Vintage Arms (MVA) and Kelley Sights. Lyman-style selectable eyecups
are available from Kelley Sights and Baldwin Sights. For additional
details refer to the article titled Selectable-Aperture Eyecups.
When purchasing a rear sight keep in mind that the sight base
mounting holes must be of the proper size and spacing to match up
with the holes in your receiver tang. The sight staff vertical detent
angle should also match up with the tang angle of your rifle to ensure
that the staff is close to perpendicular to the rifle bore line of sight.
Several sight suppliers offer bases with adjustable detent angles. And
don’t forget that the mounting screws must have the same threads as
the drilled and tapped holes in the tang. Therefore, be sure the sight
supplier fully understands the brand and style of rifle the sights will be
mounted on.
Browning & Winchester BPCRs
The following comments discuss specific details to keep in mind when
purchasing sights for the modern Miroku manufactured Browning or
Winchester BPCR. By the way, the original sights that came with the
rifles were made by AMT (Advance Manufacturing Technology). After
supplying Browning with sufficient sights for their rifles AMT offered
the identical sights for sale for some time. AMT has since discontinued
all sight sales and does not supply replacement parts for the sights.
The rifle tang angle is approximately 18 degrees and the two tang
sight base mounting holes have a center-to-center spacing of 2.185”.
The tang sight base screws should be 10-32x1/4”. Although all the
sight suppliers are well aware of the original Browning BPCR tang and
front sight requirements, some may not know that the more recent
Winchester BPCRs are identical to the Browning’s. Therefore, if you’
re purchasing a rear sight for one of the Miroku manufactured
Winchester BPCR you may have to ask for one that fits a Browning
BPCR.
Another area of concern is the front sight dovetail dimensions,
especially when purchasing one of the limited series Winchester BPCR
that comes without sights, but has a front sight dovetail. Sight
suppliers may indicate that the correct dovetail width is 3/8” (0.375”)
or 0.3925”, but I have accurately measured many of the original
Browning’s and more current Winchester BPCRs and found the actual
width is between 0.380” & 0.384”. Therefore, a 0.3925” wide
dovetail can be made to fit relatively easily with some filing or by
removing material from the base with emery cloth. The dovetails
have standard 60-degree shoulders. By the way, the front sight should
only be installed from right to left with the rifle pointing forward.
Finally, if you plan on purchasing an adjustable aperture disc, Hadley-
style or Lyman-style selectable aperture eyecup for the Browning or
AMT sights, the thread size and pitch must be 10-32.
Sight Manufacturers & Suppliers:
Baldwin Soule-Type Sights (Steve Baldwin)
P.O. Box 971, Jones, OK 73049
Phone: (405)-399-2875
A well-known high-quality supplier of BPCR sights
Buffalo Arms Co. (BACO)
600 Vermeer Court, Ponderay, ID 83852
Phone: (208) 263-6953
Buffalo Arms is the leading supplier of products for the BPCR reloader
and shooter. BACO sells the following brand of soule-type sights:
Kelley, Lee Shaver, Red River and Pedersoli. Also available are Lee
Shaver and Pedersoli selectable-aperture eyecups commonly referred
to as “Hadley”-style eyecups.
C.Sharps Arms Co. Inc.
P.O. Box 885, Big Timber, MT 59011
Phone: (406) 932-4353
Besides several models of single-shot rifles: Sharps, Hopkins & Allen,
1885 High Wall and Low Walls, the company also offers a full line of
sights.
Kelley Sights & Accessories
High-quality sights for BPCRs. To check out the Kelley sight offerings
go to www.kelleysights.com/ or Buffalo Arms Co. (www.buffaloarms.
com).
Hoke Long Range Sight Co.
640 Skyview Dr., York PA 17406
Phone: (301) 535-8844
rilandtg@comcast.net
Information is available on Facebook at Hoke Long Range Sight
Company or Google “Hoke Long Range Sight Co.” which will provide a
link to the Facebook page.
Timothy Hoke continues manufacturing the high quality BPCR sights
that were offered by his father Kermit Hoke. Unique to the Hoke sight
design is an adjustable gibb that removes any slack in the sight staff,
both fore and aft and left and right. It features 80 minutes of
windage adjustment in a small frame. Also, the sight staff is engraved
on both sides for right- and left-hand shooters.
Lee Shaver Gunsmithing
P.O. Box 570, 1020 Broadway, Lamar, MO 64759
Phone: (417) 682-3330
leeshaver74@yahoo.com
Lee supplies his own line of sights and works on Browning BPCR sights.
He also manufactures a Hadley-style selectable-aperture eyecup.
Contact Lee directly or go to Buffalo Arms (www.buffaloarms.com) for
his products.
Montana Vintage Arms (MVA)
61 Andrea Drive, Belgrade, MT 59714
Daytime phone: (406) 388-4027, Evening phone: (406) 388-3405
MVA is a well-known high-quality supplier of BPCR sights. MVA also
manufactures vintage-style rifle scopes and selectable-aperture
eyecups for BPCR sights
Red River Sights
Dept. B, 206 Oxford Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3M 3J6
Phone: (866) 239-9451 (best to call after 6 pm CST)
Email: pust1081@mymts.net, Note, a web site address is not
available. Red River supplies Ukrainian made sights previously offered
by Parts Unknown Inc. Red River sights are also sold by Buffalo Arms
(www.buffaloarms.com).
Davide Pedersoli Sights
VTI Gun Parts
P.O. Box 509, Lakeville, CT 06039
Phone: (860) 435-8068
mail@vtigunparts.com
VTI is the USA based supplier of Davide Pedersoli sights, parts and
accessories. The sights are also available at Buffalo Arms (www.
buffaloarms.com).
The Original Sight Company
P.O. Box 1020, Sundance, WY 82729
Phone: (307) 281-1641
Owner Tony Maddox recreates sights as close as possible to those that
originally came with vintage 19th century firearms. His intent is to
build sights for collectors who want to complete a gun back to factory
original or shooters who want to shoot period correct guns and sights.
Wishing you great shooting,
Wayne
General Information
There are several suppliers of quality front and rear sights for single-
shot black powder cartridge rifles. Since I’m often asked for a list of
suppliers, my initial intent here is to identify them for the reader. But
since this web site is focused on Miroku manufactured Browning or
Winchester M1885 BPCRs, I will also provide specific details you may
need to know when selecting sights for these rifles. When reading the
following information, please keep in mind that I’ve only had direct
experience with three suppliers (Advance Manufacturing Technology
aka AMT, Montana Vintage Arms & Lee Shaver) therefore I’m not
prepared to provide details on the overall quality, benefits and
features of one supplier versus another. To make a final selection will
require further research on your part. I suggest you run an Internet
search and/or ask for references and recommendations on several of
the Internet BPCR discussion forums. With that said I really like the
design of the Hoke sights which utilizes a “gibb” to ensure there is no
slack in the sight staff, plus the 80 minutes of windage adjustment.
Regardless of the supplier you choose, I strongly suggest selecting a
vernier soule-type rear sight design, and a front sight with a spirit
level which helps in reducing rifle cant when shooting at long range
targets. A“soule” or “soule-type” sight is named after the inventor,
John W. Soule, who was issued Patent No. 410,039 on August 27,
1889. It has the windage adjustment in the base of the sight rather
than on the eyecup or peephole assembly. Adjusting the sight for
windage on a “soule” sight moves the entire sight staff and eyecup.
Another excellent accessory is a selectable-aperture eyecup. Key to a
clear and crisp sight image is using the correct aperture diameter to
match the ambient light. Traditional eyecups with fixed aperture
diameters work well, but a selectable-aperture eyecup is a real
convenience when frequent adjustments are necessary for varying
light conditions. Hadley-style selectable-aperture eyecups are
available from Lee Shaver Gunsmithing, Davide Pedersoli, Montana
Vintage Arms (MVA) and Kelley Sights. Lyman-style selectable eyecups
are available from Kelley Sights and Baldwin Sights. For additional
details refer to the article titled Selectable-Aperture Eyecups.
When purchasing a rear sight keep in mind that the sight base
mounting holes must be of the proper size and spacing to match up
with the holes in your receiver tang. The sight staff vertical detent
angle should also match up with the tang angle of your rifle to ensure
that the staff is close to perpendicular to the rifle bore line of sight.
Several sight suppliers offer bases with adjustable detent angles. And
don’t forget that the mounting screws must have the same threads as
the drilled and tapped holes in the tang. Therefore, be sure the sight
supplier fully understands the brand and style of rifle the sights will be
mounted on.
Browning & Winchester BPCRs
The following comments discuss specific details to keep in mind when
purchasing sights for the modern Miroku manufactured Browning or
Winchester BPCR. By the way, the original sights that came with the
rifles were made by AMT (Advance Manufacturing Technology). After
supplying Browning with sufficient sights for their rifles AMT offered
the identical sights for sale for some time. AMT has since discontinued
all sight sales and does not supply replacement parts for the sights.
The rifle tang angle is approximately 18 degrees and the two tang
sight base mounting holes have a center-to-center spacing of 2.185”.
The tang sight base screws should be 10-32x1/4”. Although all the
sight suppliers are well aware of the original Browning BPCR tang and
front sight requirements, some may not know that the more recent
Winchester BPCRs are identical to the Browning’s. Therefore, if you’
re purchasing a rear sight for one of the Miroku manufactured
Winchester BPCR you may have to ask for one that fits a Browning
BPCR.
Another area of concern is the front sight dovetail dimensions,
especially when purchasing one of the limited series Winchester BPCR
that comes without sights, but has a front sight dovetail. Sight
suppliers may indicate that the correct dovetail width is 3/8” (0.375”)
or 0.3925”, but I have accurately measured many of the original
Browning’s and more current Winchester BPCRs and found the actual
width is between 0.380” & 0.384”. Therefore, a 0.3925” wide
dovetail can be made to fit relatively easily with some filing or by
removing material from the base with emery cloth. The dovetails
have standard 60-degree shoulders. By the way, the front sight should
only be installed from right to left with the rifle pointing forward.
Finally, if you plan on purchasing an adjustable aperture disc, Hadley-
style or Lyman-style selectable aperture eyecup for the Browning or
AMT sights, the thread size and pitch must be 10-32.
Sight Manufacturers & Suppliers:
Baldwin Soule-Type Sights (Steve Baldwin)
P.O. Box 971, Jones, OK 73049
Phone: (405)-399-2875
A well-known high-quality supplier of BPCR sights
Buffalo Arms Co. (BACO)
600 Vermeer Court, Ponderay, ID 83852
Phone: (208) 263-6953
Buffalo Arms is the leading supplier of products for the BPCR reloader
and shooter. BACO sells the following brand of soule-type sights:
Kelley, Lee Shaver, Red River and Pedersoli. Also available are Lee
Shaver and Pedersoli selectable-aperture eyecups commonly referred
to as “Hadley”-style eyecups.
C.Sharps Arms Co. Inc.
P.O. Box 885, Big Timber, MT 59011
Phone: (406) 932-4353
Besides several models of single-shot rifles: Sharps, Hopkins & Allen,
1885 High Wall and Low Walls, the company also offers a full line of
sights.
Kelley Sights & Accessories
High-quality sights for BPCRs. To check out the Kelley sight offerings
go to www.kelleysights.com/ or Buffalo Arms Co. (www.buffaloarms.
com).
Hoke Long Range Sight Co.
640 Skyview Dr., York PA 17406
Phone: (301) 535-8844
rilandtg@comcast.net
Information is available on Facebook at Hoke Long Range Sight
Company or Google “Hoke Long Range Sight Co.” which will provide a
link to the Facebook page.
Timothy Hoke continues manufacturing the high quality BPCR sights
that were offered by his father Kermit Hoke. Unique to the Hoke sight
design is an adjustable gibb that removes any slack in the sight staff,
both fore and aft and left and right. It features 80 minutes of
windage adjustment in a small frame. Also, the sight staff is engraved
on both sides for right- and left-hand shooters.
Lee Shaver Gunsmithing
P.O. Box 570, 1020 Broadway, Lamar, MO 64759
Phone: (417) 682-3330
leeshaver74@yahoo.com
Lee supplies his own line of sights and works on Browning BPCR sights.
He also manufactures a Hadley-style selectable-aperture eyecup.
Contact Lee directly or go to Buffalo Arms (www.buffaloarms.com) for
his products.
Montana Vintage Arms (MVA)
61 Andrea Drive, Belgrade, MT 59714
Daytime phone: (406) 388-4027, Evening phone: (406) 388-3405
MVA is a well-known high-quality supplier of BPCR sights. MVA also
manufactures vintage-style rifle scopes and selectable-aperture
eyecups for BPCR sights
Red River Sights
Dept. B, 206 Oxford Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3M 3J6
Phone: (866) 239-9451 (best to call after 6 pm CST)
Email: pust1081@mymts.net, Note, a web site address is not
available. Red River supplies Ukrainian made sights previously offered
by Parts Unknown Inc. Red River sights are also sold by Buffalo Arms
(www.buffaloarms.com).
Davide Pedersoli Sights
VTI Gun Parts
P.O. Box 509, Lakeville, CT 06039
Phone: (860) 435-8068
mail@vtigunparts.com
VTI is the USA based supplier of Davide Pedersoli sights, parts and
accessories. The sights are also available at Buffalo Arms (www.
buffaloarms.com).
The Original Sight Company
P.O. Box 1020, Sundance, WY 82729
Phone: (307) 281-1641
Owner Tony Maddox recreates sights as close as possible to those that
originally came with vintage 19th century firearms. His intent is to
build sights for collectors who want to complete a gun back to factory
original or shooters who want to shoot period correct guns and sights.
Wishing you great shooting,
Wayne
| SIGHT SUPPLIER FOR BLACK POWDER CARTRIDGE RIFLES By Wayne McLerran |