Beach combination front sight

Wanted to Buy - Other Remington Collectables
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JimMill
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Beach combination front sight

Post by JimMill »

I am looking for a beach combination front sight for my Remington #1 sporting rifle. It needs to be in the .460 dovetail size. I would consider a sight in any condition.

Thanks, Jim
oldremguy
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:53 am
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by oldremguy »

Jim,

Dixie Gunworks has one with a .450 dovetail (Item# EB1107) for $99.95
Buffalo Arms has one with a .460 dovetail for $140.00
You can go to their web sites to check them out.

Have a good day,
Matt
JimMill
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by JimMill »

Thanks for the reply, I am hoping to find an original. If I can't I'll try a reproduction.

Thanks, Jim
oldremguy
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:53 am
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by oldremguy »

Hello Jim,

There are some gun shows starting in January in my area, I will keep an eye out for an original front sight for you. I know that there was a collector that deals in old tang and front sights that sets up at the spring and fall Syracuse, New York Gun Shows, but I don't remember if he will be at the Rochester Gun Show in January or not.
How did that 44-77 shoot for you at the range?
I have a Creedmoor musket chambered in 44-90 or 45-100 Remington bottleneck. Still trying to find out which one that it is. The 44-90 is a little shorter then the 45-100 and will chamber in the gun, but the bore size of the gun is 0.451 not 0.446 that the 44-90 is chambered for.
In the book Shooting Buffalo Rifles Of The Old West, by Mike Venturino, he talks about some of the guns chambered for the 44-77 having bore sizes as big as 0.451. The original 44-90 and 45-100 had paper patched bullets. I have made paper patched bullets for my 45-70 and had good luck in hitting steel Rams out at 500 yards with them.
Good luck inthe search for the sight and I will keep a eye out fo you.

Have a good day,
Matt
JimMill
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by JimMill »

Hi Matt,

My 44-77 is a great shooter. The bore is near perfect. I cast using 40-1 lead and the RCBS 44-370 mold. It gives me a 0.447-0.448 bullet. I lube & size to 0.446. I have tried to slug the bore but can't measure the bullet because of the number of lands. When I put a sized bullet into the muzzle nose first and tap it in alittle ways it engraves the rifling alot, so I don't think the bore on this one is to big for the bullets I'm using. The range I go to is 100 yards. My groups are 3-4". That is using the open part of the sight. It hits around 4" high of center at 100 yards. I need to take a taller target with me next time so I can use the flip-up peep part of the combination rear sight and still hit the target. There is no place local that is over 100 yards.

Your Creedmoor rifle sounds very interesting. Can you post a picture of it here?

I just found a Lyman beach sight. The seller says it measures .450-.460 so it should fit. I don't know if Remington made their own beach sights or used Lyman's? I'm guessing they made their own. This one has an ivory bead. It sounds like it is in great shape so I hate to pass it up as I have not seen any others for sale.

Jim
oldremguy
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:53 am
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by oldremguy »

JIm,

Here are some photos of my Creedmoor Musket
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a623407f11344c4f60bd3a7ba00a1a78.jpg (19.33 KiB) Viewed 12152 times
oldremguy
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:53 am
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by oldremguy »

Hello Jim,

Here are some more photos of the rifle
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The rear sight on the gun is the same that is found on the New York State Rolling Block Rifles.
In Remingtons catalog from 1876 they list the Creedmoor Rifle
A Grade- Pistol grip stock, vernier and wind gauge sights, $100

B Grade- Plain stock, flat butt plate, vernier and wind gauge sights, $75

C Grade- Military stock, vernier and wind gauge sights, $55

This rifle was never set up for the vernier and wind gauge sights, may be the soldier didn't have the extra money for the sights or he would be shooting in the Military Class of firearms at Creedmoor and you couldn't use tang rear sights. You had to use standard military sights in that class of competition.
The rear sight on this rifle was modified so the slide for elevation could be moved right or left for windage.
The rifle has the same type of receiver, hammer, breech block and trigger guard as found on the sporting models.

Matt
JimMill
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by JimMill »

Matt,

Thats a nice rifle. I bet Remington didn't make very many of those. Did Remington put a serial number on those? Is there any caliber marking?

Jim
oldremguy
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:53 am
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by oldremguy »

Jim,

Remington did stamp a serial number on the bottom of the barrel near the receiver. That serial number is also stamped on the forearm, butt stock and on the back side of the butt plate. There is no stamping on the barrel as to what caliber that it was chambered for. I know on the sporting models they did stamp the caliber on the bottom of the barrel in front of the forearm. I collect Remington military rolling block rifles, carbines and pistols. Remington did not mark the caliber on the military guns, only when they started to make them for smokeless powder in appeoximately 1896 did they start marking the top of the barrels with the caliber. They estimate that Remington made fewer then 500 Creedmore Sporting rifles, so I would think that they didn't make to many in the Musket style.

Have a good day,
Matt
JimMill
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:26 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by JimMill »

Matt,

Have you been able to shoot this musket yet? I can send you a few of my .446's in 40-1 to try out if you need them.

Jim
oldremguy
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:53 am
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Beach combination front sight

Post by oldremguy »

Hello Jim,

Have not been able to shoot the rifle yet.
Thanks for the offer of some bullets, but I have some cast bullets that I bought years ago for my .43 Egyptian rifle that are 0.446 in diameter and they fall right down through the bore of the gun. The bore seems to be about 0.450 or 0.451. Just got a Lee bullet mold from ebay, to make paper patch bullets, have not had a chance to cast any up to see what they will cast out to. Have to still work on cleaning out the chamber of the gun, still is a little rough with small amounts of rust scale, before I can try to do another chamber casting. The chamber seems to be, between a 44-90 BN and a 45-100 BN cartridge.

Pick up some 44-90 cases and sized them using my 43 Spanish die set, just to be able to chamber the brass into the gun. Then I was able to fire form 2 of the cases using 4 grs. of Trail Boss powder with the rest of the case filled with cream of wheat and a wax plug seal. It expanded the neck and shoulder of the case, but I don't know if it has open up the case all the way yet. Don't want to push my luck with the smokeless powder and do damage to the gun. Hopefully will try to do another chamber cast this weekend. Will keep you posted.

Have a good day,
Matt
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