Mid-Range Tang Sight - Brief Article

Guns Magazine, Nov, 1999 by Roy Huntington

If you shoot a big-bore single shot or lever gun with a tang sight, you soon realize that the long-range sight which looks so cool on these guns is simply too tall for mortals to actually use.

Additionally, unless you're shooting way the heck out there (like 800 or 1,000 yards) you only use the bottom 1/3 of the sight anyway.

Clint Smith (of Thunder Ranch fame) got tired of the clumsy pillar on the standard long range sight. He designed a shorter, more practical replacement for the existing tang sight and has had a limited number of them manufactured. It uses existing parts and simply replaces the pillar.

According to Smith, it works with sights from The Riflesmith and Shilo and will probably work with others. I found it worked with a Pedersoli sight, but I had to shim the base slightly where the pillar fit into the pivot point. It was easy to do, but I'm sure a local gunsmith could do it for just a few bucks if you're not inclined.

The piece is first rate and of obvious high quality. It's made of machine-tooled steel (no stampings here) and nicely finished.

The pillar is not marked in graduations for a reason. Smith says he uses the standard sights on the Sharp's for up to 100 yards. Then the rear tang is set for 150 and/or 200 and marked by the user. As long as you use the same load, you know right where the action is going to be taking place out there.

When mounted on my own Shilo rifle, I found I could fold the tang sight all the way down, leaving ample clearance for breech cleaning. An added virtue, I soon found, was the fact it made the rifle a bit handier to tote in the field. Not having the long sight "catching" on everything or just waiting to be bumped out of whack, made a big difference.