Hey Mike,

Thanks, for the info! It looks like I will be getting a Papoose for myself fairly soon.

While we are on the topic, what is a peep sight?

"...what is a peep sight?..."

A rear sight with a little bitty hole in it. Think AR-15 type, if you are familiar with them. Very accurate and easy to use...

So, if I am getting this correctly, it has a hole in it and you could mount an optical scope on top of it?

Yes and now. Usually when you mount a scope on a shoulder fired weapon you can not use any metalic (fixed) sights that are installed. But if you remove the scope you can use the metalic sights...

Hi Redflare,

A "peep or aperture" sight is a type of iron sight mounted on the rear of a rifle. It is just a simple small hole that you look through, you then align the front sight on the target and fire. This sighting system is quite old but still very effective. It is found on many sporting, target and military rifles.

I like to use a peep sight for a few reasons. You look through the peep hole but not at it, this allows you to focus on only 2 things, the front sight and the target, instead of 3 things. I find this is getting more important as I reach middle-age and my eyes are not focusing as quickly as they once did. I usually hunt with a scoped rifle (magnification, light gathering ability and single focus plane are an asset to me) but the peep is fast and effective at close range. A rifle with iron sights is more handy, can be more rugged and I find it easier to keep clear in foul weather (although quality scope caps help a lot).

I am going to put the peep sight on the .22 Marlin Papoose just to keep it light and handy, I rarely shoot at game over 30 yards with this rifle.

I found a good description of Iron Sight Types at Wikipedia located here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_sights

Talking guns is fun,

Mike

Get a set of see through scope rings. I don't know if they will work with peep sights but they will with the v-notch type.

here's a good site regarding penetration of rounds of various calibers..

http://www.theboxotruth.com/

Caliber choice is really dependent on where you live and where you may have to go. In a city a .22 might be fine or might not and there is no guarantee you'll be able to stay in the city when the balloon goes up. My philosophy is to carry enough gun to handle with authority whatever I may come across unexpectedly. A belligerent feral hog is a Cuisinart on four legs that would put a NFL running back to shame. A pack of feral dogs is much more dangerous than a pack of wolves. Farmer Brown's Guernsey bull can stomp you just as flat, just as quick and kill you just as dead as a Cape Buffalo if it gets out of it's pasture or you accidentally get in there with it. I suggest planning accordingly.

Perceived recoil is relative to the proper fit of a shoulder fired weapon when you start getting up into effective calibers and to a somewhat lesser extent with handguns. Stock length, length of pull, comb height, offset, cant and so on all contribute to perceived recoil or lack thereof. If you can find an out-of-the-box rifle or shotgun that actually fits you, consider yourself truly favored and blessed. If not, you really should consider finding a competent custom stock maker for your primary long gun. You'll be amazed at what you find "comfortable" with a rifle/shotgun that actually fits you.

I would expect a military goal is to take as many enemy combatants out of the fight as possible, not necessarily kill them. I guess it depends on how close they are to you and what immediate threat they produce. Using a super-hightech "One Shot Stopper (tm)" bullet would take out ... one enemy combatant. However, ball ammo would wound one, and then busy up a few others caring for and hauling their comrade around. So you've taken more enemy combatants out of the immediate fight. The longer it takes your ball ammo wounded target to finally die, the more enemy resources you tie up.

In close quarters urban combat the above theory wouldn't hold water. You'd want to take them out quickly so they don't shoot you back while they're hanging on waiting around to die.

Those countries that have signed the Hague Convention are restricted to ball ammo...

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