Another New One

[Marky-D]

Hi all--

I've been lurking for a while, learning as much as I can, as I am new to muzzleloading.

I am a proud owner of a White Whitetail. I haven't had a chance to fire it yet, but I have a couple questions I was hoping to get some help with.

First is the sights. I'd like to put a peep on it, and I've read endless threads on Lyman and Williams, etc. I've decided to go with the Williams WGRS model (I'd like to keep it lower profile than the 57 or the FP), but my understanding is that they don't make one specifically for White rifles anymore. Looking at the specs, it appears the 'CVA ROUND RECEIVER' model has the appropriate 0.86" hole spacing. The Williams website indicates it's for a 1" diameter receiver, but the Brownell's site says it's 7/8". Mine measures 1.12". Worst case, I figure some 400-grit sandpaper around a dowel ought to fix that up. Anyone have a better option?

Alternatively, I was wondering what you guys think about just using ONE screw to mount the WGRS. I have seen front sights mounted that way, but perhaps not dealing with as much mass or recoil. If one screw is sufficient, my mounting options expand a lot and I don't need to worry about hole spacing -- I can just find a model with the appropriate diameter.

Now on to the front sight. The bead currently on the rifle is partly broken, so I planned to replace it even if I didn't replace the rear sight. Based on my calculations, I think I will need a 0.450" tall bead to go with the WGRS (actually even a little taller, but that's the tallest I found). Does that agree with what others have seen? I doubt I'm the first to put a WGRS sight on a Whitetail!

My other question is related to the stock. I'd like my son to be able to shoot it, but he needs a much shorter LOP. I considered cutting down the existing stock (it's wood), but I hate to cut a perfectly good stock, especially when my son will eventually grow out of it. So the question is whether anyone makes an aftermarket stock for these rifle, or better yet, does anyone have a short, or damaged, stock they want to get rid of?

Thanks for any help you can give me!
mark-d

 

[toytruck]

I'm not going to be much help. I have scoped all my whites except the thunder shotgun (of course). Is a scope possible or legal? Even the White scope mounts are getting hard to find.
As to the stock I would not recommend cutting it, laminate I assume, let your son grow into it. Stocks are also hard to find, no manufacture makes them any longer.
Good luck!!

 

[edmehlig]

Maybe try removing the recoil pad that’s on it and replace it with a thinner one?

 

[Marky-D]

Thanks guys.

This will be used in Oregon, so no scopes for me.
That's a good idea about the recoil pad, although I'm not sure it will be enough to make it worth the increased felt recoil for my son....

marky-d

 

[Marky-D]

BTW, I ran some gauge pins in the bore and I get 0.505", so I guess it's either a little worn or I got a barrel on the large side.

I guess it's not going to shoot...

marky-d

 

[dbowling]

I believe limb saver makes a 1/2 in pad, would work for reducing recoil.

Thanks guys.

This will be used in Oregon, so no scopes for me.
That's a good idea about the recoil pad, although I'm not sure it will be enough to make it worth the increased felt recoil for my son....

marky-d

 

[Marky-D]

A small update...
I received the Williams WGRS sight today. The recommendation from Williams is that both screws must be used to mount the sight. However, Brownell's customer service seems to suggest it will work with one. I decided to use both, although if I had a smaller aperture, I might consider mounting with only one in order to put the sight closer to my eye.

For anyone else considering this, there will be a couple issues. First, the 'CVA ROUND RECEIVER' model sight is intended for a smaller diameter than the White. I wrapped some sandpaper around an appropriately-sized dowel and enlarged the radius so it fits nicely. I suppose you could instead fill the gap with epoxy or a shim, but I didn't want to deal with that. Second, although the hole spacing is correct, the 'CVA ROUND RECEIVER' sight comes with #8 screws, but my White uses #6 (I eyeballed them and thought they were #8, but I should have measured). Luckily my rifle came with the mid-barrel Williams ramp sight, so I was able to remove that and use its #6 screws.

However, I ran into two more issues. The WGRS uses two different length screws, but the mid-barrel sight used two of the longer length. So I had to file one of the screws shorter. Also, the head was slightly too tall, so the ramp of the new sight would not slide over it, so I had to knock the edge off of the screw head.

All-in-all I'm happy with where I ended up. Installing the WGRS was not without issues, but they could be solved with a little work. Now I need to sight it in and see where I am with the front sight height. I picked up a .290, a .375, and a .450 front bead (it had a broken .282 before). Although my calculations indicate I need the .450 (at least), the sight picture looks pretty close with the .290 -- the new WGRS aligns with the front bead and the old mid-barrel sight, however, I don't know if it was sighted in correctly to begin with.

marky-d