Lyman 66 Peep Sight vs. Skinner Peep on a '94

[buckwheatpaul]

Ladies and gentlemen I need your 2 cents opinions on putting either a Lyman 66 peep sight or a Skinner sight on a Winchester 94 (1970 model)....the rifle is a little rough and it came to me as a dirt gun to go with me in the truck and utv as I work the ranch......so feel free to put your experiences in as well as your opinions......I do know that I will have to have 2 holes drilled and tapped if I go the Skinner way....but that makes both roughly the same price. Paul

[W.R.Buchanan]

Paul: if you are going to sight the gun in an leave it then I'd say go with the Skinner. If you want to change the elevation settings, like for Cowboy Silhouette the do the Lyman 66.

I have 66LA's on all my Marlins and they are a great sight. Marlins mount the sight differently than Winchesters so there are more options for sights. XS also makes very rugged Peep Sights for these guns which you might look into.

In any event using a XS Front Sight with the White Line on it is the best and easiest to see Front Sight out there.

Both the Skinner sights and the XS sights are more about setting and forgetting than the Lyman Sight. The Lyman's are definitely easier to sight in. the others are kind of a PITB but once set they don't move .

Randy

[Hick]

I have a Skinner dovetail mount peep on my 32 WS, and a Williams peep on my 30-30 (Both Model 94's). I'm not familiar with the Lyman 66. The Skinner peep works well, but putting it in the dovetail makes for a short sight radius-- and the Skinner adjustment requires turning the mounter for the aperture (one half turn each time)-- which means the steps between settings are rather large (kind of like the steps on the original buckhorn sights). I find that the adjustable peep on my 30-30 is much nicer. The only reason I've kept the Skinner peep is that it lets me preseerve the original 32WS-- which is a 40's model in prime condition, and so I don't want to drill any holes in it. My 30-30 is a little newer (60's) and has mounting holes pre-tapped on the left side of the receiver. If I wasn't trying to maintin the 32 WS in original condition I'd go with the Lyman or Williams on it too.

[Mk42gunner]

Which 66? Steel or aluminum?

I have not used a Skinner, but I have no doubt they are a tough sight.

I agree with Randy regarding the XS white line front sight, I have one on a 30AW Marlin in conjunction with a 5D Williams rear. It works well for one load, set and forget rifles.

Robert

[Scharfschuetze]

If it's going to be a truck gun with just one load and sight setting, the Skinner. It's tough as nails from what I've seen.

If you are going to test loads and shoot different bullet weights at different ranges, then by all means get the Lyman 66. I've had Lyman or Redfield aperture sights on Model 94s or a Model 64 for almost 50 years and swear by them for hunting, target shooting or just plinking.

[Drm50]

I have 66s & 57s Lymans on Lever and bolt guns. Also a few Williams and Redfields. The Lyman
66/57 about the same sight other than base type. They are micrometer click and sight in just like
a scope. They require common sense handling as with any precision instrument. I don't have any
Skinners, but they are basically a crude sight as far as adjustments. If you are planning to throw
the gun behind the truck seat, the Skinner is the one you want. The Williams 5D is a inexpensive
sight, made of ,alumilum, mounts on the same holes as Lyman, and adjust by sliding and locking
with screws It is a sturdy sight. If I was putting together a truck gun it would be the one I would
look at first. Would be least expensive way to go.

[waksupi]

I've got Williams, Redfield, and Skinner sights on rifles. All work fine, but for a rough and ready bullet proof sight, Skinner wins.

My Skinner went right in the standard rear dovetail. If you have a question, call Andy.

[pietro]

.

I much prefer a receiver-mounted peepsight (like the Lyman) because it's closer to the shooter's eye than a barrel-mounted peepsight (like the Skinner, who does not make a receiver-mounted peepsight for the TE Model 94).


.

[Drm50]

I like the Lyman myself, with practical use I've never had a problem with them. I use to have a
94 Win that had a peep on the bolt, I think it was a Redding. It was on the gun when I bought it.
The bolt had been D/T for it.

[W.R.Buchanan]

As far as the Lyman Receiver Sights go get the Steel ones. They are no longer made, so you'll have to win one on Ebay. Well worth the money.

For some reason Lyman won't make their sights out of Steel even though people would gladly pay the extra money for a more quality product. Their current Aluminum 66LA's are junk, and so nobody buys them and as a result they think nobody buys Receiver Sights anymore.

I was actually told this by the Head of Marketing at the SHOT Show a few years ago. She had no idea what she was talking about and it became evident instantly.

Randy

[Scharfschuetze]

I was actually told this by the Head of Marketing at the SHOT Show a few years ago. She had no idea what she was talking about and it became evident instantly.

A sad truth.

Jack O'Conner said that about the Winchester management in 1964.

I had dinner with the CEO of Kimber when the company was still in Oregon. An idiot.

The management team at Colt has been AWOL for decades.

An engineer friend of mine was courted by Remington a while back. They flew him out for a few days of dining, interviews and a tour of the factory. He was so underwhelmed by their lack of firearms knowledge that he told 'em to pack sand up an orifice and returned to his job at Boeing.

It's all about profit; but in the end, that's a pretty short sighted corporate policy.

[bitterbeer]

I purchased a Lyman 66 WB for my 1886 and it lasted a couple weeks. I ran into the Williams sight company which I had never heard of before but is well known. Last silhouette match I went to many had the Williams brand of sight. Anyway, I bought one and its great. Go with Williams.

[Idaho Mule]

If the rifle/carbine will be riding in a scabbard the top mounted Skinner or XS is the way to go. If riding in a rifle rack or on the seat beside you it probably doesn't matter except for personal preference. JW

[izzyjoe]

I would go with the skinner for a truck gun, cause you can set it for one load and forget it. I've been after a cheap 94 for a few years for the very same reason, but even the post 64's have gone way up!

[northmn]

So far Ive seen no cheap 94's. I liked the Mossberg 464 lever but the darned thing was not drilled for a receiver sight. I have the Williams 5-D on my tractor/4 wheeler guns and have had no problems. I did break a fiber optic sight but luckily it broke in the front so a little JB weld filled in a fixed it. Like the Skinner, the 5-D is a good "sight in in and leave it" sight, but sometimes I do change them for cast loads to switch back to deer loads. One can mark them for that as one is using two loads and just changing elevation. Skinner sights have a strong following but the 94 does not lend itself to that type of sight as well and later ones were D&T for the standard Redfield/Lyman/Williams sights. I inherited an old Redfield sight on a 336 Marlin and switched it to another rifle. It was heavier made but because of that offered problems with elevation versatility as it would bottom and not permit the elevation I wanted.

DP