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Thread: Peep sight on a Mauser action?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    Peep sight on a Mauser action?

    I plan on buying a Husqvarna Model 46 soon, which is built on a Mauser 96 action if I'm not mistaken. I'm wanting to keep this gun as classic looking as possible, but I want a set of really nice and precise sights. Usually all my hunting rifles get scopes, but I was thinking of getting a peep sight for this one instead. Something like a Lyman. My question is, what goes into installing one of these sights, and is it something best left to a gunsmith? The sight in particular I was looking at is the Lyman 57, though I'm open to suggestions.
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  2. #2
    Boolit Master Dan Cash's Avatar
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    Such an installation is not something I would undertake with a portable drill and a center punch. The gunsmith fee is money well spent.
    To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, the trouble with many shooting experts is not that they're ignorant; its just that they know so much that isn't so.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    The Lyman 57 should be an excellent choice. You will have to decide if your skills are sufficient to drill and tap the receiver. As Dan pointed out, the cost to have a gunsmith do it for you will likely be less than the cost of the drilling fixture and other tools you will need.

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    With all due respect, the fact that you're asking about how a receiver sight is installed points to you using the services of a real gunsmith (not some AR parts-changer) to install it on the Mauser.

    The receiver sights designated for the Mauser fit on the RH side of the receiver bridge, just ahead of the bolt handle, and would need two holes placed there (if it's not already so prepped), drilled & tapped for 6-48 sight mounting screws.

    The actions of Mauser rifles are surface case-hardened, and need the proper tools to drill & tap (D&T), a guiding fixture to properly position the holes being drilled, and spot annealing of the action where the holes are to be drilled (to allow trouble-free D&T).

    If precision is desired, I would suggest choosing a receiver peepsight that has micrometer/click windage & elevation adjustments (low or no protruding adjustment turrets if the rifle's to be used for hunting).

    Husqvarna's are among the best made Mauser-pattern rifles you can get - enjoy it !


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  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    if you have a decent drill press you should be OK, if you are patient and meticulous. the swede and czech actions are not case hardened like the german actions. and drill well, tapping freely. the drill and tap size is small so this is delicate work, and accuracy in your work is important. i have done several with a basement drill press and some wood-working tools to inlet the stock clearance.

    springfield 1903 and mausers are same diameter receiver ring, so receiver sights advertised for one fit the other.

    the lyman 48 and 57 are the gold standard, but there were many sights made in the 1950's in small batches, with odd names. Redfield made nice sights that you may find cheap. I have some in a bag at home that i can't recall who made or where i got, and they are nicer than a lyman 57 by a mile. look on gunbroker for "receiver sight", and you never know what will come up.

    the most important part of the install, which is done with the stock removed, is indexing the receiver to the sight, usually using the action bottom and the sight vertical in a perpendicular relationship. there are good tutorials out there if you google enuf.

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master Char-Gar's Avatar
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    Installing a receiver sight on a Mauser is not a difficult task. However one must have some knowledge ability about how to level the base up with the rifle and drill and tap gun metal.

    The fact that you ask this question, tells me you should give the job to a professional. If you had the knowledge and skill you would just do it and not ask how.
    Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    I'd have a gunsmith do it. Unless you are a decent machinist.

    Current Lyman sights are made of aluminum. I'd want steel for that kind of rifle so you will need to go look for an older one.

    At one time I remember a receiver peep that mounted on top of the rear bridge. I don't remember if it was a commercial job or an adaptation of something like the enfield sights. A good gunsmith could do a similar job but it might take a bit more money than an older model Lyman.

    Sent from my SM-P580 using Tapatalk

  8. #8
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    Something not mention yet is sometimes you may need a taller front sight, something your gunsmith can easily handle.
    Shoot Safe,
    Mike

    Retired Telephone Man
    NRA Endowment Member
    Marion Road Gun Club
    ( www.marionroad.com )

  9. #9
    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    Well, am44mag, you have got me thinking. I would love a peep rear on my FM Mauser 30-06 with a fiber optic front. It's got to be the fastest sight around and a lot handier to carry than a scope sighted rifle. As luck would have it, my rifle prefers 220 gr Nosler Partitions which is perfect for under 200 yds. When your eyesight starts to go south, you are constantly looking for alternatives. I am very fortunate in that I am only 1 hr away from Jimmy Mc Collough, one of the finest riflesmiths in the country.
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

  10. #10
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    kids that hunt and fish dont mug old ladies

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    I put a XS Ghost Ring on a small ring in .35remington. Very nice.
    They sell different size aperatures that is not on the website.
    you don't have to use it as a ghost ring, you can put on the smaller aperatures for a tighter sight picture.
    It is very small, low profile, all steel.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    I want to put a receiver sight on my Zastava M85 "mini Mauser" .223. I wonder if any can be easily adapted to this carbine?
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master

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    kids that hunt and fish dont mug old ladies

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    Many eons ago, when I was young, I had the gunsmith mount a Lyman peep sight on my Argentine Mauser. He did a really fine job and I used the rifle for quite a few years like that too. So I would vote for letting the gunsmith do the mounting for you too.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    I do possess skills (mostly woodworking, but enough machining skills to convert a Vetterli to center-fire without any issues), but I don't have a guide. I would feel more comfortable with a gunsmith doing it for now. The problem is, I'm not trusting something like this to bubba, and that's the only kind of smith around me (SE Oklahoma, NE Texas). There are a couple in the DFW area that I have heard are very good, but that's quite a drive. I'm looking around to see if I can find a good one within an hour or two of me.

    I am open to other sight options. I just want a set of sights that are more precise than express sights would be, but I would prefer they be adjustable. A Husky 46's rear sight is fixed, and is in a dovetail. I have no idea what size that dovetail is, but if I could get a peep sight for it, I'd probably call it good.

    ______________________________________________
    Aaron

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    I was looking, and found a few Redfield 70-M sights on Ebay for around $80. They look to be pretty nice, they're all steel, and most of them have a patina that is going to probably be a far better match to the finish on the rifle I get than a new sight would have.
    ______________________________________________
    Aaron

  17. #17
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    I like that rifle. The Redfield would be worth buying, if it doesn't work out you could always get your money back on it. You will probably need a higher front sight if you do use it.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    am44mag this guy is good. Not fast or cheap. Email: customgun.tr@gmail.com

    Mailing Address:
    Custom Shop, LLC
    7680 North U.S. Hwy. 69
    Alba, Texas 75410
    Phone: (903)-768-2948
    Fax: (903)-768-3163

    Don’t know where in NE TX your but he might be close enough.
    Last edited by LIMPINGJ; 05-15-2018 at 09:06 AM. Reason: Added FAX

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by LIMPINGJ View Post
    am44mag this guy is good. Not fast or cheap. Email: customgun.tr@gmail.com

    Mailing Address:
    Custom Shop, LLC
    7680 North U.S. Hwy. 69
    Alba, Texas 75410
    Phone: (903)-768-2948
    Fax: (903)-768-3163

    Don’t know where in NE TX your but he might be close enough.
    Closest big town in Texas is Paris, and that's about 45 min away. I know about where Alba is. It's near Lake Fork not far from Mineola and Tyler. It's about a 2hr drive.
    ______________________________________________
    Aaron

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    8 hours driving, total (two 4-hr round trips, 1st to deliver, 2nd for p/u) - worth it (IMO), for a very nice rifle, done right.


    .
    Now I lay me down to sleep
    A gun beside me is what I keep
    If I awake, and you're inside
    The coroner's van is your next ride

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