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Thread: Anyone else enjoy shooting with Peep Sights?

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub MinerJohn's Avatar
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    Anyone else enjoy shooting with Peep Sights?

    Shooting with a scope is great but I collect old gun sights and enjoy taking my .22s out and plinking away using peep sights. My Mossberg 151 is one of my favorites. Anyone else like to use the old peep sights and flip ups?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    Hick's Avatar
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    All mine have peep sights as the primary sight (22LR, M1, Mauser, Enfield, 223 Rem and three levers). I only own one scope and its sitting on a shelf in the closet at the moment.
    Hick: Iron sights!

  3. #3
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    Sure. Almost all my firearms. I only have a scope on a Rem. 700, and a Tasco pro point on a .22 pistol.
    Some are receiver peeps, some are small buckhorn, and a .45/70 with a flip up.

    Learned to appreciate peep sights in the Service on M-14 & M-16s, and have always kept drifting back to them.
    Being farther back, they allow for a longer sight radius ( I think that's the term) than a barrel mounted leaf.
    Last edited by Winger Ed.; 02-09-2019 at 06:21 PM.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I never really liked peep sights. I prefer blade rear sights, either square or semi-buckhorn. Never been into scopes, except now I have a savage 110 with only a scope for sighting. Feel like I'm spying on the deer!

  5. #5
    Boolit Bub MinerJohn's Avatar
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    I've got a bunch of the old full buckhorn and semi buckhorn sights. I haven't messed with them yet. I need to give them a shot.


    Quote Originally Posted by Bazoo View Post
    I never really liked peep sights. I prefer blade rear sights, either square or semi-buckhorn. Never been into scopes, except now I have a savage 110 with only a scope for sighting. Feel like I'm spying on the deer!

  6. #6
    Boolit Master


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    Yep,
    Have them on 3 Winchester 94's, Marlin 39, 336, 1895(2) & 1894CS.
    M1917, M1903A3, M1917 Sporter in .257 Robt's
    And #4 N2 SMLE

    Oh, an H&R Buffalo Rifle , can't remember the name of the sight maker.

    Oh, Ya ! My #1 10/22 DLX SPRTR. I put a Williams sliding peep on it about 30yrs ago. Has never had to be adjusted since that 1st sighting in.
    Last edited by Walks; 02-09-2019 at 11:11 PM. Reason: Forgot stuff
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  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    My leverguns and single shots all have peep sights. I notice the apertures need to be larger as my eyes get older but I still love them.
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

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    Enjoy those full and semi-buckhorns while you can. They can be very accurate sights, but require young eyes that have the ability to rapidly shift focus. Using them successfully requires being able to "draw a fine bead", as the notches are often very small and narrow as are the accompanying front sights. As you get older and the lenses of your eyes become less flexible, perhaps complicated with early cataracts, peep sights are the best option. Also, they are a great choice at any stage of life for better sight/target acquisition in low light.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    There's a good article in this issue of Rifle about the almost lost art of shooting with iron sights. Maybe I think it's good because it reflects my life experiences with iron sights. Like the author, I grew up with BB guns and open-sighted .22s. In Jr. High I shot NRA smallbore on an indoor range with aperture sights, graduated to highpower shooting M1s and M14, back to smallbore on a higher level (equipmentwise). Shooting HP up to 600 yds on a regular basis taught me how accurate irons on a good rifle can be. Then I hunted with scoped rifles through many years and did very little rifle shooting with irons.

    Most of my rifle shooting in the last 15 years or so has revolved around surplus military rifles, so I have no choice with them (not willing to alter them for scopes, or other aftermarket sights). It's not easy anymore (I'm in my 60s), but with the help of glasses I can deal with reality.

  10. #10
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    My current setup on a couple of 22's is an aperature rear and a dayglow orange fiberoptic front sight. They are both old Remingtons, a 521T and a 511 I think. The 521 came with a nice Lyman rear sight and the 511 got an old reciever sight from a Marlin that was scoped and subsequently lost track of through being "inherited". I can use open sights quite well also.
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  11. #11
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    Absolutely. Shoot quite a bit with Garans, carbines, and 03 Springfields. I flip up the ladder on the 03 and use the aperture, and my 03A3 is actually tricked out for match shooting with a Lyman peep and globe front.

    I put together a .223 bolt gun for NRA Highpower, set up the sights same as the O3A3. And finally, 2 of my .22s are set up with peeps. I put Lyman peep and globe front on my grandpa's old Mossberg bolt action single shot. I bought a Ruger American Rimfire last summer, and interchange scope and aperture depending on what I feel like doing.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I use peep or tang sights where they makes sense, but prefer scopes on most of my rifles.
    Don Verna


  13. #13
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    I have to say that I do love peep sights. I have quite a few of them on various rifles, mostly lever actions. But... like a couple of others have mentioned, as the eyes keep growing older/weaker I gravitate to what works easier/better for me. At the moment my "weak eye" solution has been the Burris Fastfire 3. I would not put one on my Garand or M1A, but I did put one on my M1 Carbine and a couple other rifles and they work like a champ. I still prefer a scope on my bolt rifles that I hunt big game with though.

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    Boolit Master Murphy's Avatar
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    Just something about a peep sight. Oh, now I remember. I can hit better with a peep sight than any other open sight. I have a Remington Model 510 that came with standard sights. I'm seriously considering tracking down a peep sight for it. I have no doubt about the accuracy in that old gun as I have shot it several times now.

    There are times when I just want to relax. Taking that old single shot and a bulk pack of ammunition and heading for the sticks or a creek bank, seems to be some of the best trigger therapy in the world.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MinerJohn View Post
    Shooting with a scope is great but I collect old gun sights and enjoy taking my .22s out and plinking away using peep sights. My Mossberg 151 is one of my favorites. Anyone else like to use the old peep sights and flip ups?
    years back I had a old mossberg (I forget the model), but it was a benchrest gun with Peep and hooded front site that came with many inserts. I was in a rimfire rifle league, but I could never compete with the other open site shooters, so I upgraded to a Ruger 77/22 that had some action work but still have factory barrel, with a Leupold Vari-X-III with mildot reticle to shoot in the scoped hunter class.

    I had several other rifles with peeps, but due to my old eyes, they have mostly gone down the road... the only gun I currently own with a Peep is a Marlin 1894s (41mag) which works well-enough with the brass bead front site.
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  16. #16
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    I like them in spite of old eyes. I have a 1903 A3 Springfield that has the rear aperture and front blade. I also have a Marlin 39A with Williams rear sight and tunnel foresight, A Winchester 1885 .22LR with tang and tunnel and a Marlin .357 Cowboy that swaps between a cope and apertures. All good fun.

  17. #17
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    I like them for certain guns( my 44-40 and 38-55) and will use them as long as I can. But I like scopes, too. A lot.

  18. #18
    Boolit Bub MinerJohn's Avatar
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    I struggle a bit. I'm 51 and my eyes aren't what they used to be. We have an old gunny out here at the base that shoots 600 yards with an old Colt AR with standard sights, which is what got me started.


    Quote Originally Posted by higgins View Post
    There's a good article in this issue of Rifle about the almost lost art of shooting with iron sights. Maybe I think it's good because it reflects my life experiences with iron sights. Like the author, I grew up with BB guns and open-sighted .22s. In Jr. High I shot NRA smallbore on an indoor range with aperture sights, graduated to highpower shooting M1s and M14, back to smallbore on a higher level (equipmentwise). Shooting HP up to 600 yds on a regular basis taught me how accurate irons on a good rifle can be. Then I hunted with scoped rifles through many years and did very little rifle shooting with irons.


    Most of my rifle shooting in the last 15 years or so has revolved around surplus military rifles, so I have no choice with them (not willing to alter them for scopes, or other aftermarket sights). It's not easy anymore (I'm in my 60s), but with the help of glasses I can deal with reality.

  19. #19
    Boolit Bub MinerJohn's Avatar
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    Hey Jon, Do you like that 77? I've been kicking around the idea of getting one.


    Quote Originally Posted by JonB_in_Glencoe View Post
    years back I had a old mossberg (I forget the model), but it was a benchrest gun with Peep and hooded front site that came with many inserts. I was in a rimfire rifle league, but I could never compete with the other open site shooters, so I upgraded to a Ruger 77/22 that had some action work but still have factory barrel, with a Leupold Vari-X-III with mildot reticle to shoot in the scoped hunter class.

    I had several other rifles with peeps, but due to my old eyes, they have mostly gone down the road... the only gun I currently own with a Peep is a Marlin 1894s (41mag) which works well-enough with the brass bead front site.

  20. #20
    DOR RED BEAR's Avatar
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    I used to love peep sights put them on anything i could. Eyesight going down hill so switching to optical sights now.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check