Higher Globe for 1903

[slughammer]

On my sporterized 1903a3 I'm having a hard time with cheek weld and seeing my front sight through my glasses. When I get a cheek weld low enough to center the front sight through the rear aperature, the glasses frame is in my line of sight.
The rear sight has plenty of adjustment (more than I'll ever need for the range I shoot at).

I'm looking for options for a higher front globe. My current globe is .788 from the bottom of the dovetail to the center of the sight. I'd like to have at least 1/4" higher to get my face in a more vertical position so can look through my glasses.

https://i.imgur.com/9jg4llw.jpg

[country gent]

Lyman makes a globe in several different heights. Most high power fronts are not going to work a the dovetail in parallel to the barrel not 90*. Depending on How much more height you need a small plate could be made with male dovetail on one side the amount needed to raise it and a female dovetail. I don't think you could get it much thinner than 3/16" though. I think Buffalo arms sells the 3 Lymans, or maybe Brownels. Also a new mount for the rear to raise it the same as the front to maintain zero. Redfield, Unertal and most others made mounts blocks in several heights to tune to your actual position. The big plus to raising the rear with the front is the added engagement of the sight in the slides and maintaining travel.

The little block could be made with a saw and files, a mill would be much easier.
A piece of cold roll the same thickness as the front sight as wide as the base is long.
Leave in a bar 6" long or so to start.
file end square and true use a square to test.
Lay out the male dovetail "proud and with the saw cut to rough shape.
File front and rear flats flat and square. then file the dove tail to fit the sight base.
Now lay out and cut off bar at the desired height. File square and true to size
Now lay out dovetail on location and a little small. Start with a simple square notch
File notch to dove tail fitting to front sight as you go.

This small spacer will effectively raise the front but since the dovetails are the same size you need to have the top plate .060 or more thicker than the dovetails depth is so it dosnt cut the riser in half. .125 or so is better yet. A triangle file with a sharp edge a 10" fine single cut and a few jewelers files a good hacksaw and 32tpi blade. Marker layout ink and scribe a good square and ruler.

Measure the width of the dovetail at widest point and add .020 to that for the male boss. the narrowest point on the dovetail - .030 for the female. The added on the female compensates for the caliper not getting all the way into the corner. These numbers leave .010 and .015 on a side to clean up when cutting the dovetails.

[samari46]

Might check with someone who sells used or discontinued iron sights. Lyman used to make a 17xnb and a few others that replaces the front sight as a complete unit. I had a Smith Corona 1903A3 that had a Lyman 48 rear sight and the 17xnb and had tons of fun with it. Someone with a lot of money talked me out of it years back. And yes Lyman still makes globe front target sights.
Frank

[slughammer]

Thanks for the ideas guys. The clue about the XNB sight helped me figure out my current sight which I found marked XNA on the bottom. The XNA has the 7/16" dovetail to fit a 1903 front base. The XNB is a 1 piece unit that has the barrel band built into it. Ebay seems to be the only option for these, but I'm not sure the XNB would get me any higher than my current XNA.

The 3 current Lyman offerings are much too short compared to what I already have. With a home made riser perhaps one of these could become part of a new sight with an extra 1/4" of height.

Now I need to find a cheap donor 17A for the task.

[gnoahhh]

Lower the comb?

[GOPHER SLAYER]

slughammer, this is what you need. Before you make any drastic alterations I suggest you try and find one. There are many people who deal in old iron sights so I don't think it will be hard to find one. I am trying to post pictures but fore some reason cast boolits is not in the mood. I got one. I will be back in a minute with the other two.

[slughammer]

slughammer, this is what you need. Before you make any drastic alterations I suggest you try and find one....

I wasn't going to alter my existing globe, I was thinking about getting a donor sight to modify.

The one in your picture looks like a Lyman XNB. Can you take a measurement for me? Maybe just at the front of the hood down to the top of the barrel.
Regards - Slughammer

[slughammer]

Lower the comb?

That is one of the things I thought about; but it doesn't look that high. My concern would be affecting the vintage look of the workmanship, thinning the butt too much and also altering the steel checkered buttplate.

https://i.imgur.com/kMek7PC.jpg

I think the sight is fine if you shoot without any type of shooting or corrective glasses. (Which is probably how it was done decades ago.) When did shooting glasses for rifles become a thing? I've been wearing them for competition pistol shooting for the last 25 years. Did folks wear shooting glasses in the 1960's?

[skeettx]

I posted these for slughammer, they are his pictures

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I wasn't going to alter my existing globe, I was thinking about getting a donor sight to modify.

The one in your picture looks like a Lyman XNB. Can you take a measurement for me? Maybe just at the front of the hood down to the top of the barrel.
Regards - Slughammer

I measured from the top of the globe to the top of the barrel with a mike and it reads 1 inch /123 k. I looked in a 1962 Stoeger catalog and did not see this sight listed. I think Lyman came out with it later to be used on all the '03s the DCM was selling. I don't know that, just a guess on my part. I bought mine in Cape Girardeau, Mo from a man who was trying to sell a boat to my brother. I saw two gun barrels sticking out of a box and went over to have a look. The man saw me and said, "you can have that box of parts for $15.00". I paid him without looking further. When I did look I was amazed. The man had looked up all the numbers for the '03 Springfield parts and ordered all of them from the DCM. This included milled trigger guards and floor plates. Shortly after I got back to California a surplus arms dealer advertised some prewar Springfield receivers. I was able to get two of them. I think they were $95. The one in the picture is one of the last Springfield made. I sold most of the parts but saved two sets of parts in case I get another receiver. Thast's not very likely. The stock was given to me by a friend. He was about to put it in his fireplace. When I raised an objection he gave it to me. I glass bed the action and it shoots great. Those smooth two grove barrels love cast bullets.

[Larry Gibson]

I made my own for my M1903A Match Rifle. I put a Lyman 48 long slide on it (1/4 moa clicks) and adjusted it down so my check weld was comfortable. I then put a M1903A3 front sight band/base on it and made a higher front sight blade out of soft aluminum. I then zeroed it with M72 match equivalent loads (175 MK at 2640 fps) for a POA = POI at 200 yards by trimming the front sight blade down. That gave me the correct front sight height.

I removed the front blade and with a couple measurements of a Lyman 17 front sight I filed the M1903A3 front sight band/base down and dovetailed it so the tip of the blade sight in the Lyman 17 was the same height as the tip of the blade. I also silver soldered the 17 in place on the dovetailed band/base so it is rock solid.

It works for me.

Attachment 241710

Attachment 241711

Attachment 241712

[slughammer]

I measured from the top of the globe to the top of the barrel with a mike and it reads 1 inch /123 k. I looked in a 1962 Stoeger catalog and did not see this sight listed. I think Lyman came out with it later to be used on all the '03s the DCM was selling. I don't know that, just a guess on my part. I bought mine in Cape Girardeau, Mo from a man who was trying to sell a boat to my brother. I saw two gun barrels sticking out of a box and went over to have a look. The man saw me and said, "you can have that box of parts for $15.00". I paid him without looking further. When I did look I was amazed. The man had looked up all the numbers for the '03 Springfield parts and ordered all of them from the DCM. This included milled trigger guards and floor plates. Shortly after I got back to California a surplus arms dealer advertised some prewar Springfield receivers. I was able to get two of them. I think they were $95. The one in the picture is one of the last Springfield made. I sold most of the parts but saved two sets of parts in case I get another receiver. Thast's not very likely. The stock was given to me by a friend. He was about to put it in his fireplace. When I raised an objection he gave it to me. I glass bed the action and it shoots great. Those smooth two grove barrels love cast bullets.

I measured my XNA sight and it is exactly the same dimension, 1.123 from the top of the globe to the top of the barrel.

Looks like the custom route is the way to go. I don't want to modify the comb on the rifle, so I'll probably put together a sight of my own (and keep this original with the rifle).

Thanks to everyone. Now to find a donor 17A

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Or you could just go with contact lenses and eliminate the problem. While I do wear glasses to read, I don't need them to see thru peep sights. You did a great job on your rifle. Much better than mine or as one range officer said, " it is a work in progress".

[samari46]

You might try Larry Fellers in texas, he does have a web page listing all the sight you could imaging for just about any rifle ever made. Last time I was on the sight he did have 48's and the Lyman 17XNB as well.I have mentioned that I had a Smith Corona 1903A3 with a short slide 125 and the 17xnb front. I was using a 300 meter load given to me by the NRA many years ago. Basically any case,Rem or Win large rifle primer and between 38 to 40 grains of IMR 4895 and a 125 Sierra 125 flatbased bullet.Recoil was really low and that old A3 shot like a house afire. Even the young lady that was with me was suprised as how well it shot. I'm going to scrub the barrel on my sporterized A3 and see if I can have some fun with it.Have a chopped "C" stock and will glass bed the action and first 1" of the barrel. And maybe put a rosewood forend tip at the end of the barrel. And make an order from Sierra for some 125 flatbase spitzers. At present the A3 has a steel 57 rear sight and a redfield ramp front sight.And I think I have a 1903 sight assembly that already has a dovetail cut into it. Years ago when parts were more plentiful and cheaper i had a small box that just had 1903 and A3 parts in it. Then I bought a Garand and started stocking up parts for that rifle.Now prices for parts like op rods are like gold. used to pick an op rod for about $50 haven't seen a decent op rod for sale in a long time. Frank

[GOPHER SLAYER]

samari, do you mean Gary Fellers?

[Reverend Al]

Something along the lines of this sort of height?

[slughammer]

Something along the lines of this?

That looks like the Lyman XNB that Gopher Slayer has. My existing sight is a Lyman XNA. They both measure 1.123 from the top of the globe to the top of the barrel. They are different in how they attach, but there is no difference in final height.

I need another 1/4" higher to get my head rotated so I can look through the lens of my shooting glasses.

Do you guys shoot your rifles without safety glasses?

[Old Coot]

I started using shooting glasses for rifle shooting after I had a series of case splits with some surplus M2 ball ammo. The gasses striking me in the face got old real quick. That was in the mid 1960's. Brodie

[Reverend Al]

Do you guys shoot your rifles without safety glasses?

I usually wear either my prescription glasses (which are safety lenses) or a pair of clear shooting glasses, depending on how badly my eyesight is acting up that particular day ...

[GOPHER SLAYER]

The range where I shoot insists on glasses and ear protection.