Rear Sight Dovetail Not Straight

[fxdrider]

I recently purchased a Winchester 94 Ranger. I believe it was manufactured around 1991. (Ser. number 565xxxx) It's angle-eject, has a rebounding hammer, but no cross-bolt safety. It's in Very Good-to-Excellent condition, but while drifting the rear sight I noticed something strange. The rear sight dovetail appears to be cut not quite perpendicular to the center-line of the bore, but rather at an angle. The rear sight blade appears to be slightly to the right, and the front portion of the rear sight (that fits into the dovetail) appears to be slightly to the left. When viewed from the top, you can see the sight is at an angle to the bore. Is that common on post-64 guns? In more than 25 years of shooting, this is the 1st time I've seen that on a gun. Just curious.

[pietro]

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Welcome to the board !

Your example, while not common, is sadly not rare - since Winchester started having labor/union issues about then, that AFAIK led to the 2006 New Haven plant closure.

You have an excellent opportunity to upgrade the accuracy of your Ranger by replacing the rear sight with a dovetail slot filler blank (bought or made from the male dovetail portion of the rear sight) - or by mounting a scope/red-dot on it.

.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Welcome to the place.
As Pietro wrote unfortunately we are faced with imperfect workers who have "Monday morning results" off and on.
I have a Winchester 1892 made in 1907 that suffers the same issue. Just seems to be how some notches got cut.
Mike in Peru

[fxdrider]

Thanks for the replies! I'm going to drift the rear sight all the way out and check the dovetail itself for square. It may be that the stamped metal sight itself is a little bit off. I noticed it's not a solid part with a machined dovetail, but rather a stamped part with tabs folded over and slid into the dovetail slot in the barrel. (See photo below)

If that's the case, then I may just replace it with one of the fine Marble's rear sights and see if that helps. I'd like to maintain the traditional look of the gun.

Thanks again for the replies.

211904
This is what the sight I have looks like.

[square butte]

I've got one just like it - Both dovetails are off. Same sight as yours

[NSB]

Wow. No one mentioned that dove tails are not "square". They are cut to be wider on the right than on the left as you look down the barrel. ALL gun manufacturers make dove tails this way. When inserting a sight in a dove tail it is ALWAYS inserted from right to left (as you look down the barrel in the aiming position). It's removed just the opposite, from left to right. It's designed this way to tighten the sight as it's inserted and it makes it easier to get out. Knocking a dove tail sight out of the left side actually ruins the cut slot in the barrel to some degree. However, most sights are cut a bit bigger than the slot and might require some filing to even get it in the slot.

[eljefe]

I just took one in trade that is made about the same time as your rifle. In my case, the barrel is canted to the left. Both front and rear sights are leaning left. I am going to have a gunsmith see if perhaps the barrel was over tightened. I am open to any suggestions. I am not trying to hijack this thread, but I thought someone might know.

[square butte]

That's the way mine is - Not sure there is an easy fix

[fxdrider]

Wow. No one mentioned that dove tails are not "square". They are cut to be wider on the right than on the left as you look down the barrel. ALL gun manufacturers make dove tails this way. When inserting a sight in a dove tail it is ALWAYS inserted from right to left (as you look down the barrel in the aiming position). It's removed just the opposite, from left to right. It's designed this way to tighten the sight as it's inserted and it makes it easier to get out. Knocking a dove tail sight out of the left side actually ruins the cut slot in the barrel to some degree. However, most sights are cut a bit bigger than the slot and might require some filing to even get it in the slot.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. Good info to have.

[Texas by God]

It's time for a receiver sight.

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[FergusonTO35]

It's time for a receiver sight.

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What he said. The rear dovetail on my 1978 model is leaning very noticeably to the left. The front ramp is as straight as my eyes can tell, so I bolted up a Williams FP and called it good. I love the 94 design, but the who gives a fart workmanship that Winchester apparently was ok with for so long is just inexcusable. They earned their fate.

[458mag]

The who gives a fart workmanship seems to prevail in union shops where the the members know its next to impossible for the company to fire them. Worked in a GM plant for 32 years and seen it over and over. Don't care about the job just wages and benefits.