Leverguns and Vernier sights. Any Experiences?

[Kev18]

Anyone own a lever gun with a vernier style sight on it? I have one coming in the mail and was wondering if anyone has tips and tricks or just a story to tell?[smilie=s:

[M-Tecs]

For target shooting I love them. For hunting not so much.

[Walks]

I have Two.

A Win 94 in .38-55 24" bbl that I put a no-name Tang sight on in 1988. Got to keep the issue front sight. Shot it at 100 & 200yrds. Used a Full Power Load with Lyman #375449GC over IMR3031. Accuracy was 2 1/2"-3" at 100yrds, 4"-6" at 200yrds.

Marlin 1895CB with a Lyman Tang sight. Put it together about 1998. Issue front sight.
Used Lyman #457330HPGC & #457493 Over Full Power Loads of IMR4198.
Grouped 2"+ at 100yrds, never got around to 200yrds.

Make sure the sight locks into it's detent before each shot. I found my thumb would sometimes knock it loose under recoil.

Cast #375449 of Linotype & #457193 of #2, sized .380dia and .459dia respectively.
The #457330HP I tried #2 & 20/1, #2 just punched thru the stacked wet newspapers.
The 20/1 opened to dime size.

[Kev18]

I have Two.

A Win 94 in .38-55 24" bbl that I put a no-name Tang sight on in 1988. Got to keep the issue front sight. Shot it at 100 & 200yrds. Used a Full Power Load with Lyman #375449GC over IMR3031. Accuracy was 2 1/2"-3" at 100yrds, 4"-6" at 200yrds.

Marlin 1895CB with a Lyman Tang sight. Put it together about 1998. Issue front sight.
Used Lyman #457330HPGC & #457493 Over Full Power Loads of IMR4198.
Grouped 2"+ at 100yrds, never got around to 200yrds.

Make sure the sight locks into it's detent before each shot. I found my thumb would sometimes knock it loose under recoil.

Cast #375449 of Linotype & #457193 of #2, sized .380dia and .459dia respectively.
The #457330HP I tried #2 & 20/1, #2 just punched thru the stacked wet newspapers.
The 20/1 opened to dime size.

I have a lyman tang on my 1886 and I like it. I wanted a vernier for a long time and I finally have one coming.

[ericp]

I have a MVA sight on my Marlin 1895CB. I pretty much just use that rifle for smacking steel way out yonder and that sight is ideal for it. Not the handiest setup in the woods but would be fine from a blind as long as you pay attention and make sure the staff is in it's detent.


Eric

[Kev18]

I have a MVA sight on my Marlin 1895CB. I pretty much just use that rifle for smacking steel way out yonder and that sight is ideal for it. Not the handiest setup in the woods but would be fine from a blind as long as you pay attention and make sure the staff is in it's detent.


Eric

Alright, il try it out once I get it. Some people hunt with peep sights but they don't like how you can't see alot of the target...

[frogleg]

I like mine on my Win. 73 with 24" barrel but I take the sight disc out and use it as a Ghost ring faster on target for me. I use Ghost ring recever sights on all my rifles. so it's what i'm used to.

But a tang sight can be kind of in the way of your grip if you are in a Hurry.

[Tatume]

Some people hunt with peep sights but they don't like how you can't see a lot of the target.

I hunt with aperture sights and really like that I can see so much with a large aperture in a small disk. Take a look at XS Sights for an excellent example.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Alright, il try it out once I get it. Some people hunt with peep sights but they don't like how you can't see alot of the target...

Wow...now that's an interesting statement! Most folks I know find a peep sight to be the ideal hunting sight for rapid acquisition even in the woods. This is especially true as your eyes age and find it less easy to focus on notches in typical rear sights. Of course, now days we're into the age of red dots and optics, but for about the last 80 years peep sights have been standard issue on most military rifles and capable of good combat performance as well as precision target shooting. A vernier sight with all it's precision adjustments and flip up and down is better suited for shooting that buffalo way out there on the prairie or that target when lots of time for precision adjustment and aiming from a steady support is available. Don't sell peeps short! :shock:
DG

[Kev18]

Wow...now that's an interesting statement! Most folks I know find a peep sight to be the ideal hunting sight for rapid acquisition even in the woods. This is especially true as your eyes age and find it less easy to focus on notches in typical rear sights. Of course, now days we're into the age of red dots and optics, but for about the last 80 years peep sights have been standard issue on most military rifles and capable of good combat performance as well as precision target shooting. A vernier sight with all it's precision adjustments and flip up and down is better suited for shooting that buffalo way out there on the prairie or that target when lots of time for precision adjustment and aiming from a steady support is available. Don't sell peeps short! :shock:
DG

Ya its a good sight for sure, but you can only see the target. People like to see alittle more. Especially with hunting. Kinda like different scopes. Some have small lenses that focus on a specific Point of aim. Others have larger, wider lenses to get a big full screen view of everything.

I like tang sights but others don't. I know sometimes people get weird happenings when looking through the small holes. There are videdos of people explaining that they cant use peeps because they see a hair like object through the circle. Theres nothing there, just their eyes playing tricks.

[pietro]

Ya its a good sight for sure, but you can only see the target.
People like to see alittle more.
Especially with hunting.




Experienced peepsight hunters usually unscrew the aperture from the sight and shoot very fast using the resultant "ghost ring".

It slows shooters down when they attempt to consciously center the front sight in the aperture ILO the proper method of simply looking through the aperture, focusing on the front sight & placing it "on target (beit paper or game).


.

[onelight]

I don't have a rifle with a vernier tang sight any more but put a Marbles tang sight on my Rossi 92
For me with my eyes they are much more accurate than standard open sights.
They almost feel like magic when your used to straining use open sights.
We use scopes so much many people are unaware how sweet the peeps are.

[frogleg]

I also shoot with Both eyes open give it a try it gives a lot more field of view.

Pietro has the right idea

[Kev18]

I also shoot with Both eyes open give it a try it gives a lot more field of view.

Pietro has the right idea

I tried... But i see all crooked, how do you so it...

[Drm50]

I have Venier sights for several lever guns. Also have tang sights too. You can't beat them for target shooting or shooting stationary game. I won't use one hunting anymore. I had one on a Rem RB 45/70. I jumped a deer and
snap shot it at about 40yds. I got the sight almost under my eye brow. I don't know whether me or the deer was leaving a bigger blood trail. At least I survived the deer didn't. That cured me of using them in the woods. I do have one on a 32/20 it don't kick. If you are a stalker that shoots running game they are not the best. Another reason is the way you have to lay your thumb upside the stock. To me it's unnatural. I have them just to have the full meal deal for the old originals. My sights are originals too.

[Walks]

I bought a Win 94 Trapper in 1981 when they first started making them again.

I put a Williams Fool Proof Peep Sight on it. It grouped into a 1/2" at 50yrds, into 1 1/4" at 100yrds with a Sierra 170gr FP. CALIF. has had an Hunting Regs Rule about J-B's only for Big Game since I got my first licence at 12yrs old in 1966.
Shocked me to find that kind of accuracy in a 16" bbl'd carbine.

I used it to fill my Deer tag the following 3 years in a row. Very short range. 50-60ft was a long shot. HEAVY Brush, moved easy-like down the deer trails, jump them out of their beds. Took out the Disc. Didn't have a problem shooting with both eyes open, as I do at the range. Guess live game made a difference for me.

[Texas by God]

They are not for me. I love reciever sights, though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Kev18]

They are not for me. I love reciever sights, though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Those look decent to but they all require to make holes in the receiver sadly. Alot of original rifles already have them on though.

[pietro]

I tried... But i see all crooked, how do you so it...


You sound like you're not sighting with your master eye.

When my right-handed son had difficulty aiming/shooting as a youth (he's over 50 Y.O. now), I tested him right there @ the range and found that he has a left master eye.

He's been shooting left-handed ever since, except for handguns.

Here's a video about how to determine your master eye: https://www.allaboutvision.com/video/dominant-eye.htm

.

[Kev18]

You sound like you're not sighting with your master eye.

When my right-handed son had difficulty aiming/shooting as a youth (he's over 50 Y.O. now), I tested him right there @ the range and found that he has a left master eye.

He's been shooting left-handed ever since, except for handguns.

Here's a video about how to determine your master eye: https://www.allaboutvision.com/video/dominant-eye.htm

.

Maybe, il give it a try with both eyes. Id have trouble shooting left handed.

[indian joe]

For target shooting I love them. For hunting not so much.

Same here - the best for target shooting - but messes up the grip (thumb over tang) for hunting or any quick shooting.

Williams (or similar) reciever sight good for quick stuff - take the disc out or drill it out bigger - so long as the aperture is close enough that you look through it and dont focus on it.

Have never tried an aperture style sight mounted forward of the action - dont think my eyes would work that way .

[frogleg]

I tried... But i see all crooked, how do you so it...
I guess I don’t really know, I just tried it one time and it worked for me. Both eyes open look through and ignore the aperture and put front sight on the target , Lots of practice. I shoot revolvers the same way both eyes open. Weird?

[Kev18]

I guess I don’t really know, I just tried it one time and it worked for me. Both eyes open look through and ignore the aperture and put front sight on the target , Lots of practice. I shoot revolvers the same way both eyes open. Weird?

Alittle weird ;)

[uscra112]

I have tang sights on several of my single-shot offhand target rifles. Can't feature having one on a lever gun, though. Ghost ring receiver sights work best for me in my 99s, scopes on my 336s. I even drilled out the rear peep on a Mini-14 that I once had, otherwise target acquisition was much, much too slow. Only instance I can think of where a tang sight would work for hunting would be on one of the big-cartridge black-powder Winchesters used out west where 200+ yard shots on stationary large game were the norm.

[pietro]

.

I would urge you to perform the test...……….. it'll only take a few seconds to find out - and your issue could well be something else.

At first, my son also found shooting from a different shoulder difficult, but with some practice, came to operate his firearms as easily as before.

BTW, he's currently doing the same thing, over 45 years after we went through the change - and, now, he regularly takes much more game than me (on the order of 5X more).

.

[onelight]

When I put the tang sight on my Rossi I replaced the rear sight with a folding leaf . The rear sight it is adjusted for 158 357s and the tang sight for 130 rnfp 38s.

[Savvy Jack]

I wanted one for my Marlin 1889 chambered for the 44-40 cartridge but I just could.t justify the cost or trying to shoot anything over 200 yards. I just can't see that good any more. I did get the Lyman tang sight and use it out to 100 yards.

246536

But for anything I really need to hit, I used my Winchester 73' with the Malcolm scope
246537


And for those 265 yard shots, I just gotta go with the bigger scope with the 1894CB....I am blind as a bat!!!

[Chill Wills]

Anyone own a lever gun with a vernier style sight on it? I have one coming in the mail and was wondering if anyone has tips and tricks or just a story to tell?[smilie=s:

The only reason I have used them on a lever rifle, and to be clear, using the vernier type rear sight as was asked in the first post, is to have 1/2 MOA repeatable adjustments for silhouette target matches. Often their size and overall shape do not allow the action to cycle with out folding the staff back by hand first. In other words, as in each round fired you have to fold the sight back and then open the action to unload and reload. Or else the action hits the sight staff. They are not very handy having one on a lever rifle for any other reason other than for very accurate adjustments in a match or load development.

The ugly receiver sight with its course adjustment (compared to the vernier) is a much better all round lever sight. The Marbles and the Lyman tang sights look cooler than the receiver sight for sure, but the hard to see hash marks on the small round staff are lacking for fine work.

[Texas by God]

I am right handed and right eye dominant. Due to severe shoulder problems I had to teach myself to shoot lefty or give up shooting. Rifle with scope was pretty easy, irons a little more difficult. Shotgun the hardest of all as I had to close my right eye to keep it from interfering. Too many people think they must look at the rear sight at the same time as the front. The secret to hitting with irons is - front sight , front sight, and front sight. Just look thru the peep, focus on the front sight and forget about the rear sight. Even the target can be a little blurry as long as the front sight is in focus. Works for me anyway, I hope my explanation makes sense. Thankfully, I got my shoulder overhauled and life is good. I’m not plinking with .460 Wby good, but good.

[Drm50]

I have Lyman 66s on several levers from 22 to 45/70. I wouldnt call them crude. I have other Lymans on BAs, Rem 141 & 81. I deer hunt with no aperature and all my front sights are Patridge blades. The rifles these sights are on are factory D&Ted. I won't drill a original old gun. I'm thinking seriously about having a Ruger #3 D&Ted for a reciever sight. I have a 1895 Marlin & 1894 in 44mg with Lyman 66 sights and they are legal Ohio deer guns. I would like to use the 375W with a reciever sight for deer. As far as ugly, some are. I have one 99Savage and trying to find a good reciever sight that doesn't look like a erector set is tough. I have trouble seeing the back sight on some of my rifles. The reciever sight cures that for me and I would say is faster to get on moving targets. I hunted Ohio with slugs since a kid and have a Brn A5 with a Redding reciever sight that I used to bag a lot of deer.

[indian joe]

The only reason I have used them on a lever rifle, and to be clear, using the vernier type rear sight as was asked in the first post, is to have 1/2 MOA repeatable adjustments for silhouette target matches. Often their size and overall shape do not allow the action to cycle with out folding the staff back by hand first. In other words, as in each round fired you have to fold the sight back and then open the action to unload and reload. Or else the action hits the sight staff. They are not very handy having one on a lever rifle for any other reason other than for very accurate adjustments in a match or load development.

The ugly receiver sight with its course adjustment (compared to the vernier) is a much better all round lever sight. The Marbles and the Lyman tang sights look cooler than the receiver sight for sure, but the hard to see hash marks on the small round staff are lacking for fine work.

I have (and have had) vernier tang sights on several lever rifles - never encountered your problem of the bolt hitting the sight staff - I would suggest someone sold you the wrong sight base for the rifle(s) in question.
Agree with your opine on reciever sight for levers - except that I have a 76 and an 86 that I do not want to drill holes in and do want to try them out for accurate shooting.

[Kev18]

Im still waiting for mine... I cant wait.

[Rick B]

Used the Lyman Tang Sights years ago. But after buying a Soule Sight for my Ballard in 40-65 WCF it would be hard to settle for anything less. Have a handful of MVA bases and a Schutzen and Mid Range Soule Sights, that I rotate around on some of my Leverguns. Both have the small Hadley Eyecup and are used to shoot NRA Levergun Silhouette Matches. Sight adjustments are very repeatable.
Rick

[Kev18]

I dont even shoot matches or anything. Just wanted one forever...

[Kev18]

I finally got it today!

[Michael J. Spangler]

I wanted one for my Marlin 1889 chambered for the 44-40 cartridge but I just could.t justify the cost or trying to shoot anything over 200 yards. I just can't see that good any more. I did get the Lyman tang sight and use it out to 100 yards.

246536

But for anything I really need to hit, I used my Winchester 73' with the Malcolm scope
246537


And for those 265 yard shots, I just gotta go with the bigger scope with the 1894CB....I am blind as a bat!!!


Yeah you obviously can't handle that 1889 with your poor eyesight. Send it to me and I'll make sure it gets treated properly. [smilie=s:

I was messing with one my buddy owns a couple nights ago. A nice clean 38/40 that someone chopped the mag tube down to hand guard length. He's going to remedy that this week and mount a full tube back onto it.
SWEET little rifle.

[Savvy Jack]

Yeah you obviously can't handle that 1889 with your poor eyesight. Send it to me and I'll make sure it gets treated properly. [smilie=s:

I was messing with one my buddy owns a couple nights ago. A nice clean 38/40 that someone chopped the mag tube down to hand guard length. He's going to remedy that this week and mount a full tube back onto it.
SWEET little rifle.

LOL, so true so true!!!

Did you notice the mag tube on the 89 in the photo? No mention of it being a button mag from the factory but it has been that way for 1,000 years!!!

[Kev18]

Do people make dovetail blanks when they cut the tubes? Usually theres a mag tube band at the end of the barrel.

[Michael J. Spangler]

LOL, so true so true!!!

Did you notice the mag tube on the 89 in the photo? No mention of it being a button mag from the factory but it has been that way for 1,000 years!!!


I didn’t notice that actually his is exactly like that. With the mag tube stud ground to a radius and left in the end of the barrel as a dovetail blank.
Does your have a filler in the barrel dovetail?