Lever action rear sight steps

[Hickok]

Been out shooting some of my lever action carbines. These rifles are pure fun to plink and shoot with...many of you already know!

Would like to know of anyone else's experience with the rear iron sights and the the "step" ladder adjustment.

Just my findings with various Winchesters and Marlins using the iron sights. These are all 20" carbines, various calibers, .357, .44, and 30/30. I realize this can vary due to caliber and velocity, but I am making a generalization, so the + and - factor can vary.

I also know some iron sights have a fine adjustment with a small window that is screw-held allowing fine elevation tuning, but I am considering only the "steps" or course adjustment of the rear sight. Some Winchester 1892's and Marlin 1894's and 1895's only a course adjustment, no fine adjustment via a set screw and a small window.

I find that one "click" or "step" on the carbine iron rear sight is about 2" @ 50 yards and 4" @ 100 yards. In effect, course adjustment is 4 minute of angle per step.

On my Skinner peeps, 1/2 turn of the peep is about 1 inch @ 50 and 2 inches @ 100 yards.

I have to say something about the Marbles rear iron-sights with the stamped-out metal adjuster that rides under and up both sides of the sight, i.e. with steps or teeth on both sides.

On .44 mags and carbines with some recoil, the sight will not hold zero, as the slide-adjuster moves under recoil. The teeth or steps are too short, (not tall enough) on the first 2 or 3 notches to hold fast. Yes, I have heard you can file the notches deeper, but that doesn't work when the sight itself wont go deep enough to engage the notches. I have tried bending the sight itself to create more tension and a different angle on the slide/notches, but that did not work.

The only solution is put the sight adjuster/slide up in elevation 4 or 5 steps where it allows the sight to engage the notches, and then fine tune the zero with the little metal sight window and set screw.

Marbles simply needs to make the stamped metal sight-adjuster/ladder with taller and more precise teeth/notches. Until they do, I relegate their rear sights to the junk box.

I like peeps and tang sights, but sometimes I prefer irons.

[pietro]

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FWIW, the rifle can also be sighted-in on one of the steps. with the POI a tad low, then file that step down (baby steps) until true zero is achieved.

[HWooldridge]

Older barrel-mounted rear sights tend to have a single blade elevator with the "teeth" cut deeper. I agree that the type made from thin sheet steel tend to be flimsier.

My "El Tigre" Spanish copy of the '92 Winchester has a rear ladder sight with a spring-loaded plunger that locks into predetermined notches. However, I have never shot it past 150 yds so I don't know how accurate the settings are at distance.

[Eddie Southgate]

For me the best factory sight is the three blade on my 1911 94 Winchester SRC in .32 WS . 50 -100-200 I believe is the way it is marked . It's the only one of the factory sights that my old eyes can see well enough to use and the first two blades are good for the stated distances. They are hard to find, most you find are broke and expensive even then. Somebody needs to make a good reproduction of them that you can actually afford and find . Dixie Gun works has listed one for a good long while but it is $199 and perpetually out of stock even at that price.

[Firesubie]

On my Skinner peeps, 1/2 turn of the peep is about 1 inch @ 50 and 2 inches @ 100 yards.

I have become quite the fan of Skinner's peep sights and other products. I never knew this about the effect on POI per 1/2 turn. Thanks for that!

[Kai]

For me the best factory sight is the three blade on my 1911 94 Winchester SRC in .32 WS . 50 -100-200 I believe is the way it is marked . It's the only one of the factory sights that my old eyes can see well enough to use and the first two blades are good for the stated distances. They are hard to find, most you find are broke and expensive even then. Somebody needs to make a good reproduction of them that you can actually afford and find . Dixie Gun works has listed one for a good long while but it is $199 and perpetually out of stock even at that price.

I agree, the express sight you speak of is quite the handy sight and is easy to see.