Are peep sights a thing of the past on a lever gun?

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JeffG said:
It's not that peep sights aren't effective, they just don't make the sporting industry buckets of money.
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That is very true. Even the tang mounted beauties that are rather pricey can't compare to the quality glass and reflects price points.
This new breed of sportsman that are taking game animals at farther distances all the time with rifles and rounds capable of doing so are standing in line to buy the best available that money can buy. The sport of Long Range Precision shooting gets their fair share as well.
I have nothing against those niches but I wish they would remember that the original hunting skills of stalk and take your prey at sniffing range is still part of the sport also never quit making peep sights.
Happy shooting!
 
brutus51 said:
In my humble opinion putting a scope on a lever gun is akin to putting ketchup on a prime rib.
I'm an old guy with failing eyesight but all my lever guns are equipped with Williams peeps, wouldn't have it any other way. :D[/QUOTE

Thanks for supporting my thoughts on it as well brother!
Happy shooting!
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for the old guys here or others with poor sight, and some can have problems with peeps. if you use a blinder it will help with the guys brains that don't like peeps. there easy to make to, use some plastic milk jug and make a hole that will fit over the threads where the peeps apachure screws in. make it about 1 or 2 inches round and use in front of your non dominant eye. they make one that go on hats to.
gunstar-eye-blinder.jpg
 
Most of us old guys know and appreciate peep, ( aperture ) sights but I admit that my 30-30 lever gun still has a 1-4x Leupold on it. But a lot of older shooters still haven't discovered the value of them yet. I made this discovery by accident while playing with a little Savage Rascal single shot 22 youth gun that I picked up for the step grand kids. It comes standard with a nice little adjustable rear peep. At the range lots of folks want to try that "cute" little rifle; some adults get more fun out of it than kids and I'm surprised at all the compliments the peep sight gets. Lots of them never used a peep and they immediately like it. Most of my aperture sight use involves an M-1 Garand and an M-1A and they still work great for aging eyes. For woods hunting where my scoped 30-30 lever gun is mostly set at about 2x I've begun to think I could do just as well with a good peep. A good set of peeps would also be a nice addition and a lot of fun on my Henry 22 lever gun. As shooters age I believe peeps could have a good future instead of being considered a thing of the past. Here's the peep on that Rascal : IMG_0854.JPG
 
JeffG said:
It's not that peep sights aren't effective, they just don't make the sporting industry buckets of money.
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I remember one gun shop... they actually got mad at me because I wanted sights on my rifles. All it was... they didn't get to sell me a $300 scope plus an expensive mount system. I quit going in there a long time ago.
 
They’re not dead. They are a great sight arrangement. I think most younger or newer shooters like to rely on optics is all. And most guns don’t come with stock peep sights, so standard sights is all they know. Heck, most target rifles use tandem aperture sights because they work very well.
 
Jessesky said:
They’re not dead. They are a great sight arrangement. I think most younger or newer shooters like to rely on optics is all. And most guns don’t come with stock peep sights, so standard sights is all they know. Heck, most target rifles use tandem aperture sights because they work very well.
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A long time ago, I got to look through a set of match sights like that. It was a nicely sporterized '03A3. The owner did all the work himself. He was explaining to me that at 100yds the SR1 target is supposed to fill the front globe. Same for the other SR targets at their respective distances. At that club, though, we were shooting 100yd rifle matches... with aperture sights... using the 25yd pistol target which is much smaller.
 
Matthew Clark said:
By no means would I want to insult you, but I am inclined to believe you are a more "experienced" shooter. Would you say that the use of peep sights has become more difficult with time? I am 55 now and exhibit no problems with peep sights but I am concerned as that I gain "experience" as time goes on my ability to use them may decline.
I much prefer the peep sight to a scope on a lever gun intended for heavy cover and woods range work. It would sadden me to have to go to a scope or reflect sight of some sort.
If I have misread the situation I humbly appologiz. I really wasn't trying to insinuate anything, just trying to listen to the voice of experience.
Happy shooting!
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No insult taken. In fact I'm quite proud to have achieved the age I have and still be able to get out and about and enjoy myself. I consider 81 1/2 trips around the sun quite an accomplishment, especially since I can still hear fairly well (my wife might argue about that but it's handy at times) and see quite well with my progressive eyewear help.

I still do pretty good with peep sights but better with scopes and I have always had that result even back in my young years with really good vision. At 55 you are just getting started on the road to decline in my experience. It's nothing to be ashamed of as it happens to everyone, some quicker and worse than others. I wouldn't spend any time worrying about it and enjoy doing what you wish as long as you can. Happy shooting back to you and may you have many more years of it.

I too find scopes on certain rifles to look wrong, weird, out of place, or whatever you want to call it and that is why I persist in using peep and even some v-notch rear sights. Down the road if things change enough sight wise I'll give up and install scopes. I won't quit shooting as long as I can get out of the house and lift a gun. In fact this winter has seen quite a bit of new stuff show up that I'm eager to try out if the weather will start co-operating a little bit.
 
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doubleh said:
No insult taken. In fact I'm quite proud to have achieved the age I have and still be able to get out and about and enjoy myself. I consider 81 1/2 trips around the sun quite an accomplishment,
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Thanks, and that's quite an accomplishment indeed my friend.
I can only hope I make it near that.

Thanks for the encouragement and advice. The voice of experience is usually a wise one to listen to.
Many more days of happy shooting to you as well sir!
 
Matthew Clark said:
... Anyone else still using peep sights on anything!? ...
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Aside from my ARs, FR-8, M1s, M1Carbines, M14s, 03A3s, M1917s, FALs, CETME Cs, Nº4s, Nº5 and Mini-14? ;)

When I found my Marlin 1894S at the Medina, OH gunshow in 1988, the very first accessory that I bought for it was a Williams 5D rear aperture sight ... still shoots great, btw. :)
 
LoonWulf said:
If it cant wear a scope, or dot, it MUST wear a peep.....given the option tho ill always take a scope.
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I can respect your choices and still favor a peep for a lever gun for me.

I have found that fiber optic front
sights are not far from giving the appearance of a non magnified dot sight in the sight picture. The field of view is the advantage with the peep for me. I can see all around to acquire my target before I shift concentration to the front sight and bang flop!

Thanks for chiming in, always good to hear LoonWulf in a discussion.
Happy shooting!
 
9EC91506-17E1-462A-86B1-E0D4D7A0549E.jpeg A2E0BB36-3F0D-4B36-9F60-007956890350.jpeg
This is one of my favorite sight setups. It’s on a 26” Winchester 94. It was a post 64 so I had it bored to 30-30 ackley
mustanger98 said:
A long time ago, I got to look through a set of match sights like that. It was a nicely sporterized '03A3. The owner did all the work himself. He was explaining to me that at 100yds the SR1 target is supposed to fill the front globe. Same for the other SR targets at their respective distances. At that club, though, we were shooting 100yd rifle matches... with aperture sights... using the 25yd pistol target which is much smaller.
Click to expand...
 
The biggest advantage of the aperture sight for me is that it maintains the flat profile, easy handling characteristics and light weight that makes a lever gun desirable in dense woods. Add a scope and most of that goes away.
As a side note, while I own 2 AR15's my go to assault rifle is a .44mag. Marlin with a Williams aperture.:neener:
 
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Matthew Clark said:
I have found that fiber optic front
sights are not far from giving the appearance of a non magnified dot sight in the sight picture. The field of view is the advantage with the peep for me. I can see all around to acquire my target before I shift concentration to the front sight and bang flop!
Click to expand...

For some reason i can't see irons worth a damn, but fiber fronts help.
I've got them on my pistols, and before I sold my Rossi 92 I was going to install a fiber front to go with the peep rear.

Admittedly I envy you guys who can shoot them! Keep at it!
 
My eyes are 66 years old and my Rx is trifocal progressive. I use aperture sights on my Mini 14,AR 556 and #5 Enfield. In my case they are very effective to around 100 -150 yards and equate to a x2 scope. I would not want to add a scope any of the above carbines. I presently trying to decide whether to add a Marble's tang sight to my Winchester (Mir) 1873,removing the ladder sight and replacing it with a dovetail blank. I also find it easier to aim with both eyes open using one.
 
Putting a receiver peep and a good globe front sight might be a great combination, but it isn’t as versatile as a low power variable scope, and usually costs more. Even as short as 20yrs ago, that wasn’t true. A guy could have a peep installed for less than a third what they’d spend for even a moderate quality LPVO. Today, that’s not the case.

My eyes are shot. I enjoy my leverguns, but I enjoy them a lot more when I can get full utility of their range, and actually see what I’m trying to hit.
 
LoonWulf said:
For some reason i can't see irons worth a damn, but fiber fronts help.
I've got them on my pistols, and before I sold my Rossi 92 I was going to install a fiber front to go with the peep rear.

Admittedly I envy you guys who can shoot them! Keep at it!
Click to expand...
i think like scopes sights and peeps are subjective. i know you see better with the new leupolds i see better with the older ones. same with sights and how your eyes work. you can remove the peep insert for a ghost ring that helps some guys.
 
Regarding post #43, I think the price of better quality aperture sight systems may be because, while more hunters are using scopes, most probably think of tang sights in particular as a pre-1900 cowboy action thing. Old news making it a narrower market.

Another interesting gun shop experience I had a few years back... different shop to my last comment... a supposed gunsmith stood there and told me with a straight face that "peep sights and Kentucky windage don't work anymore." In this case, he was trying to talk me out of $1200 for a scope with a 1000yd grid.
 
Matthew Clark said:
Am I a dying breed who still use peep sights?
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No, for whitetail hunting, if I am using a rifle, it has peeps on it. Very accurate for my hunting needs and conditions here in Northern Minnesota..
Unlike the guys I hunt with (all have scopes), rain and snow or fogging has not given me a problem...........Just saying.
 
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