Peep Sight for Winchester 54 / Pre-64 Winchester 70, no wood removed

[Maverick223]

I want to get two apertures for different purposes. One for target / sighting / long shots that I can carry in my pocket, and another for general use. And i'm sure that I wouldn't drill a hole right through the center of the aperture I'd be trying to open up.

I understand that, but you can still drill it (both or just one) to get the desired light transmission without giving up precision. It is a relatively easy task, even without the aid of a drill press.

I really like the idea of using a buff. nickel for a slot blank. That might be just the ticket for my 1885 Highwall (which is equipped with a receiver sight).

 

[jjjjeremy]

I'll post some pictures once I have the nickel installed. If you want to give it a try for yourself, here's a link to the buffalo nickels

 

[mgkdrgn]

+1 on the Skinners ... I have one on my Rossi M92. They are plenty adjustable for the ranges that you will be using iron sights for. And yes, you can get multiple apertures and carry them in your pocket. Take all of 20 seconds to take off the old and put on the new.

 

[Maverick223]

I'll post some pictures once I have the nickel installed.

Please do, if all goes well I think I might pick up a couple of the new 2005 buff. nickels to try on my M-1885 and/or Browning 1895.

 

[jjjjeremy]

The moment you all've been waiting for . . . (yeah right). I put in one dark photo to show the contrast.

The nickel installation was pretty simple. I just lightly scribed two parallel lines 9/32" apart (the distance at the height of the dovetail) on the buffalo side, framing the part of the buffalo that I wanted to show. Then I heavily scribed two lines 3/8" apart, on the outside of the first lines. I put the nickel between two pieces of thin rubber in a vice, and took the hacksaw to it, cutting just outside the heavily scribed lines. Then, I filed down the corners on the buffalo side, until I hit the lightly scribed line. I rounded off the corners, because the nickel is wider than the dovetail slot, and the image that I wanted wasn't in the exact center of the coin. For fitting. I filed judiciously until it jammed in after about 5 taps with a wooden mallet and an aluminum-tipped bit driver. (I know, I know, wrong tool / wrong job).

If/when you do this, make sure that you always file parallel to your cuts. I did a few swipes perpendicular to the cuts, and went a little deep. Also, make sure that you don't use too much force when putting the coin into the slot.

Wow. I just had a much better idea than what I did. Next time, I'll scribe two 9/32 lines into the side of the coin that I don't want to see, file down that side of the coin outside of the scribed lines, and then tap the whole coin into the slot. There will be a gap under the coin, but I think it'd look pretty sweet!

Now I'll have to start looking around for a 1936 Buffalo nickel to match my rifle!

 

[Maverick223]

Thanks for the update; might I suggest one of the new 2005 buff nickels? They should be a little sharper, aren't very costly, and not that difficult to find.

 

[jjjjeremy]

I thought of using a new Buffalo nickel, because I didn't want to start cutting up a coin went out of production 75 years ago. I went with a low grade old nickel because they are extremely plentiful, and because they match the time period of my rifle.

 

[SwampWolf]

That Redfield sight is even cooler than the nickel. Did it mount without drilling/tapping or removing wood?

 

[jjjjeremy]

Yeah, sight went in without a (real) problem. A first, the sight wasn't fitting flush, but then I realized that one of the screw plugs for the side-mount scope was pushing it up. Once I took out that plug, everything was fine. Even better, the sight covers up that hole!

 

[jjjjeremy]

Actually, instead of just filing down a coin, because the coin is relatively thin it would probably be easier, and look better, if one just got an empty slot blank, and soldered the coin to it.

 

[K-Swift]

For the record, the model number for the original Redfield that doesn't need wood removed is the 70W:

Redfield 70W Micrometer for Winchester 54 & 70

 

[jjjjeremy]

That's a different sight, which will probably also fit. The sight that I bought was the Redfield TR-W.

 

[jjjjeremy]

and B.I.N. for $150? That's 6 times what I paid for mine! Lyman 48s don't even sell for that much, and there's an extremely high demand for the few complete sights that are still out there.

 

[skidder]

Howdy,

My father-in-law recently gave my wife a rifle. Here are some pics, it's a 1930 model 54 30-30 carbine with a Williams peep sight. When he returned from Vietnam he purchased it for $60 at a gun shop. I thought you might be interested, it looks like there was a small piece of the stock removed to accommodate the Williams sight (just a couple slivers).

 

[jjjjeremy]

That's a beauty! A .30-30 carbine? Hold on to it!