Sight Options for H001...Here is the Answer

[whiskey101]

YES...You can replace the plastic parts on your new H001. You can order metal replacements directly from Henry. These are not STEEL but are painted metal and match the receiver of the H001. There are other options as described below.

After trying the Williams Fool Proof on my H001 and finding that the factory sight was too short and that there was no easy solution to replacing it I starting looking for other options. I wanted something that did not require any drilling, tapping or machining. I ended up going with a Williams WDOS dovetail base to replace the factory rear buckhorn sight. The base comes without a sight blade so that you can choose the blade to suite you best.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=211355

Williams has blades in various notch configurations. I went with the 3/16” “U” notch to mate with the white dot front sight. The factory white dot front sight is the metal replacement from Henry ($10.00) and, to me, is better than the supplied plastic sight.

This link shows the 3/16 “U” notch that goes with the WDOS base, but when I ordered this from midway I actually got a 3/16” “U” notch blade and base to fit a Williams WGOS which is a little different but I just removed the base and used the blade.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=475030

If you are using the factory plastic sight you may want to order the square notch blade.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=132349

In either case I recommend the 3/16” height unless you have your factory sights elevated very high to get zeroed. I am using the 3/16” blade and have the base nearly bottomed out. It is nice to me because it that way the sight is as low to the gun as possible and less likely to snag on things.


Ghost Ring option that will work with the base above. Not sure how this will work with the factory front sight.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=496762

If you want a rear fiber optic sight, then any number of the Williams rear blades like the one in the picture in this link will also work with the WDOS base.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=119767

I hope this helps people like myself that want to keep a sleek iron sight set up on their H001.

[whiskey101]

The History...

I was looking for a taller front sight option to use with a williams fool proof peep sight. No one makes these yet. The H001 comes from the factory with the plastic front sight. Henry offers a "metal" replacement sight that is painted "metal" with a white dot front post. I ordered one of these the same day I bought my H001. The factory metal sight is not bad, but not great. I found this STEEL front sight that was made to look like an old winchester front sight.

First let me say that the deal went great. Only positive things to say about the seller. The front sight I received is all STEEL and is blued. This seller was selling these on ebay and gunbroker. He is a poster on Glocktalk and you may find him there. He goes by CNCman on Rimfirecentral.

Things I like about the sight:
1. All steel
2. Blued
3. Price (25.00 delivered)
4. Seller...good business transaction

Things I don't like:
1. The sight blade is not flat on top. Mine has a very slight slant from right to left. This is easily fixed with 5 mins and a file.

2. The blade width. It is sturdy, but it is as least as wide as the factory metal sight. It is also a tapered blade which doesn't suit me as well as a straight sided blade. It won't bend on you, that is for sure.

3. The screw hole is a little rougharound the top. This is a CNC program issue. The base should be a little wider to keep the screw hole was from breaking near the top where the metal was machined too thin.

Finally...

The sight is an authentic looking, all steel replacement for the factory plastic sight. The seller is a stand up guy that offered a smooth transaction. The sight is an improvement over the factory plastic. Unfortunately this sight is not exactly what I was hoping for. I was dreaming of a thin post steel sight that would allow some fine shooting with .22LR. The metal work is a little rough to me but I will offer a disclaimer about this. I understand that this is one of the first samples and perhaps the uneven top on mine is not the norm. The amount of slant is slight enough that I believe many would not bother fixing the problem.

I put the steel front sight on the gun and compared it to the Henry metal replacement. I will stick with the Henry metal sight for now. I will do some file work on the front blade of the steel sight and hopefully I can shape it like what I am looking for and then add a brass rod to the top and make it tall enough to use with the williams fool proof peep.

[whiskey101]

WDOS Rear Sight for Henry H001




Willliams Fool Proof Receiver Sight

[whiskey101]

Here is another nice receiver sight option:

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=22148&title=RIMFIRE+RECEIVER+SIGHT

[Rangr44]

Here's another option:

[30-06man]

Ranger44 isn't that a peep site that came from Henry?

[Rangr44]

Nope.  It's a Williams WM-96 Peep that I modified.
 
The "modification" consisted of drilling a hole through the sight's front tongue for a single attachment screw - for which I D/T'd the receiver top (6-48).

The sight lies flat, has no side overhangs, is adjustable for W&E - and easily zeroed @ 50yds with the issue front sight.

BTW - The tip of the elevation adj screw bears in a dimple I made in the receiver top - which secures the sight body from any inadvertant sideways movement.

The aperture liner is a white line spacer from a Q.D. sling swivel set.

AFAIK, I've never seen any reference to Henry making or supplying a peep of their own.

[30-06man]

I could have sworn I seen one in last years catalog but I guess I was wrong.

[whiskey101]

Rangr44,

I love your idea. I have been trying to get up the courage to do the D/T on my gun.

[Rangr44]

Thanks.   Although I did my own, there's no courage req'd to hand the gun and a $20 bill to a gunsmith for 15 minutes. 

Just be sure either a 6-48 or 8-32 screw is used, so a standard scope mount plug screw can be used if the sight's later removed.  Most folks, looking at it, wouldn't even know the difference.

[SJB]

Thanks for the information. Could you post a close-up  picture of the front sight and 'new' barrel band? Thanks again for listing  Williams sight model numbers.

[Rangr44]

There's nothing new about the front sight/barrel band on my rifle, unless you count the dollop of orange Bright Sights paint I added to the rear face of the issue plastic sight blade.

.

[Rangr44]

Another alternative - A lightweight, VERY inexpensive (under $10), electronic point sight (red dot) :



(EDITED 9/12/08:This red dot doesn't work on this rifle for me, although YMMV.  This dot's line-of-sight is so high that I found I had to raise my head off the stock to see the dot - a "no-no".  I'll stick with the minimal peep. )

.