Winchester 94 and tang or peep sights.

[HappyHunter]

I have three Winchesters that I want to play with.  All are 94's with 24 inch barrels and crossbolt safety.

One is a .357 with a Williams FP Sight with peep apeture.  I like this very much, and want to change the front sight and was considering a brass bead.  This gun will be used for target work, and plinking.

Second is a 45 colt and has stock sights, this gun will be used for plinking and possibly hunting with the new laws that are coming to Indiana.

Third is a 44 mag and has stock sights as well, this will be used for hunting whitetail in 2007.

I am considering a tang sight on the 45 colt and another Williams FP on the 44 mag. 

I would appreceate the advice of anyone,  what combination do you like?

Thanks,

Fred

[LEO]

On a hunting rifle the FP to me is the better choice, it is lower profile, less likely to snag, and more durable plus it is always in position and ready to use. The rifles you mention are all short range affairs and for hunting purposes the added accuracy of the tang is not relevent, and in my opinion the negatives out weight the benefits.  For a pure target rifle, I like the tang sight, it gives a longer sight radius and for me better accuracy, plus I like the way the rifle looks with a tang sight on it.  Also for hunting you might want to consider a low magnification scope, this will give you about 30 minutes more hunting time each day in my experence because in a lot of places where I hunt, it is still legal shooting hours but with open sights, I can't get enough definintion to shoot.  With the scope, you can still pick out the crosshairs and place them on the deer.  I know some people refuse to scope a lever action and that is fine, not all of mine are but generally when I am sitting a stand, I will have a scoped rifle and if I am still hunting/stalking I will have an open sighted rifle.  Hope this helps you

[Will Bison]

For the past 50 years I have opted for Marbles or Lyman tang sights. They fold down when not in use and are quick to pop up when needed. The extra sight radius is a plus for accurate shots. YOU must be the judge of what is comfortable for YOU.

I know many people who hate all types of peep sights. I like tang sights, I dislike scopes. That's just my preference.

"Try before you buy".

Bill

[Mikey]

I have a Lyman #2 tang sight mounted on my 94AE in 444.  Great field of view and excellent accuracy out to as far as I can hold the front blade on the target.  JMHO and HTH.  Mikey.

[HappyHunter]

Hey Mikey,

What front blade do you have on that?  I was considering a brass bead.

Thanks,

Fred

[Mikey]

Fred - I purchased the front sight blade from Brownells - I forget the width but they have a 'blank' (an overheight blade that is factory width) for Winchester front sights that I used and just kep working it down until she hit dead on the money (actually, about 2" high to hit the bull with a 6:00 hold at 100 m) with the rear sight peep bottomed out.  After that it was just a matter of finding the correct elevation for longer range shooting.  I prefer the blade for target shooting as well - that bead front sight will cover a 4" circle at 100m.  By holding the top of my blade at 6:00 on the bull I can see the full target.  HTH.  Mikey.

[HappyHunter]

Thanks Mikey,

Sounds like the 6 o clock hold popular to bullseye shooting.

Fred

[ScoutMan]

Mikey is correct.

 Moreover the 6 o'clock hold works as well in the field. Hold at 6 o'clock on the vital zone of your target so that the rifle is zeroed to hit the center of the target vital zone. The advantage: with no horizontal adjustment, the entire vital zone is always visible, like the bull's eye is in target shooting.

[Mikey]

Soutman:  Absolutely.  Mikey.

[Swamp Yankee]

HH,
    I have a 94 with a Williams FP and a Henry with a Marbles, both are quality sights. The marbles has one draw back. It is located right where you would rap your thumb around the wrist of the stock. The Marbles will give you more elevation than the FP. If you select a bead, make sure you get a small one [1/16] the larger ones will cover a small target.......Jim

[Castaway]

I have a Trapper with a Marbles tang and a front sight with a dab of white nail polish.  Had a Williams Fire Sight on the front but didn't like it.  I can see the white much better in low light.  As far as a Lyman goes, the # 2 has a wobble to it when erected.   Tried two of them and looked at a few at the local range and they all werre loose.  The Marble on the other hand is rock solid and also give the added benefit of having windage adjustment.

[Mikey]

Castaway:  you are correct about the Lymans - they seem to have a wobble to them.  I attribute that to the elevation screw and post, and corrected that with some plumers tape.  She's pretty solid now.  HTH.  Mikey.

[HappyHunter]

The 94 I have is a 24 inch Legacy, with a crossbolt safty.

I now plan to go with a Marbles tang sight (I want the windage adjustment).  My tang has one screw at bottom.  This screw is removed and screw hole will be used to secure the bottom of sight.  I assume it will be necessary to drill and tap the top hole. 

I am mechanically inclined and can come up with the correct screw, tap and drill bit.  As for centering this screw does anybody have any suggestions.

Thanks,

Fred

[Castaway]

Mikey, I kept a roll of teflon tape to minimize the wobble but never got it to where it was acceptable.  HappyHunter, yes, the tang will need to be drilled and tapped.

[Fiftybelow]

As far as drilling and tapping the tang, to get it right, it needs to be done on a mill . Finding the center is one thing but getting that drill bit to actually drill where you want it is another thing. It will want to walk around before it starts cutting. a center punch will help but having  the gun secured and keeping that drill perfectly perpendicular to the tang will be necessary to get the hole straight.A mill will also help finding the center.
                                             Thanks, Chris