Peep sights again...

[calling4life]

I've read on some of the other threads on this, looked at the websites, and still am at a loss for which I want.

Here is what I want/would like:  Accuracy, something I can put on, something that adjusts easy to sight in.  The current sights have to be tapped with a hammer, this doesn't scream fine adjustment to me.  I don't need something I can adjust for windage or elevation on the fly, I want it sighted in, I'll use holdover for the rest, but if the sight has this, it definitely wont bother me. 

Looking at Williams, and Skinner, I can't quite get the details I would like on them, so if some of you that own them could shine some light on this, and give me what you like, I would appreciate it. 

I am running the Marlin 1895 classic.  I would also like to know what some of you guys run for a front sight, I'd like a finer bead, the crosshair front sights are intriguing as well.

Thank you,
Brett

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  4, Over the years I had a bunch of Williams 5D peeps. they are side mounted, and adj. for windage, and elevation. No clicks, you loosen 2 screws and slide the sight either up and down or left and right. Once you have it positoned tighten the screws and try a shot. Not as easy as one with clicks, but far less expensive. I bought some for $5.00, you won't do that today. But they stay zeroed, and there is one screw to loosen to slide the peep out of the base. It has a screw also to permit you to return it to the exact spot and it is sighted in. This sounds more complicated than it is. I am not sure if your rifle is tapped for this or not. All of the Marlins I have, have to little set screws in the side, all one needs is to remove them, put the base on and sight in. Also for the front sight. They are usually pretty large. I had a fine bead put on a .25-20. It was perfect for fine shooting, but let my pal have it, now he won't sell. You just need to locate a gunsmith with parts and look over some front beads.

[wreckhog]

4, Over the years I had a bunch of Williams 5D peeps. .....I bought some for $5.00

5D meant $5. Gotta love that.

[Brian in FL]

I'd go with a Williams FP. It costs more than a 5D but has click adjustments that are very easy and precise.

[Rangr44]

The Lyman 66 and Williams FP (FoolProof) are "click" adjustable for W&E, and both are available either as screwdriver adjustable only or with the finger adjustable "Target knobs".
The Lyman is a side-mount IIRC, and the FP is available is both side and top mount versions for your rifle.

Side mounted peep sights utilize two holes, sometimes factory prepped, in the left/rear receiver wall, while top mounted peeps usually avail themselves of scope mount screw holes.

The Williams 5D sight is a side-mounted sight, and as posted above, is a slide-adjustment, held via grubscrew(s) - Truely, a "set 'n forget" sight.

The top  mount Skinner sights are screw adjustable for windage, and elevation is adjusted via screwing the peep stem up/down, and locking it in place with it's locking ring.
 
Williams also makes an economy top mount peep, the WGRS (Williams Guide Receiver Sight) - it adjusts similarly to the 5D peep.

XS Sights also makes a top mount peep, adjustable exactly like the Skinner.

ALL top mounted peep sights will require a commensurately higher than issue front sight blade, in order to zero the rifle - w/o it, the shots will impact too high with the peep adjusted all the way down.

Don't forget to replace the barrel rear sight with a slot filler blank, either bought or made from an old open sight - so you will have a good/clean sight picture through the peep.

A last "peep" alternative would be a tang peep sight - either a Lyman #2 or a twice as expensive but click adjustable Marble's tang sight.
A tang sight can use the issue height front sight, and if the rear barrel sight is switched out for a folder, the tanger can be zeroed for long range and the barrel sight for short range snap shooting.
I've always had ample time to fold my barrel sight and raise the tanger for a long shot, while rough hunting with the barrel sight up and the tanger folded.

[calling4life]

I don't mind paying a little more, I think the FP is $85 with the target knobs.  Skinners are around $50 If I remember correct.  That isn't a problem for me.

However, I don't have screws on the side, so I don't know that a side mounted one would work without gunsmithing. But both the skinner and FP are top mountable if I read the responses correct so far, so they should work fine.

So with these two being top mounted, I would definitely need a new front sight???  Did I read that correctly...

I will have to look further into those as well.  I assume the williams firesight front bead, or even Their combo FP with firesight would work pretty perfectly, this might make things easiest on me and be a good way to go. 

Please let me know if I am on the right track with these final thoughts, any ongoing opinions on these two sight systems would be very much appreciated. 
Thank you gentleman that have responded so far, it has been helpful.

[oldyardog]

I have 3 rifles using the 5D sight. Two 1894 Marlins and 1 94 Win. All 3 use the front sight that came on the gun as stock. Am lookig into putting one on a Rossi if I can find a local gunsmith that will do it.



Oldyardog

[Jacko]

I bought a Williams FP336 and a set of target knobs for it to put on my 1894 Marlin . The FP 336 will mount on your 1895 using the existing scope bases holes that are already taped into the top of your receiver . Williams sell a package that includes a Firesight front bead as well . Cant tell you how it shoots as I am still waiting on delivery of the rifle .

I have a Lyman Tang sight on my .357 mag Rossi and it enables me to shoot out targets at 200 yards with pretty good accuracy . I did have a Skinner dovetail mounted rear peep and front blade on the Rossi  but found the lack of easy adjustability a bit of an issue with the trajectory of the .357 mag beyond 100 yards hence my swap out to the Tang sight . The Skinners are great sights if you are content to set and forget them for shooting up to 100 yards .

I put the Skinner set on my Marlin bolt action .22 magnum and they work a treat on it . I also have a Lyman 17A Globe sight that will be going on the Rossi this weekend , the finer sight incerts should help me aim smaller , miss smaller . The 1894 .44 mag will see duty as my go too hunting rifle and I will be shopping around for a suitably fine brass or ivory bead to compliment the FP336 .

regards Jacko

[Rangr44]

[I don't have screws on the side, so I don't know that a side mounted one would work without gunsmithing.]

Your rifle would need to be D/T'd for any side-mount peep.


[the skinner and FP are top mountable  so they should work fine.]

Yes, but Williams also makes TWO top-mounted peeps - besides the FP, the WGRS is similar to the Skinner.

 
[So with these two being top mounted, I would definitely need a new front sight???  Did I read that correctly..]

Yes - A higher than issue front sight blade.

[I assume the williams firesight front bead, or even Their combo FP with firesight would work pretty perfectly, this might make things easiest on me and be a good way to go.]

The "no-brainer", for you, would be the Williams #70282 FireSight FP set - which has the top-mount FP for your rifle. Williams will furnish the FireSight front sight in the proper/higher config needed with their peep, when you buy the set.

An alternative is the top-mount Williams #70861 Firesight 5D peep set, exactly as above, but with the less expensive peep, although grub screw adjustments ILO click adjustable.

BTW - Don't neglect to also order a rear sight dovetail slot filler blank (not included in the FireSight Set), and remove the rear barrel sight for a clean sight picture through the peep.

. 

[calling4life]

I wont, and thank you gentleman very much. 

I'll be figuring out which to go with and getting out to tenderize some paper.

THANK YOU

[zoner]

i do not have a marlin levergun....but do have a m94 winchester. Mine is set up with a lyman tang sight....it'll work with the factory bead but i replaced mine with a post.i can index elevation much better with the post...i use the front sight for windage adjusments...just another way to go with a peep on a levergun.......Mike

[3leggedturtle]

i have the williams FP with firesight that mounts in the scope base holes. on my 1895SS shoots 1" at 50 yards and 1.5" at 100 yards . and with the fold down rear sight you have an emergency backup sight if the wosre happens. Tho would take a good hit or fall to mess up the peep.

[Swamp Rat]

I had a Marbles Tang but did not want/need all the windage/elevation adjustment and have switched to a skinner LowPro and took a file to the factory bead and planed it into a flat blade(and then painted flat black) for a fine sight. Currently I have a Williams Firesight and do not like it, beyond 25yrds it covers too much of the target(about 30"@100yrds).

Hyperextended my knee day before last so I can't get out to the shop for pics, give me a couple days and I will get some.


(My Skinner is mounted in the rearmost hole and is blued)


EDITED FOR SPEELING

[calling4life]

I just got mine in the mail, I ended up going with Skinner myself.  I don't know how many times I looked at his site, and for some reason I never managed to see that he had a front blade for my gun as well. 

Got to talking to him, got the reasoning behind why he uses just a black blade for the front sight, what he would suggest for my situation etc... 

Just seemed like good reasoning behind why he does what he does, I liked the ideas behind it, agreed, and so I went with his peep.  I did get the fullsize peep with his front blade. 

Have to get it all mounted up and put in place, then I'll go out and blast away.

Thanks to you gents for the help, you got me pointed where I needed to go.

[mannyrock]

  Callin,

     Just a note of caution for you here.  There are no peep sights that are "easy" to adjust up and down, and sideways.  Peepsites are alot different than scopes.  With scopes, you can shoot 3 shots, check the center, and then do easy clicks up or down on the scope dials, and the entire group immediately shifts in a pre-determined amount. 

    Peep sights are different.  They are iron sights, and as such, you really have to take your time. Your eyes really get tired fast, and it is hard to focus and unfocus repeatedly in shooting your groups.   Depending on how your eyes work, and how strong or weak they are, you could shift the rear sight a few clicks in the correct direction, and see absolutely no shift whatsoever in the group. Then you could make one more click, and find that everything is shifting over 4 inches.

    For this reason, I found the target Williams peeps to be very very frustrating.  There are lots of little set screws to tighten and untighen, and you can easily get lost and turn one of your adjustment screws in totally the wrong direction.  The gradations of the clicks are too small, and are in my experience simply not necessary for a hunting rifle.

   For this reason, I really like the Williams FP sight that just has a vertical and horizontal slide arrangement, with white marks to show you how much you have moved your slides, and two tighening screws.  No adjustment screws, no knobs, no confusion.

  Just my experience.

Mannyrock

[Swamp Rat]

The only thing you should be focusing on is the front blade, everything else should be out of focus to one degree or another. The other thing that will help is shooting both eyes open. If you do not already shoot both eyes open a good training technique is to put a small piece of tape(1/2"x1/2") on your shooting glasses directly over the non-dominate eye pupil. Whenever looking thru a hole your brain will automaticly look for a focus point and it will try to center it in the field of view(through the apeture).

It will take several dry fire sessions and a few trips to the range for this to get comfortable. After that you will wonder how you were ever able to hit anything. 

HTH