I have a Winchester 94 Trapper (16" barrel, 44 MAG, crossbolt safety, angle eject) that I love to shoot. It's a handy and fun gun. I am thinking about using this gun to deer hunt here in NH. I have a nice hard cast load for my Trapper (that I also use in my Ruger revolver) that would be perfect for medium sized game. Where I would hunt, there are lots of trees and hills, and most shots would be within 100 yards. It would be rare for me to have the opportunity to harvest game beyond 100 yards. I'd like to set up my Winchester 94 so that I can comfortable shoot decent groups (baseball or softballl sized) at 100 yards.
I am considering putting on a rear peep sight for my Trapper 94. I found a Williams peep that can be installed using the two rear scope-mount holes on the receiver.
If I install the peep on my 94, what do I do about the existing rear sight on the gun? Should I simply just drift the sight out and leave the dovetail slot empty? I've seen metal blanks with a dovetail base installed on some guns with peep sights. Where can I get one of these that would fit my 94's dovetail slot?
Also, my rear sight has a little ramp that is used to adjust the elevation of the buckhorn sight. It looks like this little ramp is attached to the barrel. How can I remove this from my barrel without damaging the gun? Is this piece welded on to the barrel or is it just held in place by the tenstion of the buckhorn sight?
Finally (and most importantly), since the Winchester 94 is currently out of production, should I bother altering my gun? I like the look of the buckhorn sights, but I know I'd shoot it much better at 100 yards with the peep. I thought about putting a low power scope on it, but that seems even worse.