I prefer them but one thing I hate about receiver sights

[abcollector]

And that is (at least with mine) that the receiver sight sits so high above the top of the receiver when zeroed or you have to have a taalllll front sight post. And some like Browning front sight post are next to impossible to change.

It just stinks that the receive sight doesn't hug the receiver better. Anyone ever notice that too or is it because it's me?

[Chuck 100 yd]

If the receiver sight is too high for you when sighted and there is room to lower it....... Your front is too tall now! You dont need a taller one,
you would have to raise the rear sight to compinsate for it making it even worse.
FWIW I have never HAD to replace the front sight when installing a reciever sight on any of my Marlins or Winchesters. I have replaced a few with Sourdough fronts but kept it close to origional hight.

[Malamute]

I have receiver sights (Lyman 56 and 66) on my Browning 92, and 86, and neither needed a different front sight.

[Lastmohecken]

Well guys, you have been lucky, I have installed many receiver sights and more times then not, I had to get a taller front sight. It seems that trappers often don't require it, but on most other guns I have had to change to a taller front sight. Otherwise I would still be shooting high with the lowest receiver sight setting.

[waz]

Yeah I agree, got a receiver sight for my 336 - shooting high at its lowest setting.

Got the tallest front post I could find - still shooting high at its lowest setting.

Wound up machining some off the base of the sight. all good now.

W

[Old Shatterhand]

You're right about the high front sights. I wish I could get rid of that ugly front sight ramp of my Win 94 Bigbore.

Old Sh.

[El Chivo]

I've never had one but I understand the Williams Foolproof is quite low. I use the WGRS and it is pretty high.

Switching to tang sights all around.

[AJMD429]

I've never had one but I understand the Williams Foolproof is quite low.

Yep - very low. My favorite sight most times. They truly 'hug' the top of a Puma, or a Marlin, at least the side-mount ones.

[Hobie]

Never had to replace the front sight after a properly mounted Williams FP was installed.

[gcs]

Well I have, on two 336's, with Williams FP's installed as low as it would go, both needed taller front sights.
On my 71 336, I ended up with a .500 tall front, could have gotten by with a .470 or whatever is closest to that with the available heights.
The Williams guy said .375 would work,... nope.

[abcollector]

Interesting replies guys, thanks.
So those of you that don't have to change out a front sight to a taller one, and can keep the receiver sight fairly low, how do you do it? I don't think my aiming technique is any different when shooting with a standard rear mounted barrel sight so why am I plagued with either the requirements of a tall front sight or an overly high receiver sight?

I will change if I can have both low!

[Malamute]

Here are 3 of mine that have Lyman receiver sights and original or lower front sights.

The 94 is a late pre-64 that I removed the (ugly)ramp and installed an early carbine type stud front sight base, and worked a sourdough blade down to fit in it. I've been able on all of them to rough sight in the receiver sight through the barrel sight before removing the barrel sight.

[Pete44ru]

[I don't think my aiming technique is any different when shooting with a standard rear mounted barrel sight]

Therein lies the rub - Since a distinctively different technique is required for peep sights than for open sights.

Peeps are designed to be simply looked through, with the human eye sub-consiously self-centering itself) AT the front sight - and not with the front sight deliberately centered in the peep.

Use a small I.D. aperture for tight groups & sight-in, but remove it, and shoot through the resulting "ghost ring" for faster snap shooting.

I would suspect the wide variation in different folk's experiences with POI has to do with the shooter doing either one thing or the other.

I look through the aperture, actually never seeing it, and place the front sight "on target" - and have always had to go to a slightly (.10") higher front sight blade on all my rifles, save the Trappers.

It seems that more rifles that have front sights mounted directly into a barrel dovetail - like a Trapper - don't need a higher front, unlike those with the front sight mounted in a ramp.


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[Modoc ED]

I've found that if you install a receiver sight that uses two holes drilled and tapped on the side of the receiver, you don't need to replace the front sight and should have no trouble sighting in a Marlin 336, or Model 94.

If you install a receiver sight that uses the holes on top of the receiver meant to mount a scope, then that places the reciver sight pretty high and you will likely need to install a higher front sight. The idea that "waz" put forth to machine some off the underside of the base of these sights might just lower them enough after mounting so as not to have to replace the front sight. If you do take away some of the material on the underside of these sights, you may need to shorten the length of the mounting screws.

[Ben_Rumson]

The thing I don't like about receiver sights is that by and large, you get a clunky chunk of metal hanging off the side.

[J Miller]

I have both the Williams FP and the Lyman 66A on my Win 94s. Neither of these two required a taller front sight.
I've had Williams FPs on many of my past Win 94s, and even those with ramp mounted front sights did not require taller front sights.

When I install a side mount receiver sight, I always replace the bead front sight with a post.

I use a 6:00 Hold, or basically I adjust the sights so the bullet impacts right at the top of the front sight at 100 yards. I do not use a center hold, nor a "the bead is the target" hold. I cannot see the target with this hold. Must be the way I was trained to shoot.

Look through, as in not at, the aperture and the front sight will center itself if you let it. If you find yourself straining to get a sight picture, you're doing it wrong.

Joe

[OJ]

I dunno - I use Williams FP receiver sights and have always needed higher front sights - I like the XS white stripe sights anyway and the only one that provided some challenge to install was on the Winchester 95 in 30-06.

BL22



Winchester 94 in 30-30



And - Winchester 95 in 30-06



I made the change out of not only height needs but my 82 year old eyes also see those front sights better and, as I mentioned, the '95 was the only one requiring some figuring and extra work for me.

YMMV

[Pete44ru]

[I use a 6:00 Hold, or basically I adjust the sights so the bullet impacts right at the top of the front sight at 100 yards. I do not use a center hold, nor a "the bead is the target" hold. I cannot see the target with this hold.]

And.......................,anyone using that sighting method, would have their rifle's POI much lower than someone using a center hold.

I DO use the center hold, because I shoot mostly at game, and have no trouble seeing the target around it.

The bead = the bullet hole, for me.

.

[Griff]

The evil, low-down & mean part of wants to comment.... so bad !!!!
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("The wages of sin are eternal punishment"; put on a heathen receiver sight and yer punished by havin' to install a taller front sight; or is that "cheaters never prosper"?

Shame on me... I couldn't resist! TANG SIGHTS RULE!!! I'll slink back into cyberspace.

[abcollector]

Guys, I've got to go back to the drawing board (range) and get this figured out. If most of you can keep the original front sight post than so can I dang it!

Pete44ru, you are correct about there being a difference between the use of a peep sight and rear mounted barrel sight but isn't the front sight used still the same? A clear, sharp front sight post centered, shouldn't matter if it's centered in the notch of the rear sight or a peep correct?

I just can't figure out why my bullet impacts are so much higher with a peep sight.

[Pete44ru]

Not to be pickey, but again - As I posted above, I don't consiously "center" the front sight in my peeps.

I presume it's auto centered, as did the designers of the first peep sights.

I'm thinking that if a shooter does that, ILO holding the front centered, or deliberately low for Joe's "six o'clock hold", then the zero/POI will naturally be higher - requiring a higher front sight to compensate.

Another good reason for folks to sight in their own rifles.


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[1894]

Only experience I have is with two Marlins .
First was Dads 336 , Looks to be the original front sight , a folding rear sight in the factory dovetail , and a Lyman 66 for a receiver sight. A quick flip up of the folding sight shows the bead in the notch as well as centered in the ghost ring. Any fall or bump while hunting I can check to make sure all is good. With the Lyman I can push the button and remove the ghost ring if it were to get bent and still have the folding sight to use and keep the same POA.
The other was a Williams 5D I put on my 1894 . I left the rear sight on when I first mounted the reciever sight and used it to adjust my starting point with the 5D. Removed the factory sight and Took it to the range and it was spot on .