Using open sight 30-30 for first time.. Dang that gun SHOOTS

[Hankster]

I usually used a .308 Bolt action Mauser with scope for deer hunting.. but sold it and decided to go all out with a Winchester 94 in 30-30 I picked up for 150 bucks a few years back. Always have been a "levernut".... but just couldn't stand the thought of putting a scope on a lever action... kind of SACRELIGIOUS to me!!! Have a Lyman peep on my Marlin 39.... so figured i'd try the same on the 94, but money is tight, so went with the "cheap" version of the Williams foolproof.... that 5A /94/336..... whats worse, being 51 now, having Diabetes and wearing Bifocals makes open sighted shooting "challenging" to say the least! Anyway, got the sight from Midway (they are fast!) and set it up this last weekend out back.... all I can say is WOW! At 50 yds off the bench i'm getting half dollar size groups with 150 gr Federal Huntings loads off the shelf !!!! With my eyesight AND an OPEN SIGHTED LEVERGUN!! I didn't do any better with the bolt action scoped .308!!!! I'm STOKED!! Never thought they were THAT accurate! I want a levergun in .357 now to play with too, now that I can shoot open sights and HIT!!!!

[OJ]

Works for me - here's my Winchester 94 30-30 with the Williams FP94/36 -



And the Winchester 95 30-06 with the Williams FP71 -



I have removed the aperture to make those "ghost ring" sights (did it later on the 94) and it suits my 83 year old eyes (well, actually I was only 78 at the time) just fine. I zeroed the sights on the 95 to hit point of aim at 25 yards and fine tuned it to hit 2" above the point of aim at 100 yards using just a table to rest my left elbow on - did it in less than a box of 20 rounds.



I even mounted a Williams FPGR on my BL22 rimfire - mounts on the grooves for scopes - works fine -



Works for me -

[Old Savage]

Oh Hank get real, you are just teasing these open - no iron - no peep sight guys in the cheapest most transparent way - now tell them you shot an elk at 500 yds running away in the dark and it dropped in it's tracks.

[AJMD429]

Man, don't let the scope-haters get hold of this thread; we can't admit to them that open sights work...!

[AJMD429]

I want a levergun in .357 now to play with too, now that I can shoot open sights and HIT!!!!

I have a Williams FP on an 1894 in .44 Mag that I leave the rear aperture out of for the 'ghost ring' effect, and combined with that very small brass bead up front, makes for cloverleafs at 50 yards if I do my part. I LOVE those sights...! Should do just as good on a .357, I'm thinking.

[Noah Zark]

In this part of central PA, people automatically buy a scope, mount, and rings when they buy a rifle. Automatically.

The same people are flat blown away at the range when I pull up a Marlin Cowboy (take your pick of chamberings) and proceed to chase a 2 Ltr soda bottle around the 200 yd berm, offhand, open sights.

Then I settle down with the same rifle on the bags and ring the 440 yd gong, time and again.

They think it's me, not the hardware. If only they took me up on my offers to let them shoot, they would realize it's indeed the hardware.

Noah

[jlchucker]

Man, don't let the scope-haters get hold of this thread; we can't admit to them that open sights work...!

I'M A SCOPE HATER--but my bifocals are starting to make me reluctantly change my mind about that. I only hope the vision lasts long enough for me to pull off an iron-sighted 30-30 shot at 500 yd like Old Savage speaks about before I officially enter into geezerhood and have to use one of those darned scopes to shoot with. I may even have to pull a bolt-action rifle out of the cabinet when that day comes as well.

[COSteve]

At 62 yrs with fair to poor eyesight, I find that a tang sight really can sharpen up the front sight on my 24" levergun. I also use a receiver peep sight on my little Henry 22lr. I'm a convert to peep sights now and even 200yd to 300yd shots at paper aren't nearly as intimidating as they once were.

If your front sight is blurry with your present peep sight, then all you need to do is get a smaller dia. screw in aperture and the front sight will come into focus like magic. Also, you can just unscrew the aperture and have an instant ghost ring rear for hunting. So who needs optics anyway?

[Hillbilly]

count me in.... the peep sight is keeping me "scope free" during my bi-focal era.

My arms may have to grow to shoot handguns someday however.

J

[J Miller]

Ahhhhhhhh, this thread is a breath of fresh air.

I've NEVER scoped a lever gun, and only have one rifle with a scope. And that's only cos it doesn't have iron sights on it. Scopes are not needed for 90% of shooting. That includes hunting and range work. It's only those who are blind and / or lazy that want the scope as a crutch that buys them.

So Hankster, now that you don't have a carrying handle on your levergun are you gonna put a sling on it? Gotta have something to carry it with.

Joe

[Buck Elliott]

C'mon, Joe....!

Don't be so hard on them lazy-eyed fellers.

But I agree, COMPLETELY...! ! !

[2X22]

It's only those who are blind and / or lazy that want the scope as a crutch that buys them.

You oughta try hunting in the dark PNW forests

So Hankster, now that you don't have a carrying handle on your levergun are you gonna put a sling on it? Gotta have something to carry it with.

That is what hands are for and where it'll do the most amount of good! Only the weak and/or lazy throw it over their shoulder......

2x22

[BigSky56]

I hunt dark timber and use a williams peep with a twilight insert triple canopy and scopes are bad juju unless you have a red dot scope like Nate posted about. danny

[J Miller]

OK guys, Joey's gonna be serious for about as long as it takes me to keyboard this.

I will concede there is a place for scopes ......... Oh my, what did he just say????

The place for scopes is on a try pod on the side of your shooting bench. Bwahahahahahahahaha ..... gotcha.

OK, now to the serious part if I can manage to do it. I keep thinking why in the world does everybody and their second cousins insist you need scopes? The heavy dark forests were far more prevalent back in the muzzle loader days and yet our ancestors brought home the meat. Did they whine and snivel because they couldn't find enough light to see their sights? No, and they had TINY little sights compared to the humongous things we have today.
Did the folks out on the wide open plains or mountainous area cry about no scopes when they wanted to hunt? No, the got sneaky and worked their way closer. That's why it's called hunting.

I said above that scopes are not needed for 90% of shooting. I'll stand by that. I have no doubt they are useful sights for those who are visually impaired, but a good set of properly sighted in irons, peep or open, will work for those with reasonable vision if the shooter is a good shot and can hunt.

For the record, I claim to be neither. I am a fair shot, used to be better before being trapped in IL, but I was always too clumsy to be sneaky.
Matter of fact the only big game I ever shot was a javalina in AZ. I was standing right in the middle of the trail and the stupid thing walked up to me and stood there. Like shoot me dude!! So I did.

Joe

[bogus bill]

I bought this 94 30-30 new in about 1957 when I was 16. I immediately had the williams foolproof and pad put on because I was a big kid. A lot of fancy bolts and scopes have come since, so in truth I havent used the winnie only infreacantly. The last deer I shot with it was well over 225 yards! Probley my longest shot! It was in a mixture of rain & wet snow, and the buck was at a high angle up the mountain. Probley a fluke shot as my glass`s had steamed up, I had taken them off and remember even wipeing snow out of my eye before takeing the shot.
I took and benched the rifle about a year ago, it was still dead on, and I havent readjusted that foolproof since it was installed over 50 years ago!

[txpete]

[LeverBob]

Welcome Pard, glad you can still see the sights! Good choice in rifles too!

I use both types & like 'em. Both have their uses. "Can't play golf with one club". Can't play the gun game with one rifle, at least I don't want to.

Irons are just plain the most usful sight arrrangement you can have, but they better be good ones, not the cheap junk put on by the factories.

Glad to see Joey's gettin' his humor back...

LB

[madman4570]

Awesome Hankster! Go get em! Thats some darn good shooting guy!

[J Miller]

txpete,

You trying to tell us something???


Next time I go to the trouble of digging my leevur boomers out of the closet I'll take some pinkchurs of the sights. Nothing to impressive, just for the heck of it.

LeverBob, Yeah, for the time being at least my stress level has dropped tremendously.


Joe

[txpete]

txpete,

You trying to tell us something???


Next time I go to the trouble of digging my leevur boomers out of the closet I'll take some pinkchurs of the sights. Nothing to impressive, just for the heck of it.

LeverBob, Yeah, for the time being at least my stress level has dropped tremendously.


Joe

yes joe I am tell y'all something...winchesters don't wear scopes.

[J Miller]

txpete,

You trying to tell us something???


Next time I go to the trouble of digging my leevur boomers out of the closet I'll take some pinkchurs of the sights. Nothing to impressive, just for the heck of it.

LeverBob, Yeah, for the time being at least my stress level has dropped tremendously.


Joe

yes joe I am tell y'all something...winchesters don't wear scopes.

Yep, you got that right!

Joe

[1894cfan]

txpete,


yes joe I am tell y'all something...winchesters don't wear scopes.

Well, in that case I did a no-no! I just had to stick a XS scout scope setup on my Winchester, but left the Williams FP on it for back up.

[Griff]

txpete,
You trying to tell us something???
Joe

yes joe I am tell y'all something...winchesters don't wear scopes.

winchesters don't wear scopes.

[Hankster]

Bambi Bites the dust! LOL!!! You should have seen it!! 500 yd quartering shot in high wind..... ok, how about 70 or so yds and a perfect broadside shot? Ran 25 yds on adrenaline and dropped like a rock! Same stand, same result as the old .308 used to deliver..... I've been getting away from "magnumitis"... seems so many around here (my locale) feel the need for the biggest superatomicdepleteduraniaumexplodingtippedlaserguidedspeedoflight guns and ammo.... that simple velocities and bullet PLACEMENT are all but either forgotten, or a "joke"!! That's one reason I went this route.... sometimes the simple old method is just as effective .. if the SHOOTER knows HOW to shoot! Old timey is a lot more fun too... and I tried one of the suggestion here also.... taking the small aperture out for the "ghost ring" effect... WORKS! MUCH better in low light..... two cool things today! Life is good....

[HATCHETTJACK]

whatever




got a sling on it too

[CEMENTHEAD]

Congrats !!