Peep/Aperture Sights & lever guns

[TraderVic]

Was out shooting my Marlin 30-30 CB rifle ( 24" octagon barrel ) the other day and apparently my front sight is slightly "bumped" and an ever so slight bit out of proper alignment, but still useable for hunting. I have a Williams FP peep sight on the rear and a Williams fire sight for a front post, which shows up very nicely outdoors, especially in darker conditions such as cloudy afternoons and shadows.

The problem is the fire sight is not as durable. While I do have a spare it's too close to the opener ( this coming Saturday ) to change it out. I do believe I will install the original post and look for some funky bright nail polish (the kind of stuff I see on many women's toenails these days) and apply the stuff to the bead at the top of the post.

My eyes are such that a scope would work better, but it just wouldn't look right on this lever gun and it wouldn't carry as nice either. Pardon me for my rambling today......just finished moving the cattle ahead of the rain and enjoying a late morning cup of coffee.

[Blaine]

I can't speak to the FireSight, but my HiViz was such that you could replace just the fibre optic strand with no change to POI....
If you go with the bright paint, I like the glowing green....

[jnyork]

[quote="BlaineG"]I can't speak to the FireSight, but my HiViz was such that you could replace just the fibre optic strand with no change to POI....
quote]
This, I think most of these sights have a replaceable element .

[TraderVic]

The Williams firesight is a one piece unit and is quite susceptible to damage without a hood around it. I have another firesight front post on my Marlin 45/70....it is damaged enough to require replacement.

As rifles are leaned against walls, corners, etc., the firesights don't hold up very well.

Maybe I should look at other brands.

[Blaine]

The Williams firesight is a one piece unit and is quite susceptible to damage without a hood around it. I have another firesight front post on my Marlin 45/70....it is damaged enough to require replacement.

As rifles are leaned against walls, corners, etc., the firesights don't hold up very well.

Maybe I should look at other brands.

I've also read, here I believe, that some have bought archery fibre optic tubes, cut to size, and affixed them in the front sight with a good adhesive....(I'd check my zero after that)

[Pete44ru]

As rifles are leaned against walls, corners, etc., the firesights don't hold up very well.

Maybe I should look at other brands.

And maybe you should look at changing your gun handling methods to something a bit more careful. (jes' sayin')


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[Old No7]

I can't speak to the FireSight, but my HiViz was such that you could replace just the fibre optic strand with no change to POI....
If you go with the bright paint, I like the glowing green....

Most of the fiber optics rods are plastic, and I once got a replacement piece (for a Williams FireSight) from an archery pro shop, as it's commonly used for bow sights.

If I recall, I put the new piece in, cut just a little "long", and then held a lit match maybe 1/2" away and that melted the end enough to get the right size (and round shaped) "bead" that I wanted. Then I had to secure it with a drop of superglue as I couldn't melt a bead on the other end (which would have locked the rod in place).

On my Savage 99, I am now thinking of adding a white bead -- as that should be highly visible against a dark brown or green background during the fall deer season, and even if we got 1" of tracking snow late in November, the white bead would still be visible against the brown body of a deer that's in range for iron sights. Just a thought to consider.

Hope this helps.

Old No7

[Chuck 100 yd]

Old No 7 , white works best for me.
I have bought a couple Williams peep sights that came with fire sight fronts as a set. I was not impressed with the apparent ruggedness of the fire sight front sights. I saved them in the parts box and gave them away. Marbles makes the best beaded front sight IMHO.

[Blaine]

Old No 7 , white works best for me.
I have bought a couple Williams peep sights that came with fire sight fronts as a set. I was not impressed with the apparent ruggedness of the fire sight front sights. I saved them in the parts box and gave them away. Marbles makes the best beaded front sight IMHO.

I've used typewriter correction fluid before. White IS pretty good.

[MrMurphy]

XS Sights are extremely durable, and nearly as visible in low light.

[BenT]

I have never broken a fire sight and I have them on lots of rifles. They look fragile , but they hold up. That being said, model railroaders use the fiber rods. You can buy green and orange in a couple different diameters. It cost about a buck a foot.

[TraderVic]

As rifles are leaned against walls, corners, etc., the firesights don't hold up very well.

Maybe I should look at other brands.

And maybe you should look at changing your gun handling methods to something a bit more careful. (jes' sayin')


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Well - agreed, however - sometimes I have no choice but to lean the rifle against a tree. wall, etc.,( short of laying the rifle down ) where the front post is the contact point.

[Bronco]

Any thoughts as to a gold bead front sight ?? They are quite durable !I like them.

John

[Old No7]

Any thoughts as to a gold bead front sight ?? They are quite durable !I like them.
John

My Savage 99 has a gold bead now, and I am planning to change it to white.

I used to like gold beads, but have found in bright sunlight the reflection off one side or the other can influence your hold and account for inaccuracies in windage at times. Somewhere I have a translated Russian book on target shooting that has an entire chapter devoted to the effects of sunlight on front sights -- and where the bullets go, versus where "you think" they are going.

So I guess you can now call me a gold to white convert for front beads -- for deer hunting purposes.

Tight groups.

Old No7

[Bronco]

The white bead sight are durable also. So I guess it comes down to personal choice. Marbles make both