The optical properties of aperture sights are not usually the “focus” of conversation concerning that sighting system. Definitely something to consider if choosing for hunting.
Aluminum would gall after a few adjustings up, down, left, right... steel is the way to go. Blued saves the eye from reflection, which was why most stainless handguns now have dark front and rear sights. My eyes are not so good, but aperture sights really are great...the "ghost ring" he was showing at the end is still more rapid to acquire than an "express" sight halfway down the barrel. Good luck to him and his company.
I like peep sights. Had not really thought about comparison with a camera lens. I am a Photographer. I struggle with iron sights due to the fact that I am farsighted.
I can speak on other sights, but for a newer Marlin (pre tapped for sight) the Skinner LO-Pro sight installs in the rear tap hole and works great with the factory front sight. BIG improvement over the factory semi buckhorn
So are we still gonna get an iron sights episode? I hunt in the woods and that's about all i use! Would be great to see all kinds of different styles and learn about all their histories!
Thanks. Great video! I collect many types of rifles, mostly Winchesters, but also many others. Of dozens of rifles I own, only TWO have optical sights (scopes) all the rest are either "open" iron sights or, the majority, are receiver or tang mounted peep sights. My absolute favorite sight for rifles. Of the two rifles I own with scopes, one came that way from my father when he passed away, the other came that way in a super deal at a pawnshop on a Winchester Model 70 Safari Grade in .375 H&H. I really don't use a .375 H&H much, so I don't care if it has a scope on it. FWIW, I have not had ANY instances of rhinos or elephants in our garden since I bought that rifle. My wife, on the other hand, likes scopes and red dot sights. 🤷♂ I attribute that flaw in her character to being scandalously younger than I am, and NO, I did not "adopt her", she was over 18 when we married. Peep/aperture sights are perfectly adequate for virtually any hunting purpose and superior for most hunting purposes. They make ANY rifle easier and lighter to carry than the same rifle with a scope. They are also excellent for shooting at any reasonable distance, and even to extreme ranges.
Lyman 21 is my favorite! I love the Win 95! Lyman 21 and the 95 go hand in hand! And i appreciate Buffalo Arms having replica Lymans 21. I have one for a win 94 and a 95 Win!
My Winchester Model 70 is my dedicated deer rifle and it's the only firearm I own with a scope, not that it needs a scope but it didn't come with iron sights. If it had come with iron sights I would have never put a scope on it.
The very first rifle that I bought was a pre-war 30-06 Model 70 during my sophomore year in college back in '72. It came with Redfield aperture sights, but I later added a detachable H&H side mount for a scope. I still have that rifle; the bolt is butter smooth. I need to take it back out shooting again.
I'm concerned about the adhesion of the sight to the 1895 bolt.....glued on? Removal? I would never feel comfortable with a sight that isn't mechanically contacted to the firearm.
It’s a good way to evaluate the adhesive and the sight. If the adhesive holds up over repeated firing and field conditions, then you’ve proven out that it’s a viable option. I work for an aerospace company that among other things manufactures many types of adhesives for aerospace and automotive applications. I can tell you that many of them have bond strengths that are unbelievably strong. Much of modern vehicles is held together with our adhesives. Then if you decide you want the sight mounted more traditionally, you could have the bolt on your 1895 Winchester drilled and tapped appropriately. Let us know how that adhesive works. And if you want to try another I could get you some samples to try out.
I'd really would like trying one of these, not sure if there room on the sight base but I always thought it would be nice to have a threaded hole in the base to screw in aperture since I like sighting in a rifle with the aperture in then take it out for hunting. Your front sights look great to. Hope maybe you will make a peep sight for other stuff would be nice to have one for my mausers and pre-64 m70.
Hi Mike nice to see you again? I'm curious does Vince do reproduction sights for older Remington guns? Be so nice. I hope you are doing and feeling well these days 😊
Hello - I'm getting better every day : ) I think Vince can make anything but isn't tooled up for repro's at the moment. I'm not sure what his plans are. Why not email Vince and ask. All the best to you.
Im equally a believer in proper iron sights on a rifle. This fella happens to be in my neck of the woods and had no idea of his sights. Ive got a few Marlins that could use these and Id like to see something for an Winchester 71. Outstanding to see more iron sight options.
In my country i saw someone selling a sporterized 1895 in 7.62x54r. it was missing the front sight post but i reckon it would make for a very fine and cheap to shoot hunting rifle. The rifle you had on the table today reminded me of that piece that is now sold.
I am considering and looking into it. You're the second person who has requested that. Looks like someone liked your comment, I'll count that as three!
@@vincentmyers7686 I think you got a good business. After all these black rifle tactical polymer gun lovers get a little older they're going to start buying classic firearms made of wood and steel. That should keep you busy.
JB weld does well for attaching sights. A slight tap with a hammer and punch and the sight pops right off. Otherwise, that sight remains attached. Christ bless!
I've had good luck using blue locktight for mocking up and testing things out, takes a few days to harden up but you need a good rap from a hammer to remove.
I might have to pick one of these up for my old .35 Rem 336. It came with a nice old steel tube 4x Weaver scope, but I hate scopes on lever guns. They throw off the handling characteristics of the rifle, make everything bulkier, add weight and butcher the aesthetics. A proper low profile, all steel, American made micrometer adjustable aperture sight would certainly fit the bill, since the stock rear sight leaves a lot to be desired.
Is that FN Sauer rifle on the wall behind you? I missed video about it or you haven't made it yet? I look forward seeing it. I enjoy your videos, keep them coming.
My first white tail was at 365 yards with a M1917 Enfield... with young eyes a good aperture sight is as good as a scope out to that far ...maybe farther.
I realize an aperture sight are suppose to be the best sights made. Yet growing up, I never used a rifle with one and it still doesn’t seem natural. My favorite all time sight is on my Krag Jorgensen a truly awesome sight. I understand it likely cost a fortune to make but truly a great sight and by far my favorite. Unfortunately blind in one eye and not so great sight in my surviving eye I will probably have to start adding scopes to all my rifle. Hats off to this gentleman for creating a really nice iron sight
Thank you! I remember the first time I ever used a peep sight, it was very awkward, and I didn't like it, but then shooting in general is quite awkward until you get used to it. Townsend Whelen, as an officer in the army, replaced the sights on his men's krag jorgensen rifles with Lyman receiver sights. They won the army rifle competition that year.
I really enjoyed the ZOOM format! It’s a nice way to experience different manufacturers etc. I also really love the product that is showcased in this presentation. I have several JM Marlins and one of these sights WILL be on my 1894 in 44 Mag soon. Love your channel. Greetings from Pennsylvania!
Thank you! I truly appreciate your positive feedback. You'll love these sights. I shot my 1895 today. The KRA sights are super fast; better than an optic...no lens, no battery, no tritium. All the best to you in Pennsylvania!
I agree that for the ranges of traditional lever action chamberings, a peep sight is perfect. I have a pre-war Savage 99 and Winchester 94. Both wear period Redfield micrometer peep sights. The old timers knew what they were doing! Keep the unique content coming. I just ordered a custom Heym SR21. So I really appreciate the high quality firearms that you showcase on your channel. It’s hard to find this in the English speaking world.
I believe the Rossi R95 is a Marlin 336 copy. An impressive innovator for aperture sights. I think I will chase one up for my Marlin ‘JM’ 336 and even my Marlin ‘JM’ 1895 45/70. A great way to get more out of your lever action even if you are a quick detachable low powered scope fan like myself. Great video Mike and thanks for sharing.
Thank you - It's not easy to find someone like Vince; he works to a standard of excellence that is from his mind; not the market or accounting. You'll see how carefully designed and made his sights are. You're right about the Rossi - it is mostly Marlin except for the extractor and maybe a couple of other things. Thanks again for the note.
I was always planning on getting ghost rings for the eventual purchase of my lever, but now that I have my win 94, that came with more European style square blade and slot type sights, I don’t know if I want to anymore. Which is good, because I don’t think it’s even possible with this rifle. I have the same on my Swedish, and Spanish Mausers and I really like them. These sound awful tempting, but I’m pretty sure the price would be a bit much to make them work, even if it’s possible.
Although the KRA sight I make doesn't fit the Winchester Model 94, I do have and love the Winchester rifles. On my Win 94, made in 1949, I drilled and tapped the side of the receiver for a Lyman receiver sight. Winchester started doing this on those rifles starting in about 1953. I don't care much for the current Lyman receiver sights because they are now made from aluminum. I found an old steel Lyman sight on Ebay that was made to fit another model of firearm that nobody really cares about anymore and machined the base to fit the M94. I've thought about making new bases out of steel that will fit Winchester and Marlin rifles, and that if you pulled the parts out of an old steel Lyman receiver sight, you could fit the parts into the new base. I'm not sure if many people would find value in such a product, but just another idea I've been considering.
Aperture sights are optical sights, working on the same principle as a pin hole camera. The depth of focus is improved by cutting off stray light. They are inferior to telescopic sight in most instances, but extremely accurate if you can see the target well.
@@UnitedStatesOfGuns And we should not confuse peep sights/diopter sights with "open sights" (not saying anyone did here, just a reminder). I have a Weihrauch HW30s. Most of the summer I've had a 4X scope on it, but today I put the Williams peeps on again. Offhand, standing on my wet soft "lawn", I first tried it on my 1.5" gong at 50' - No problem! to successive hits. Then I moved back a bit, maybe 22yrds or so,, same result! Peeps are good and accurate!
One of my most accurate rifles with amputure sights is my savage 1920 in 250-3000, its factory installed lyman #54 sight is attached to the rear of the bolt. Just checked out KRA and will be definitely purchasing a sight for my Marlin Guide, Thanks Mike for another wonderful and informative video 😊
Yep that one I regret not purchasing from him when it was up for sale. Savage produced two variations of the model 1920, they were the 1920 model & the later 1920/26 variation, I only need a 1920 model in 250-3000 to finish my collection. It's been very interesting & fun learning about them. I've been able to locate hard to find parts, an original stock along with a few front sights blades in original packaging and a few marbles S20 reciever sights and a couple of the factory lyman #54 sights. The lyman #54 sights also have two variations.. whoops also the marbles S20, depends if the reciever has the stripper clip cut in or not. I'll throw one more tid-bit in, the first variation of the model 1920 only had iron sights and were lighter in weight compared to the 20/26 version. I try to take one out on a hunt every couple of years, as they are definitely a conversation piece when ya run into other hunters in the back country. Cheers
I used a peep sight on a .22 on my high school rifle team in the 1970s. They work. These sights look beautiful but the exposed elevation knob worries me. I have an EGW rail for a Marlin on my Rossi R-95 so this should fit fine.
I didn't want you to need a tool to adjust this sight. It does have markings on the screw and on the side of the sight, so if you remember the setting, you'll know if it moved. If you keep a logbook for your handloads, you can also note the sight settings for each load. Also, if the screw moves a few clicks, it won't be enough to miss the vitals of a deer within 100 yards. A full rotation is about 3 MOA.
@@vincentmyers7686 thanks. I hadn’t thought about using an iron sight for different loads because generally adjustment is “unscientific” (think Skinner or RPP). However, I am working up a subsonic .45-70 load that lands in a very different place from my normal load. Being able to switch back and forth would be great.
@@vincentmyers7686 Very good idea. "Tools" often get lost, misplaced, etc.. I was at a yard/garage/estate sale today and got some partial sets of tools because other parts were lost, misplaced, stolen, wrecked. I picked up some bits for my Dremel moto-tool. I am remembering back to my days in the U.S.M.C. and the Mattel-16 at the Rifle Range. The ding-a-ling designer did not make adjustments for up or down bullet strike on target via the rear sight, which only did windage. The front sight was adjustable for bullet strike up or down. How was that done? by way of a 10-penny carpenter nail. 🤕🙄 Was a 10 Penny carpenter nail part of our issued items? Nope. VERY confusing: If the shooter wanted the strike of the bullet to go higher on target,,,,, then the front sight post has to go lower. If you want the bullet to strike the target lower,,,, then the sight post must be higher. Argh! Yes - I qualed "Expert" multiple times, but that was because I had been a gun owner/shooter before I joined and knew basic marksmanship skills. After I got my assigned rifle lined up, I never touched the sights again. I used "Kentucky windage". I looked at the range flag to see how the wind was blowing (speed & direction) and simply held the barrel a bit higher or a bit to the left or right of center. The front sight should be fixed (non-movable) on rifles.
Over my head technically, but fascinating. Could you comment on the accuracy of peep sights? Are they meant to be, say, 3-4 MOA, so for hunting or defense when sub-MOA is not relevant or necessary?
Good question - aperture sights can deliver 1" groups - as you know the rifle that shoots 1 MOA with a scope, shoots the same with all sights. Target visibility seems to be the main factor with aperture and other iron sights. I've seen several people shoot better groups with aperture sights as scopes can "skate" over the target for some shooters. In bad light scopes win.
@@UnitedStatesOfGuns And bad eyesight must be considered, I should think. In which case, scopes must have the advantage for realizing a rifle’s full potential?
@@UnitedStatesOfGuns I THINK that he means parallax error, meaning what's the maximum amount of error possible while still using the sight correctly (the front sight can be dead center of the aperture you're looking through, but it can also be slightly off). The amount of error possible should be proportional to the size of the hole in the aperture, but I would wager that it's minuscule even with the relatively large holes.
