Lyman #48 sight on a model 54 winchester

[bjake]

well I finally picked up a lyman sight for my model 54 and went to the range to sight it in and it appears that I need to replace the front sight with a higher one to make it work.Did the original rifles that came from the factory come with a second front sight that you would have to change to shoot with the factory Lyman peep?There appears to be a small pin holding the front blade sight in a grooved holder attached to the barrel so it doesn't seem to be a big deal to change but where to get one is the question any help would be appreciated
Bruce

 

[Boomer]

I think you might be looking at a gunsmith made front sight for your M-54 if the factory sight isn't high enough. I'm unaware of any replacement front sight that is currently made for a factory M-54 base, so your choices would seem to be to replace the entire front sight assembly with a modern one, or have your gunsmith fashion a replacement sight blade.

 

[bjake]

making sight blade

I think you might be looking at a gunsmith made front sight for your M-54 if the factory sight isn't high enough. I'm unaware of any replacement front sight that is currently made for a factory M-54 base, so your choices would seem to be to replace the entire front sight assembly with a modern one, or have your gunsmith fashion a replacement sight blade.

I guess I could make a blade out of an old nickel that would work but seeing as how he rifle was shipped from the factory with the 48 installed I thought there had to have been an original fix
thanks for our ideas
Bruce

 

[H4831]

How much higher does it have to be? Like, how high does it shoot at 100 yards, with using the top of the blade for sighting? I sight a hunting rifle in with those type of sights, to hit 2 or 3 inches over the top of the blade at 100 yards.
I once fashoined a blade out of a copper penny and it worked fine.
Or, if it doesn't need too much height, you may just solder an addition on the top of the blade, just the proper size of copper wire, if that is enough height.

 

[Noel]

My Krag carbine needed a taller front sight so I turned one of those very beautiful NAHC coins they sent me on the lathe so it was the correct width and then left it tall on purpose so it could be filed to suit at the range. Looks like I need to do the same with my 95 Winchester.

There may or may not be different hieghts that Winchester made for their rifles depending on the caliber but I am just thinking aloud, or is that typing aloud???

If you use bronze, brass or copper you can antique it by using cold bluing, don't clean it of oils etc and it will give it an uneven finish.

 

[bjake]

how high

well I'm not sure exactly how high it would have to be but I bore sighted it at 50 yds and it looked to be a ft low. I fired one round at 100 yds aiming at the bottom of the target and it went over so I think I'll start by making a blade that is 1/8 in higher to start with.

But as I sit here thinking about this, I may glue onto the blade that's there a small piece of copper wire and just keep adding to that till I get the right height.

But that still makes me wonder what the original fix was. I'm the 3rd owner of the rifle. the first fellow was a fisherman and bought the rifle to shoot Seals from his fishing boat around 1927 or so, he took the original peep sight off and put a k4 weaver on with a tip off mount so he could use the xpress sights if he wanted to.The fellow I got the rifle from was my trapping partner who deck-handed for this guy when he was a young man and ended up with the gun when Brad died.when my partner and I sold off our trap lines and split up the proceeds I made a deal on this rifle. did I mention it was a stainless steel barrel .30GOV'T06 serial #18### with very nice wood, all original now that I've found a sight except I still don't know how the problem of the front sight was solved in 1927
.

 

[Boomer]

Your post gave me an idea that might be worth considering before I started to mess with that front sight. The front sight was almost certainly thge correct height for the facvtory rear sight so the problem might be as simple as the new sight's cross arm being manufactured thicker than the original. I think I'd remove some material from the underside of that cross arm. If the elevation adjustment allows it to screw down a few clicks lower, that might solve your problem without having to mess witrh the front sight at all.

 

[H4831]

Just to estimate how much height you need on the front sight, or lowering the rear.
You said it looked like a foot low at 50 yards, and you went over the target at 100. So we will assume 2 feet, or 24 inches high at 100 yards.
100 yards equals 3,600 inches.
Your sights are about 30 inches apart. Therefore, any amount added to the front sight will raise point of impact 120 times the amount added to the front sight.
To raise poi 24 inches requires 24 divided by 120=.2", or 2/10th of an inch.

 

[bjake]

straight cross arm

Your post gave me an idea that might be worth considering before I started to mess with that front sight. The front sight was almost certainly thge correct height for the facvtory rear sight so the problem might be as simple as the new sight's cross arm being manufactured thicker than the original. I think I'd remove some material from the underside of that cross arm. If the elevation adjustment allows it to screw down a few clicks lower, that might solve your problem without having to mess witrh the front sight at all.

Boomer you may be on to something the cross arm on the sight I have has a step that puts it higher than it needs to be if it came straight across it would be very near to the height of the v sights on the barrel. I'll do some research to see if the was a straight gallows on the sight that came with the rifle.
H4831
thanks for the math formula that's good to know.I was going to do it low teck and put a straight edge from the front sight through the v in the 100 yd sight and measure the distance to the center of the peep
Bruce