Win 94 - Peep sight installation questions

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rubberboots

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I have an old win 94 30-30 that I'd like to install a williams peep sight on. Will I need to get it drilled and tapped? Here's a side picture - I see that there's a bunch of screws there...not sure if any of them were meant for mounting a peep on? Also, how do I remove the rear sight? (see bottom picture). Will my front sight need to be changed, or will it work fine with the Williams Peep?

Here's the sight I want to install: http://www.cabelas.ca/product/6401/williams-fp-receiver-sights

Side Picture
win94_side.PNG


Rear sight picture
win94_top.PNG


Thanks for any input and suggestions!
 
Side mounted where the two small screws are, the rear sight needs to be drifted out with a hardwood or brass punch( I usually remove the elevator first and slide a piece of paper between the sight and the barrel). You will probably need a slightly higher front sight..... fire sights are nice or a small brass bead.
 
I have not found the need to change the front sight when mounting Williams or Lyman peeps myself. Your rear sight should be drifted out from left to right when facing the muzzle, the paper is a good idea, prevents marring the blue.
 
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Also you need to support the barrel near the rear sight, I usually rest the barrel on a piece of wood just in front of the dovetail so all the punch energy is transmitted to the rear sight! Sometimes it takes a good whack to break it loose.
 
Great - thank you for the tips & advice! This was my grandfathers rifle and took down many, many moose in its day. I'm bringing it out of retirement and back into active duty. My eyes aren't the greatest so I need all the help I can get. I was actually thinking about replacing the front sight as well. Where could I pick up a fire sight, or similar, from? I didn't see them on the Cabela's website. And since you guys mentioned height of the front sight - I guess I'll have to pay attention to that now as well!
 
I put a peep on my 94. With my old eyes it makes it quite accurate.

LEVERRIFLES2_zpsde606bd5.jpg


I also changed the front sight. The standard front sight cover protects an ordinary sight, but with a fire sight you want to collect some light on it, so I cut the cover in half.

LEVERRIFLES1_zps246af615.jpg
 
After installing peep sights on my 94, I did not have to replace my front sight until i started using Hornady leverevolution ammo.
 
qtip said:
After installing peep sights on my 94, I did not have to replace my front sight until i started using Hornady leverevolution ammo.
Click to expand...

Why would that ammo make a difference on the front site? Does it extend your range much?

I'll add the peep sight and leave the front sight as-is and go from there. Do most gun stores carry replacement front sights or are they special order? I didnt see anything on Cabelas.ca or WSS's websites.
 
When I install an aperture sight on one of my rifles, I combine it with a rectangular post front sight. A bead is fine for close range use on a large target, but gives no index of elevation. A rectangular post is not unlike a cross hair, the wide flat top is the horizontal wire, and the human eye is very good at quickly determining the center of an object, so an imaginary vertical line is drawn down through the center of the post providing the vertical wire. It is actually easier to use a wide post than a narrow one, although that may sound counter intuitive. On a good day, slung up prone, I can hold close to MOA at 300 yards with the ghost ring and post on my .30/06, but not with a bead front sight.
 
Yes, Hornady revolution ammo does extend your point blank range considerably. Does that require a higher front sight? I do not know, because I consider the fancy ammo, as with fancy bullets, irrelevant to the 30-30 cartridge in general for hunting purposes.
The standard bullets used in the 30-30 cup and core variety, have been developed over a 100 year period of field use. They are exceptional. So, if you are a hand loader, I recommend you try the Hornady Interlock, or Sierras Game king, and if not, see which factory round your rifle likes best for accuracy. Ive used Winchester's Silvertips, and Remington's Corelocks to great effect when I was in my youth. I doub't they have changed the formula. (I've not fired a factory round for a very, very long time)

Usually gun stores do carry replacement front sights, whether they have a taller one for the 94, is hit and miss.

If you are changing, consider the Williams fire sight. I'm not using one myself, because I hunt thick cover, and I have seen them break several times when unguarded. However, if you hunt from a stand, or in more open territory, they are a godsend for old eyes trying to find that front sight. My wife uses one on her 96 Ruger. As in a picture above, you can guard them by shortening the front sight cover, if it's still installed, or by filing, or drilling a large hole in the top to allow light to reach the sight.
I took the front sight cover off of my rifle 40 years ago, and have no idea where it might be now.
 
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I think it is possible that a flatter shooting round might require a higher front sight when an aperture rear sight is installed, as the flatter shooting round stays closer to the bore line. Thus a high mounted rear sight will result in a bullet strike much higher than lower one. The open rear sight is mounted on the barrel, and the top of the receiver is somewhat higher than the top of the barrel, although the open sight is visible to the shooter looking actross the top of the receiver. The receiver sight though is mounted above the receiver, and a gallows style receiver sight, such as the offerings from Lyman and Williams, has an aperture well above the height of the receiver, suggesting that the very lowest position of the receiver sight will still be quite a bit higher than the highest position of the open sight. Now any given front sight height will work within the tolerance of normal sight adjustments, but not when you double the height of the rear sight, and still expect to hit point of aim at a 100 yard target. The situation is also affected by the distance between the sights and the barrel contour, where a long non-tapered barrel, such as the octagon barrel found on some commemoratives has the front sight dove tailed into the barrel, does not require as high a sight as a short carbine with a light contour barrel, which typically has the front sight dovetailed in a sight base which is attached to the barrel.
 
Mike Webb said:
I have not found the need to change the front sight when mounting Williams or Lyman peeps myself. Your rear sight should be drifted out from left to right when facing the muzzle, the paper is a good idea, prevents marring the blue.
Click to expand...

I can't seem to get the rear sight off. I've tried hitting it with a brass punch from L to R, when facing the muzzle, and it's a no go. I gave it a squirt of WD-40 and I still wasn't able to get any movement. The gun is 57 years old so I'm sure it will need some persuasion, but I just want to be sure I'm hitting it in the right direction before giving it a real good whack.

To confirm - when facing the muzzle, hit it from L to R? L being the side that the cartridges are loaded?

Thanks!
 
I always forget and need to do a quick search but I think about the orientation looking down at the sight with the barrel pointing away .....if it goes in left to right then it comes out right to left. The barrel needs solid support near the dovetail to allow the impact to be maximized.

Ok just did a quick search and as someone else said they come out left to right with the muzzle pointed away.
 
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Can-down said:
I always forget and need to do a quick search but I think about the orientation looking down at the sight with the barrel pointing away .....if it goes in left to right then it comes out right to left. The barrel needs solid support near the dovetail to allow the impact to be maximized.

Ok just did a quick search and as someone else said they come out left to right with the muzzle pointed away.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I found the same advice on the net, just wanted to be sure. I have been beating on it for a while and haven't budged it!
 
They can be stubborn! it's hard to support the barrel and hold it, and then hit with the punch.....if you've got a helper to stabilize the gun while you are hitting the punch it will be a lot easier!
I usually rest the gun on it's side on a soft surface and then support the barrel with a section of 2x4 or a stack of small plywood spacers and I find I can do it but it's a handful...
 
Much like Ganderite's setup, changing the factory front bead is a very good idea. The William's Firesite is a full third smaller then the factory original. It also has that nice glow to it with any amount of ambiant light.

Edit: Someone also manufactures a front sight hood with a scooped out middle portion so light can reflect onto the front bead/blade.
 
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