Winchester 94 Classic Shooting

Just got one, 26" octagon barrel. Comments on the best set of sights, I'm thinking Lyman peeps. I would really like to scope it but don't want a smith to drill a bunch of holes plus the top eject might be a pain.

Also, I want to set it up for 100-200 yards shots so what is everyone using for ammo. I'm thinking LEVERevolution but what grain? Don't want to by 10 different boxes of ammo if I don't have to.
 
I'd go with a tang-mounted peep. I like Marbles because of the windage adjustment, other people prefer the Lyman. Your tang MAY already be drilled for it. The rifle will not be drilled for a receiver mounted peep sight.
 
Personally I'd go with a Williams peep sight. I love the one on my Win 94.

Methinks the tang-mounted peeps are in a pain in the ass position on the hand grips of the ones I have tried. But that's just me. :D

Try them out for yourself.
 
Tang Mounted Peep?

Thought of that, but won't it be in the way when cocking the lever back?? May be a stupid question, but I thought of a tang and figured it might not work because of how far back the bolt goes.

Does anyone out there have a tang mounted peep? And if yes, did you have to raise the front sight, or go with a much taller bead?
 
The factory used to mount tang peeps on Winchester 94's. Most of them have 2 holes in the tang; the rear hole has a stock screw through it, the front hole, if there, may be empty or have a plug screw.
The bolt will not hit the sight. The system works.
I really like the Williams receiver-mounted aperture sight, but unless someone has drilled and tapped the rifle already, it will need to have holes drilled, which I wouldn't want to do to an old Winchester. Those 26" barrels were only offered until 1936 or 1937, not counting commemoratives and theheritage rifles they made about 2003 to 2005, which were not top-eject.
 
Will a Lyman Peep work?

What about the commemoratives, which look to be a top eject and have 2 tiny screws on the left side of the receiver? I own a few of these and have been thinking about shooting them so I'm wondering if those 2 holes are in fact set up to accept a peep sight. I know the Williams mounts into the receiver scope grooves, whereas the Lyman (I have one on my Marlin 39A Lever) mount with 2 screws to the left side of the receiver.

Were these 2 holes a standard in terms of accepting a peep sight without further drilling?
 
As Kilo Charlie explained, if this is an old original Winchester, drilling holes in the receiver would drastically reduce its collectors value.

Tang sights work just fine ..... a lot of old Winnies had them, as Kilo Charlie mentioned.

Yes, the two set screws on the left side of the receiver can be removed and a receiver sight mounted. I've done it on two 1950's Winchester 94. It is a Lyman that I have mounted on the side of my current Winchester made in 1954. They mount no problem ..... that is what the holes were factory made for. If your Winnie has the two holes in the side, then I'd definitely recommend a receiver sight, but I might prefer a Williams over a LYman. The old Lymans were robust, but the new Lyman I have seems a bit flimsy to me.
 
Bought a Williams

Just happens that my fav. gun store had the Williams FP-94-36 in stock, so I picked it up. I will mount it tonight or certainly before the weekend, and then proceed directly to the range, that's assuming I can find some 30-30 ammo. It just seems to be scare. Is this normal?

Will keep you posted as to the results.
 
30-30 ammo is as common as all get-out. You can't get much more common that 30-30 ammo, unless it is 22 rimfire.
 
I have just installed a Williams peep on my 60s Marlin and it sure looks nice. I just picked up a Winchester 94 in 38-55 that has the longest barrel I have ever seen on a lever gun. Must be at least 26in and heavy sucker. Getting some 38-55 factory ammo from my local dealer- they have 4 boxes on the shelf! That was a surprise. Loading for the 30-30 and taking it out to set up the sight this weekend. Pretty solid looking sight I must say and it looks like it will adjust to a large variety of front sights easily. The 38-55 has a real solid looking rear sight and I will shoot it with just open sights for now but options would be nice. Tang may be the way to go with a non-drilled Winnie. Some problems with windage I was told on tang sights. Receiver sights have lots of adjustment for whatever you want to play with from the look of it.
 
Bogie,
If your Winchester has a dovetailed front sight, windage adjustment will be no problem with a tang peep sight. If the front sight is a blade mounted and pinned into a slotted boss on the barrel, it's non-adjustable and the Marbles may be a better option, as it is windage-adjustable. Cost is about twenty or thirty dollars more than the Lyman no. 2, though.
 
May Go Antique

Stopped at my smiths to see if he had target knobs for the new Williams FP peep I picked up a couple of days ago, and no he didn't have them. But he pulls out a Redfield receiver sight, nice unit with rounded target knobs for adjusting elevation and windage, etc. So tonight I'm back there to see if it will fit the receiver (needs to be .405" but micrometer measurement of the Redfield was .409) so it should fit with fiddling. Smith is also going to see how it sits on the receiver and if it sights out to 200 yards on the laser. Should be an interesting afternoon.

I want to get phase 1 out of the way with the sight setup as the plans are to clean out the factory grease from the barrel tonight and head out to the range tomorrow..Wah Ho...really looking forward to the results.

Anyone out there have an experience with a Redfield sight??
 
Factory grease? Drilled and tapped?
I'm easily confused. What do you have? A commemorative or something? If you have receiver peep-sight holes already, it can be fitted with a sidemount scope, an option I dislike. I find them hard to use.
 
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