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December 21, 2006
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I just found, at a local gun show a beautiful 1885, ser#2736, 1886 manufacture in really nice cond. with lots of case color on the frame and lots of blue on the barrel. The fella’s had the gun for 50 years and is just now thinning out his collection. Any way I’ve never had much to do with ’85’s but I do know the sights are not correct, it has a Lyman globe front and a tang sight on the rear. I can see where it had a longer leaf sight, what are the proper sights for this gun.
W.A.C.A. life member, Marlin Collectors Assn. charter and life member, C,S.S.A. member and general gun nut.
April 15, 2005
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Henry,
The sights are usually related to the caliber and the frame type… neither of which did you mention.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
March 31, 2009
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I might pay more for these sights than the standard ones. Front could be a Rocky Mountain, Knife Blade, Sporting Front or Winchester Express. Rear would be Sporting Rear sight. You need to letter the gun before buying more sights. Bert can tell you how the tang sight should be marked.
December 21, 2006
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I got interrupted earlier by company. O K here’s what I got; 30″ oct. bbl. 13/16″ across the flats at the muzzle, #2 ahead of for end 2 line address, and Cal. 32-40 at breach end, #2 under fore stock, circled vp and 32-40 under the hammer spring. a Lyman globe 5-g front site. A crude filler in the rear site slot. There is elevater wear on top to indicate there was a longer rear site on it at one time. On the frame it is, thin side, case colored, squared on top, not round, set trigger, with # 2 and #62 on top tang, #2 #62 and 1 and S on the lower tang, under the lever is -PAT.Oct. 7th 79- and ser# 2736. in script. Fine checkering on the hammer. Lyman D A tang site. No marks on the crescent butt plate, D. C. CLARKE on wood under butt plate. I need to get better educated on the ’85’s.
W.A.C.A. life member, Marlin Collectors Assn. charter and life member, C,S.S.A. member and general gun nut.
November 1, 2013
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Henry Mero said
I got interrupted earlier by company. O K here’s what I got; 30″ oct. bbl. 13/16″ across the flats at the muzzle, #2 ahead of for end 2 line address, and Cal. 32-40 at breach end, #2 under fore stock, circled vp and 32-40 under the hammer spring. a Lyman globe 5-g front site. A crude filler in the rear site slot. There is elevater wear on top to indicate there was a longer rear site on it at one time. On the frame it is, thin side, case colored, squared on top, not round, set trigger, with # 2 and #62 on top tang, #2 #62 and 1 and S on the lower tang, under the lever is -PAT.Oct. 7th 79- and ser# 2736. in script. Fine checkering on the hammer. Lyman D A tang site. No marks on the crescent butt plate, D. C. CLARKE on wood under butt plate. I need to get better educated on the ’85’s.
You let your company distract you from a new gun?
Anyway, both the front & tang sights are later additions. Only a Cody letter will disclose (maybe!) the original sights; but the elevator wear speaks for itself. But not a problem in my opinion–sight replacement then was as common as it is now, & the more serious the shooter, the more likely he was to experiment with different sight combinations.
March 31, 2009
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I should have added in my earlier post that if the rear sight was a sporting site most likely so was the front. I have a number of 85’s and 3 of them have something other than the sporting front sight even though they have the sporting rear sight.
