Log In
Members
Home
Add Reply
Add Topic
Offline
Good Evening. One of the few, somewhat-less-than-straight-up buys I’ve ever made on a Website auction was a too-good-to-be-true-for-the-uncontested-bid-price, ’49 vintage Model 62A. The seller did not explicitly represent the gun’s metal wore its original Du-lite and the auction photos did not give a close look at the serial number rollmarks, which, on close inspection, had been slightly pulled by some slips on a buffing wheel. My bad: I was two decades younger then and didn’t ask enough questions. However, 
the re-blue was not otherwise spooky, the wood was not over-sanded and looked good, the bore was excellent and all the mechanical stuff was fine. I installed the correct Winchester rear sight and elevator and replaced the funky front sight with a Redfield Sourdough, which I favor for iron sights. This little gun shucks shorts, longs and long rifles, even CCI shot capsule loads, without a hitch and lays rounds on target bettter than I can shoot. It also fits neatly into a cloth-and-leather Boyt take-down case. I’ve carried and shot it a lot. It does the job on overly persistent raccoons and aggressive cottonmouth mocassins, not to mention some unlucky fox squirrels for the pot.
But here’s the deal: I’ve gotten too old for a rear open sight and am very fond of micrometer receiver sights, hunter knobs preferred. My favorite rifles that aren’t scoped get either a Lyman 48, 56, or a Redfield 70 or 80, if they’re factory drilled and tapped for a receiver sight. The two exceptions are a restored 1929 Model 92 rifle in 25/20 that wears Lyman’s reproduction tang sight; and a Williams 5D micrometer on the receiver of a ’58 Marlin Mountie because that’s what’s illustrated on the dust cover of an Outdoor Life book of hunting stories I love to pull down and re-read.
Why not a tang sight? This 62A has the factory LOP but I’m 6’2″ and a tang sight would really get in my way. I’d like to put a micrometer sight on its flat-sided receiver and am prepared to get the receiver drilled and tapped to accomodate one. (Remember, it’s a re-blued shooter, not a collectable.)
Before I drag out Dad’s micrometer, calipers and steel rule, does anybody have a suggestion? Obviously, the bridge must have a vertical adjustment range broad enough to clear the top of the moving breechblock while still leaving a reasonable allowance for elevation changes (which may mean a new front sight), and the mounting block needs to fit a flat-sided receiver. I’d rather not take a file to the mounting block, nor have a gunsmith mill some of it off, if possible. I have a Redfield 70EH in my locker I might try-fit.
I’d bet some WACA member who shoots some of his Winchesters has been down this trail before and I’d be grateful to hear of his or her experiences – whether bad or good. Thanks for your consideration.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Thanks, Clarence. You’re right. It does hump up some. Maybe so much I’d have to have the front and rear sights way up in the middle of the air. Do you happen to have handy the models of tang sights once made for the 62 by one or more of the makers? If anybody, I’d guess Lyman and Marble. I’ve got Herb’s book on the models 61 and 62 and there may be some sight lists reproduced there. But I never pass up the opportunity to ask an expert.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Do you happen to have handy the models of tang sights once made for the 62 by one or more of the makers? Zebulon said
Lyman code for all M. 90 variations was WS.
But if you’re willing to D&T for a rcvr sight, you could D&T for one of MVA’s Winchester B-series scope repros. With a high mounted scope, I think ejected cases would hit the tube & bounce out away from the action.
clarence said
Do you happen to have handy the models of tang sights once made for the 62 by one or more of the makers? Zebulon said
Lyman code for all M. 90 variations was WS.
But if you’re willing to D&T for a rcvr sight, you could D&T for one of MVA’s Winchester B-series scope repros. With a high mounted scope, I think ejected cases would hit the tube & bounce out away from the action.
Good idea, Clarence. If I didn’t already have a grooved-receiver M61, I might go for an MVA repro. I did take a look at the current market for a nice Lyman WS code tang sight and quickly decided I didn’t want one that badly. Because this 62A has been re-blued, I decided instead to order the current version of Marble’s Improved tang sight (Marble’s #991001 base, short stem, and – to be on the safe side – the 995018 screw set.) I’ll have to see whether it will work with the Redfield Sourdough that’s on the gun. As a result of my conversations with Steve about a front sight slot blank for the 52 Sporting, I’ve already got two blanks spare. One of them is an NIB Lyman 12SS shorty for lightweight barrels, that should work nicely. As always, I’m grateful for your advice and good help.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Well, here’s an update. These photos show the dry fit-up of my new Marbles tang sight on the Model 62A. As you can see, it’s mounted on the tang by the stock bolt alone but will, after sighting in at the range, get a spot of blue Loctite under the upper part of the sight base, per Clarence’s good advice. This will avoid having to drill and tap a new hole in the rifle’s tang. There are only two things I’d like to note for others who may be contemplating buying one of these new (and very nice) Marbles Improved sights:
1. At least for this Model 62A, the original stock bolt is too short to catch a thread in the factory-tapped hole in the lower tang, once the bolt is inserted through the sight’s base. Marbles sells a longer-than-factory replacement stock bolt and I bought one from Midway at the same time I bought the sight, as a precaution and now I’m glad I did. The replacement protrudes too much below the lower tang and needs to be shortened and the tip rounded over, which I’ll do on my drill press with a Dremel tool, after threading a nut onto the bolt so I can clean up the threads after shortening by removing the nut.
2. For anyone who hasn’t removed a sliding elevator rear sight like the WRA 32b on this rifle, here’s what I learned in my youth from a grumpy old German gunsmith: Before doing anything else, lift up the face of the sight (the end opposite its male dovetail block), and slide a piece of wax paper or plastic kitchen wrap underneath both the sight and its elevator piece, to protect the barrel’s blueing. Then, looking from butt to muzzle, note that the barrel’s female dovetail is cut with a taper in its width from right to left, wide on the right and narrow on the left. Using a light hammer and a Nylon-tipped punch, tap gently but repeatedly on the left side of the sight’s male dovetail block to drive the sight out the right side of the barrel’s female dovetail.
Weather permitting, we will have a range report soon.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Zebulon said
1. At least for this Model 62A, the original stock bolt is too short to catch a thread in the factory-tapped hole in the lower tang, once the bolt is inserted through the sight’s base. Marbles sells a longer-than-factory replacement stock bolt and I bought one from Midway at the same time I bought the sight, as a precaution and now I’m glad I did. The replacement protrudes too much below the lower tang and needs to be shortened and the tip rounded over, which I’ll do on my drill press with a Dremel tool, after threading a nut onto the bolt so I can clean up the threads after shortening by removing the nut.
If this special screw worked just fine without additional modification, it would be the best choice. Since it did not, I think it would be no more trouble to drill the hole in the sight base deeper & use (& not loose!) the factory tang screw. I’ve seen the same thing done on countless Lyman bases in situations where the shooter had obtained the sight, but obviously not the special screw originally provided with it. In fact, Lyman’s idea of designing the sights for mounting with a special screw not commonly available is a perfect illustration of the old saying “too clever by half.”
clarence said
Zebulon said
1. At least for this Model 62A, the original stock bolt is too short to catch a thread in the factory-tapped hole in the lower tang, once the bolt is inserted through the sight’s base. Marbles sells a longer-than-factory replacement stock bolt and I bought one from Midway at the same time I bought the sight, as a precaution and now I’m glad I did. The replacement protrudes too much below the lower tang and needs to be shortened and the tip rounded over, which I’ll do on my drill press with a Dremel tool, after threading a nut onto the bolt so I can clean up the threads after shortening by removing the nut.
If this special screw worked just fine without additional modification, it would be the best choice. Since it did not, I think it would be no more trouble to drill the hole in the sight base deeper & use (& not loose!) the factory tang screw. I’ve seen the same thing done on countless Lyman bases in situations where the shooter had obtained the sight, but obviously not the special screw originally provided with it. In fact, Lyman’s idea of designing the sights for mounting with a special screw not commonly available is a perfect illustration of the old saying “too clever by half.”
Good morning, Clarence. Like you, I would prefer to use the original WRA tang bolt. It isn’t clear from these photos but you will recall the base of this new version of the Marbles Improved has a cylindrical mounting hole at its upper end and a countersunk slot at its lower end. The single stock bolt of the 62A must run through the slot. I did not (but will) see how much deeper the slot’s countersink would have to be relieved to allow the original bolt to reach the lower tang. I’d want to make sure there would be enough meat left in the countersink. At a guess, the base of this Marbles was probably investment cast because it does seem to have a thicker profile than the old ones. Also, at my paygrade, I’m a little queasy about working on the $100 sight rather than the $6 bolt.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
1 Guest(s)
