SureShot-

As usual, I expect to get pushback on some of this.  Which is GOOD. I need all the HELP I can get!!! 

The matter of what sights were factory standard issue on each pre-64 M70 style at what time in history is surprisingly hard to nail down.  Roger Rule seems to have given rather short shrift to the topic and makes a couple of statements that are probably inaccurate.  Winchester’s catalogs were deliberately vague, for example only ever describing the Super Grade front sight as “Redfield Full Gold”, not 254 versus 255, etc.  The Basic Nomenclature Lists (parts lists used by Factory Assemblers for each Catalog Symbol) don’t seem to be available…

Based on what I can get from the survey (and discussion with other collectors and dealers), Super Grade rifles used the same HEIGHT front sight as Standard Grade rifles of the era.  I’m attaching part of a DRAFT (as in “work in progress”) table I’ve been putting together on front sight applications by Style and Year.  Yellow highlighted cells are areas where there is uncertainty in my data…

Short story is that Super Grades with standard contour barrels (excluding the 24″ Medium Heavy and C-1 contour 375 H&H Magnums and the African) used a Redfield 254 (0.310″ tall) from 1936 until 1952.  When the Monte Carlo stock style was introduced in 1952, the front sight became a Redfield 255 (0.360″ tall) on Super Grade Rifles and Super Grade Featherweights with Monte Carlo stocks, and eventually also on Super Grade Rifles with low comb stocks.  I have yet to find evidence that the Redfield 256 was used on Pre-64 Model 70 Super Grades. Nor have I ever seen a “gold bead” Winchester 103C front sight, either on or off a rifle, that being what Rule said was used on Super Grade rifles from 1941-1948.  I’m not sure they exist…

As an aid to identification, the photos below show Redfield Full Gold sights in 0.260″ (not numbered), 0.310″ (254), 0.360″ (255), and 0.375″ (256) heights.

If anyone has better information, PLEASE let me know…

Hope this helps,

Lou