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Does anyone have an 1890 with a 32A “Sporting” rear barrel sight? Per Schwings book it’s the buckhorn type that goes in a barrel dovetail and has an elevator. The picture (from schwings book) below shows the one I’m referencing.
Schwing says the base is an inch long…
I’m hoping to find out what the overall length, width, and height measurements are and get a picture of what the buckhorn looks like from the shooter’s point of view . I need to buy one of these sights and figured the more knowledge and familiarity I had on the topic, the better!
Thanks
I don’t think the sight you are showning is a 32A. To my knowledge, the 32A is one of the standard sights on the older 1890’s. The sight that you are showing looks like the same rear sight that was used on the older 1894’s and 1892’s. The link below is to what I would call a 32A. Peter
This is the style of a rear sight for a 1890. They sell them on Ebay all the time. I had different ways to elevate the sight. The early ones had a standard elevator and the later ones had the screw.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
After further research, review, and with the help of you folks here, I believe this is the sight I’m trying to identify/find. I believe it was used on several early Winchesters.
I believe it’s the same as the one in the Schwing book referenced above.
Early wichester catalogs called it a “Sporting Rear Sight” but I believe it’s now typically called an early version “22A Flattop”??
Any opinions?
I don’t think that is the one in the Schwing photo as you are showing a flat top and the one in the photo is a rounded top with serrations on the side.
I see that now Eagle. My mistake. I’ve looked at so many Winchester sights recently that im starting to mix them up!
Joel, Even though not a real healthy example, this sight is closer to what Schwing is showing in his picture. It was used on the older 1894’s and 1892’s and are aprox 3″ long not counting the lifter.
That does look much more like Schwings sight.
I’ve found images of high condition guns (making me believe they haven’t been altered, but who knows) with predominantly 3 sight styles.
One style is the type Schwing shows. Another style is the 22A “Flattop” sight. The third is the Lyman No. 6 folding sight.
I suppose since my gun is too late in production to letter, I have some room for personal preference on what sight to use. I do want it to be period and model correct.
Most of the guns I’ve seen with the Lyman No. 6 also have a Beach style front sight (which my rifle does not have). So I’ve crossed that off my list.
That narrows my options to the sight in Schwings book and the 22A Flattop.
I assume both were offered before my rifle was produced (although I don’t know how to verify that). If that were true, I could safely use either sight and it would be “time period and model correct”.
I wonder how many 1890s out there letter with these sights…
Joel, Personally I would put a period correct 1890 sight on it verses putting something on it that is doubtful on being original. Peter
My rifle (center in the photo below) has a factory (I believe) 3/8” dovetail cut into the barrel where the rear sight would be attached. I’ve read and seen where 1890s could be ordered with upgraded rear barrel sights that would require this dovetail cut. I could be wrong, I have been plenty of times before 🙂 but I believe the style of sight you posted above mounts to the barrel via a threaded screw hole (like the top and bottom rifles in the pic below). 
I’m trying to find the period correct sight to go in the 3/8” dovetail slot in the barrel on this rifle:
Maybe one of these will work…
Then u can find a thumb nail lifter like this to go with it…
November 7, 2015
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Joel Goodrich said
My fault, I wasn’t very articulate in what I was trying to explain?
Clear enough but it’s not every day you see an 1890 with a dovetailed rear sight. I wonder how rare that was. I really like the tang sight on your rifle, very nice!
Mike
TXGunNut said
Clear enough but it’s not every day you see an 1890 with a dovetailed rear sight. I wonder how rare that was. I really like the tang sight on your rifle, very nice!
Mike
Thanks Mike,
The peep is a Lyman 1A and should have an SL” code stamped on the bottom in order to be the correct height for the 1890. I’ll likely pull the peep off at some point to confirm.
Of the hundreds of 1890s I’ve seen on the web and the many I’ve seen in person, I cant remember more than 20 of them having barrels that were dovetailed for a sight. Of course I wasn’t specifically paying attention to that detail until now, so that number could’ve been higher.
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