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I have what I believe (hope) is an original Beach Combination sight. From everything I’ve looked at it seem authentic, except is doesn’t have a patent date stamp.
.378 dovetail. Sold to me as ‘pre Winchester’. Any help appreciated.
From the several posts with somewhat competing theories I assume that original Beach Combination sight made by Beach before 1890-1would have the patent date stamped on base; post 1890-1 may or may not depending upon or regardless of who made it and when.?
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These were repro’d at least 20 yrs ago, & though I never handled their Beach, I know that some of the other sights the same outfit (located Cape Girodeau, Mo.) was selling were made to a very high quality. (Rumor was they were made in Eastern Europe.) That fact, combined with the exceptional condition, inclines me to be pretty doubtful. I don’t see the 1867 pat. date originals should have on the base. Though that would be easy to repro.
After the pat expired in 1891, copies were made, or at least sold, by Winchester, but they carry a 1902 pat date.
I have not seen one of the eastern European reproductions that Clarence mentions, but I do have an American made version. Axtell made reproduction sights for Winchester, Sharps and other vintage rifles in the 1990’s and 2000’s. They are out of business now. To my knowledge, the Axtell sights were all stamped with their “A” marking.
Here are photos of an original Beach (no patent date) and Axtell Beach sights. The globe on the original is a bit mis-shaped.
I call myself a collector as it sounds better than hoarder
When you compare a bunch of them you can see there are variations to the them like the placement of the sight pin and heft of the sight pin. There are more beaches without patent dates than those with by far.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
1873man said
When you compare a bunch of them you can see there are variations to the them like the placement of the sight pin and heft of the sight pin. There are more beaches without patent dates than those with by far.
Raises the question of who was making them. In the beginning, it was Beach himself, a machinist & pattern maker. But he evidently found it expedient to license manufacture for mass production to the Mass. Arms Co. (makers of the Maynard rifle & other arms), as indicated by one of their 1872 ads for the sight. Despite making one of the most acclaimed target rifles of the time, Mass. Arms was out of business by 1890, which was also the expiration date of Beach’s pat. After that, the design was up for grabs; Winchester made their copy, but so also did Remington, & maybe others.
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