Early Lyman sight? | Page 3 | Winchester Sights | Forum

86Win said
Hi Bert

    I just acquired this Lyman? sight marked SC on bottom (like your Lyman SC only slightly different) see attached photos. Is this right for my 1885 winchester low wall 22 which letters August 1904. you have seen my rifle before SN 97274. Thanks, Don

  

Don,

It is my understanding that the “SC” coded sight was intended for the .22 rim fire Winder Muskets.  That stated, it could be used on your .22 low-wall.  I do note that the sight base has been altered with the additional of the center mounting screw hole, and the eye-piece is not a Lyman part.

Bert

clarence said

Not impossible Lyman changed the code assigned for Winder Muskets, but the code I saw in briefly checking two ’20s charts was “WM.”

The home-made eyepiece is the best thing about it!  

I do not have any of the old Lyman charts handy… do any of them you have mention the “SC” application code ?  I know what the “S” and “SB” are for, and have read the same thing you mentioned about the “WM” code (though I have never found one with that application code).  I have found a small number of 1st variation Winder Muskets that letter with a No. 2A or a No. 103 tang sight though.

clarence said

Bert H. said
I do not have any of the old Lyman charts handy… do any of them you have mention the “SC” application code ? 

SC is listed in the 1930 cat for the 87 only.  So appears code was later changed to WM.  

So what year (catalog) does the “WM” code first appear in?  You mentioned “20s” in a previous reply, and that would put it before the “SC” code in the 1930 catalog.

Interesting, and it at least partially explains why I have not yet encountered a Lyman tang sight with the “WM” application code. It appears that the “SC” was/is the more likely found sight on a Winder Musket, but even they are scarce. Until this topic post, I had only ever seen just one (and I own it).

clarence said

One of the main reasons for making the musket was to provide shooters using it with a military type rear sight; adding a tang sight would defeat that purpose, though it’s a better sight.  Not so, however, with the excellent rcvr. sights on 87s–replacing one of them with a tang sight would make no sense at all.  

I agree… the Lyman No. 53 receiver sight is more than adequate for the Model 87, and it would require removing it to use the “SC” Lyman tang sight, leaving behind (4) ugly empty screw holes in the side of the receiver.  I have looked at more than 1,500 Model 87 Winder Muskets, and every single one of them had a Lyman No. 53 sight (or was drilled & tapped for it).