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Hey Peter
I looked at my Lyman sights. This is a No.2 and also a D. It looks like it has the same stampings on the base of the stem that you describe. Does yours look similar?
Brad
Hi Brad, looks the same except I have a flip down aperture and your stamping is much plainer than mine. I have a “D” on the bottom, and if I use my imagination a little, I might see a “1”. Peter
Hey thanks Peter. I doubt William Lyman, way back in the 1880s-90s, realized the conversations he would generate among some future sight nerds when he decided to change the stamping for a while 
Did all the early, fine-knurled Lyman tang sights have a letter stamped on their base? I have one that fits my 1873, but there is no letter stamped on its base, just the patent dates on the top of the base, and at the base of the stem.
Hi Brad, U have time to climb off that wood pile and post a picture of the bottom of your Lyman sight you pictured so’s I can see what your stamp looks like. Thanks, Peter
win38-55 said
Did all the early, fine-knurled Lyman tang sights have a letter stamped on their base? I have one that fits my 1873, but there is no letter stamped on its base, just the patent dates on the top of the base, and at the base of the stem.
I just checked all my thin base 73 tang sights fine knurled and course. What I’m finding is as a general rule if there is patent date on the top of the base there is no application code on the bottom and the ones with codes on the bottom don’t have the patent date.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Eagle said
Hi Brad, U have time to climb off that wood pile and post a picture of the bottom of your Lyman sight you pictured so’s I can see what your stamp looks like. Thanks, Peter
Hey Peter
Here you go.
Thanks for the picture Brad. Your “D” is in the same place as mine. I will assume, because you call it a 2, you have a stem with the screw in aperture? Is there a “2” on the bottom or just the “D”? I have a 2A DA where both designations are stamped on the bottom. Peter
Hey Peter
Yep, screw in aperture but no “2” marked anywhere. The sights I have say either “D” or “DA” only, no “1” or “2”.
According to what’s written in the Lyman Centennial Journal and Old Gunsights, the No.2 sights came out in 1894. Maybe that will help you in some way as far as the markings go.
Here are some pictures of an early No. 1 Lyman tang sight that I picked up in Cody this year. The patent date is marked “PAT. JAN 28. 79”. Interestingly, the application code is stamped “73” and is applied to the spring rather than to the base itself.
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Rick,
If you dont mind me asking…..how much are these sights going for at Cody? i go to the reno show almost every year and have never seen one like that at any of the sight tables……There is one on ebay right now but the guy is asking $995……
Manny:
The asking price was $750 but I was able to do a bit better. This sight is for sale if anyone is interested – price $750.
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Agree with Bob on the thin base sights with finely knurled/swirled stems. None of mine have codes underneath. From what I’ve seen, this is true for sights made for other gun manufacturers. Whitney, Marlin, others.
Rick’s sight is different, the thick base springs are almost always marked for either the 76 or 73. Only difference in the sights is the height of the Lyman stem, and the length of the spring (which governs the angle of the stem, as it varies by model due to the more severe drop in the 73). Hence only the spring was marked, rather than the otherwise identical bases.
Will
Rick Hill said
Here are some pictures of an early No. 1 Lyman tang sight that I picked up in Cody this year. The patent date is marked “PAT. JAN 28. 79”. Interestingly, the application code is stamped “73” and is applied to the spring rather than to the base itself.
Rick,
Awesome example of a very early thick-base thumb-screw Lyman tang sight !
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Here are some for my collection. They too have the 73 stamp on the spring .You can also see where the bases have been filed or sanded to level the sight to the gun. These I have had for a while so I got them a little cheaper.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Bob……you say “the bases have been filed or sanded to level the sight to the gun” on some of your old Lyman sights…I’ve always been under the impression that one would use some type of shim to do that. I have purchased sights that came with some old brass shims, and some with paper shims. Do you think way back then they filed the bases verses using shims? Makes sense actually. Peter
PS: could someone tell me how to set the time code here? I posted this at 7:29 AM but it shows 2:29 PM. I have no idea how to change that. The forum time code on my screen says UTC 0. Thanks
Peter,
Most of the time people used papers shims since it is not destructive and I think that is how Lyman tells people to do it in the instruction sheet but there are sights I have seen the bottoms of the sight filed from people that like to do thing the hard way or just don’t know any better.
To set your time zone. Click on your profile button near the top of the page then click “Edit Options” then click “Edit Display Options”.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
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