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Does anyone know of a source for replacement beads for Lyman, Winchester and other front sights?
I have a few Lyman sights with the bead broken and/or missing.
It looks like a simple process to clean out the hole and install a new bead but can’t find anyone that supplies them.
Thanks!
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Chuck said
You will probably have to make your own.
That he could do (being lathe-savvy) with this beautiful little machine: https://www.ebay.com/itm/392039732849?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-213727-13078-0&mkcid=2&itemid=392039732849&targetid=4580496732614411&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=418233788&mkgroupid=1230353745471221&rlsatarget=pla-4580496732614411&abcId=9300542&merchantid=51291&msclkid=000244c17b6f16038a5e267881baa38c
However, this can’t be the way Lyman mass-produced their gold & ivory beads, & I’ve long wondered how they did it. To sell their sights at competitive prices, their manufacturing procedure for beads had to have been relatively cheap & quick, not made one at a time on a lathe.
I had a jeweler melt a glob of 10K gold taken from my HS ring on to the stub of the bead on a Lyman #5, which I then filed to the shape of a wide, sloped, blade, something like a Redfield Sourdough. No front sight I’ve ever used, inc. Redfield Sourdoughs which show up better than gold or ivory beads, is anywhere near as bright in dim light as this home-made sight, because of the reflectivity of the gold.
Chuck said
You will probably have to make your own.
Yes, that is my plan “B”, was hoping to avoid the time and effort though since I need a few.
For the brass beads I figured I could get the right diameter wire, cut it long, put it in a blind hole and swage the “bead” onto it with a cupped punch, kind of like setting the rivets on a Browning 1919 side plate.
I don’t have a quick/easy solution for the ivory beads though. Maybe 3D print them?
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
JWA said I don’t have a quick/easy solution for the ivory beads though. Maybe 3D print them?
If you can lay hands on a sliver of ivory, you can shape it with a file to fit the sights on which the bead is the top of a tooth-pick dia. rod of ivory, like the Lyman #3 & 5. I did this once, but quick & easy it was not. Probably much harder to do the same with a #4, which seems to be the one most often missing its ivory. I think I’ve still got the broken piece of ivory I used if you care to try.
Hi Clarence,
Thanks for the offer, that is very generous. I do have a chunk of ivory I can use but I won’t be home with time to tinker with anything for at least a couple of months. Still hoping to find a “plug and play” solution.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Jeff… if you do find a solution, I’d be happy to purchase 2-3 dozen for inventory fixes & backstock. Ben
[email protected] said
Jeff… if you do find a solution, I’d be happy to purchase 2-3 dozen for inventory fixes & backstock. Ben
Hi Ben,
Thanks, I will keep that in mind. I am surprised there is not a commercial source since it seems to be a common issue.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
JWA said I am surprised there is not a commercial source since it seems to be a common issue.
Common, but how many (besides myself) are shooting with antique sights? (Presume that’s what you’re talking about it.) If you’re not actually shooting with them, the condition of the bead isn’t likely to be a high-priority concern. Several different sizes would be needed, so I’m not terribly surprised no one has rushed into production. I’m mainly referring to ivory beads, which could be replicated in micarta.
I would go with a modern alternative then ivory. The problem with ivory is getting it into a shape to turn it in a lath. Buy something hard and white in a rod form. You would need a nice small lath to do it like Clarence posted. I bought one years ago with all the attachments and used it to make flat nose 25-35 bullets out of commonly available bullets.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
You would need a nice small lath to do it like Clarence posted. 1873man said
When I was in HS, I begged my parents to buy me a Unimat, which I’d seen in magazine ads; if my pleas hadn’t fallen on deaf ears, I’d now be a master machinist turning out ivory beads by the bushel-basket.
Clarence,
I bought it at a local gun show. I still don’t know what all the attachments do.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
1873man said You would need a nice small lath to do it like Clarence posted. I bought one years ago with all the attachments and used it to make flat nose 25-35 bullets out of commonly available bullets.
Bob, I’ve used my Forster “lathe” to make hollow-points out of (loaded) round-nosed .32 S&W Long cartridges, which is one of my favorites for small-game up to the size of a turkey; doing so transformed a fairly anemic cartridge into a very lethal one, within sensible limits. I also have a die for filling a flat point on round-nosed .22 LR, which also makes a remarkable difference in shock effect.
Drill a hole in a piece of steel plate the diameter you need. Take a piece of ivory, micarta or bone. Make sure it is a just little over the diameter you need. Taper one end to get it started and and force it through the hole. This is how wooden dowels were made. A burr on the edge of the hole would really help. Or you can buy a dowel plate.
Chuck said
Drill a hole in a piece of steel plate the diameter you need. Take a piece of ivory, micarta or bone. Make sure it is a just little over the diameter you need. Taper one end to get it started and and force it through the hole. This is how wooden dowels were made. A burr on the edge of the hole would really help. Or you can buy a dowel plate.
Even with this plate, the material would first have to be worked down to the approx. diameter, which would have to be very close to finished size to avoid breaking such a thin rod.
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