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I recently acquired what I believe is a Winchester No. 69B globe front sight. I have seen them referred to as wind gauge target sights also. It appears original and is not a current reproduction. It has a screw adjustment with fine graduation marks and is a dovetail mount. It did not come with any aperatures or the leveling device.
Any information on what this sight was originally used on would be appreciated. Was this an accessory or did it come on rifles from the factory? If I can figure out how to post pictures I will do so.
Thank you
Ray,
The Winchester Windgauge Globe front sight (later referred to as the 69B) was very frequently installed on the Model 1885 Single Shot Rifles, especially the higher grade rifles (Special Sporting, Special Single Shot, and Schuetzen rifles). It was a special order sight on other models (e.g. 1873, 1876, 1886, etc.).
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Ray,
You can send me the photos and I can post them if you can’t figure it out. The sights were put on by the factory and were sold in cased sets with a tang sight also sold individually to be put on later. If the factory installed them they were sometimes stated in the factory records as “Windgage sight” and they most often were installed with a Vernier tang sight. The repo’s most often have a courser knurling on the windage knob.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Here are the photos. One thing I see is the base looks like it wider that the Winchester standard 3/8″ so this sight could be for another make of gun. The sight had several different shape sight posts that slipped in the slot and were held in by a clip. That clip was either a plain flat clip or it had a spirit level. If you measure the width of the dovetail we can tell for sure and what it might fit. The sight is a original sight.
The dovetail measured 7/16″ so probably from a Sharps.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Thank you to Bert and Bob for the information and help. If anyone else has any more information on the sight please let me know. I would like to learn as much as possible about it. I will continue to do some research.
69A is the windgauge front sight without a Spirit Level and 69B is the same sight with the Spirit Level. I’ve always assumed the spirit level is called so because the fluid is in the glass ampule is alcohol based and not because the “spirits” are with you when you use such a sight.
My question here is regarding the 7/16″ sight base width. Since that won’t fit a Winchester dovetail, did Winchester make such specialized sights to fit competing manufacturer’s products? Seem strange to me that Winchester would make a sight to fit a Sharps, Remington, Bullard, etc.
"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
These sights were made by a third party and probably did not sell to Winchester exclusively. When you look through the Stroebel sight book you see many of the same style sights advertised by different gun manufactures
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
1873man said
These sights were made by a third party and probably did not sell to Winchester exclusively. When you look through the Stroebel sight book you see many of the same style sights advertised by different gun manufacturesBob
Interesting. I was not aware of that. Another lesson learned here at WACA. So the sight in question here is actually not a Winchester sight at all.
"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
So, Bob, I went to my Stroebel copy and discovered that the sight in question here in this thread is actually a Stevens No. 207 or 208, depending on whether it has a Spirit Level, or not, on the retaining clip.
"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
It could also be for a Whitney, they too have a 7/16″ dovetail but no picture to compare it to.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
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