Log In
Members
Home
Add Reply
Add Topic
Offline
I’m newer to this Winchester collecting so please forgive me if this is answered elsewhere or basic information.
I just picked up an 1894 which was made in 1905 according to this website. It is chambered in 32 W.S. and has the fully octagon barrel. I think that the sights are not original to this rifle. The rear sight is a semi-buckhorn style and doesn’t seem to match the rest of the rifle for finish and it doesn’t look like other sights of the era for Winchesters. The elevator doesn’t match either and is not a “thumb-piece” style like other elevators I see of this vintage.
The tang of the this rifle was drilled and tapped right on the letter “C” in Winchester, which I presume was for a tang sight. There was not a tang sight installed when I bought it and I don’t know what model of tang sight would have been on that screw pattern, because most of the ones I see go from the lower stock retention screw to the top-most screw on the tang. So I presume that the original rear sight and elevator on the barrel had been uninstalled and then lost somewhere. Then at some point the tang sight was taken off and a new rear sight and elevator was installed onto the barrel.
The front sight on this rifle is labeled as a Marble No. 3.
So my questions are:
1.) Did Winchesters come from the factory with the Marble No. 3 front sight?
2.) What is the proper front & rear sight/elevator combo for this rifle?
3.) What model of tang sight could have been mounted on here since I’d imagine it didn’t come from the factory with one
You could put a 32 Winchester Special sight on the barrel.
Then I would put the correct Lyman tang sight on it to cover the extra hole.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Online
I find the whole “ what sight belongs on my Winchester” a complete can of worms. Your best bet is to pick up a copy of Nick Strobel’s book Old Gunsights A Collectors guide, 1850-1965 or find a copy of a period Winchester Catalog and educate yourself. I’m sure I’ll be corrected, but the rear sight would probably be one of the Winchester Sporting Rear Sights number 22, and if it’s a 1894 a 1b elevator, Front would be a No. 21. There were optional Marble sites you order or could put on yourself. If you send pictures of the rifle with the serial number and pics of the sights, it’s probably better.
Steven Gabrielli said
I find the whole “ what sight belongs on my Winchester” a complete can of worms. Your best bet is to pick up a copy of Nick Strobel’s book Old Gunsights A Collectors guide, 1850-1965 or find a copy of a period Winchester Catalog and educate yourself. I’m sure I’ll be corrected, but the rear sight would probably be one of the Winchester Sporting Rear Sights number 22, and if it’s a 1894 a 1b elevator, Front would be a No. 21. There were optional Marble sites you order or could put on yourself. If you send pictures of the rifle with the serial number and pics of the sights, it’s probably better.
I mostly agree with your sentiments. But I think Bob’s point is that the .32 W.S. cartridge had its own unique sight for use on the Model 94 and that would likely be the best option to go with.
All that said, I often find that I don’t always agree with what a particular collector believes to be the “Correct Sight”. Its hard to make an argument either way on a particular sight, especially when they can easily be moved around from one rifle to another. Or if something was “replaced”. If an original owner of a 95 with a Lyman 21 sight damaged and remove it but replaced it with a Lyman 38. I wouldn’t consider that it doesn’t have the wrong sight. But some collectors are true purist when it comes to such details.
Sincerely,
Maverick
WACA #8783 - Checkout my Reloading Tool Survey!
https://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-research-surveys/winchester-reloading-tool-survey/
1 Guest(s)
