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Normal Topic unknown sight on Winchester 1885 (Read 3109 times)
gunlaker
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unknown sight on Winchester 1885
Jan 29th, 2013 at 12:38am
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Hi,

Would anyone out there be able to tell me what type of sight this is?  It has no markings but the adjustable aperture eyepiece is a Parker Hale.   

A year or two ago I bought this particular Winchester 1885. It's a coil spring action, originally in .38-55 with a #4 barrel (rebored/rechambered to .45-70), close coupled double set triggers, and has an original windage adjustable aperture front sight with spirit level.   

The only thing that appears to not be original is the rear sight.  I'm just trying to figure out where that came from.  Is it possible that it is an original Winchester sight that someone fitted a Parker Hale eyepiece to?

thanks,

Chris.
    

  
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Re: unknown sight on Winchester 1885
Reply #1 - Jan 29th, 2013 at 12:59am
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Shortly after posting this I realized that I have a copy of "Old Gunsights & Rifle Scopes" on the book shelf.  That's embarrassing.  Roll Eyes

It appears that this is a Winchester late model "graduated peep sight".   It looks identical to the images in the reproduced Winchester catalog.    The eye piece is a Parker Hale P59 which was available to fit American tang sights.

Chris.

  
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Re: unknown sight on Winchester 1885
Reply #2 - Jan 29th, 2013 at 1:21am
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Chris,

What keeps the staff located in the upright position?
  

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading, the few who learn by observation, and the rest who have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.
Proud Noodlehead
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Re: unknown sight on Winchester 1885
Reply #3 - Jan 29th, 2013 at 12:27pm
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BP, the staff has a detent in the bottom and there is a spring underneath.  There appears to be an adjustment screw, located on the base very near the staff, for the spring.   

On the right side of the base there is a knob.  I'm not sure whether that is to control tension on the staff, or for removal of the staff.  It is very tight and I have not messed with it.

The sight appears to be identical to the one pictured in the upper left of page 205 of "Old Gunsights & Rifle Scopes".  The only exception is that the base does not have a Winchester mark as is depicted on the drawing in the book.

Chris.
  
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Re: unknown sight on Winchester 1885
Reply #4 - Jan 29th, 2013 at 4:50pm
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Chris,

Thanks. Your sight looks similar to the Win 36A or 36B sight. 

The reason I asked is that I've seen two different WRA spring setups to keep the staff tensioned in the upright position. 

There was a "thick base" version using an arched leaf spring fastened to the underside of the base with a screw, and with the tip of the spring engaging a notch cut across the bottom of the staff.

The "thin base" like you show in your pictures used a spring that wrapped around the bottom of the staff and had a tip that engaged two notches cut across the top of the base. 

I didn't see the WRA type spring on yours and was curious.
  

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading, the few who learn by observation, and the rest who have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.
Proud Noodlehead
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