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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Old Peep Sight - Factory or Homemade? (Read 1589 times)
bgmkithaca
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Re: Old Peep Sight - Factory or Homemade?
Reply #15 - Oct 13th, 2024 at 10:21am
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Sorry but it has been quite a few years ago and simply do not remember and my uncle has been gone for years. I don't know what became of his collection of historical references. I do remember another uncle had a single shot pistol of unknown make that had a simular but smaller version of a sight like that. The pistol was stolen a lot of years ago so can't search that out either.
  
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Re: Old Peep Sight - Factory or Homemade?
Reply #16 - Oct 14th, 2024 at 10:51am
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bgmkithaca wrote on Oct 13th, 2024 at 10:21am:
Sorry but it has been quite a few years ago and simply do not remember and my uncle has been gone for years. I don't know what became of his collection of historical references. I do remember another uncle had a single shot pistol of unknown make that had a simular but smaller version of a sight like that. The pistol was stolen a lot of years ago so can't search that out either.


I went ahead and bought the 1938 copy of Amer. Rifleman that mentions his name.  Hopefully it's an advertisement with pictures, which would be interesting.  I'll post the results here when it gets mailed to me.

It's also very likely the sight was made by a different small shop.  100 yrs ago was a time full of small enterprises.
  

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Tom_Trevor assra life no.71
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Re: Old Peep Sight - Factory or Homemade?
Reply #17 - Oct 14th, 2024 at 2:36pm
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I have copies of the Rifleman that an older club member gave me years ago 1930-1960 in binders.
V-86 No. 11 is November 1938
I did look thru it this morning and found no adds or mention of Maxwell Smiley. I did find one W.A. Smiley on pages 26 and 27 who won a number of .30 caliber rifle medals.
Did also check October as well.
No fine picture adds showing the sight in question.
If you do find something I missed please let us know here.
  
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Re: Old Peep Sight - Factory or Homemade?
Reply #18 - Oct 14th, 2024 at 3:26pm
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Tom T,
I got the name Maxwell Smiley from a search using "vintage gunsmith catalog "fairmount, indiana"

That search produced a few results, but the only relevant one was from a 1938 Amer. Rifleman, vol. 86, issue 11, from the site; archive.org
That web page isn't working, and only the text it shows is simply "Maxwell Smiley, Fairmount, Indiana" in that issue of Amer. Rifleman.   

Fairmount, Ind, is the right place,1938 is about the right timeframe, and Amer Rifleman is appropriate too.  I wish I could give you more.  It might be a dead end, and another example of the internet leading us astray.   

Joe
  

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Tom_Trevor assra life no.71
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Re: Old Peep Sight - Factory or Homemade?
Reply #19 - Oct 14th, 2024 at 4:01pm
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The name is possibly in there someplace as the classified adds are many in that era and small print.
archive.org is now back on line after being attacked last week and brought off line.
  
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Re: Old Peep Sight - Factory or Homemade?
Reply #20 - Oct 15th, 2024 at 4:23pm
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Tom_Trevor assra life no.71 wrote on Oct 14th, 2024 at 4:01pm:
The name is possibly in there someplace as the classified adds are many in that era and small print.
archive.org is now back on line after being attacked last week and brought off line.


You are probably right about it being a name in the classifieds.  If it were an advertisement you would have seen it.  I'll closely look through my copy of the magazine when it arrives.
  

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Re: Old Peep Sight - Factory or Homemade?
Reply #21 - Oct 24th, 2024 at 8:52am
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Tom T,
I got my copy of the 1938 Amer. Rifleman, and didn't see that gunsmith's name.  Not even in the classifieds.  As for the name coming up in the internet search, who knows?  A mystery of the electrons.  I'll keep an eye open on Ebay and GBroker, to see if this vintage sight pops up.  I'd like to get one.  If anyone knows of a similar modern sight, please let me know.

The vintage magazine was interesting.  I'll get a few more to study.  I liked the article on black powder (BP).  Apparently as late as 1938, people will missing BP, and lamenting smokeless powder, esp. since corrosive primers were still in use. 

Joe
  

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