Rear sight base for Winchester 32-20 Low Wall

[Elric]

While waiting for some laundry to get done, I pulled out a Low Wall. The barrel was re-lined and it's now a 32-20. I had drilled and tapped the barrel so my Dad could mount the bases for a Lyman Targetspot. For the record, the period steels weren't perfect, a couple times it started to "crunch" when I hit inclusions...

Anyways, I'd rather not butcher the reciever, drilling and tapping it for a peep sight. The action is tight, but it is not in good shape, cosmetically. I'm thinking of an extended base from the two rearward scope base holes... I dislike tang sights getting in the way of a decent grip around the stock. This won't be rock-solid, but I'm not shooting 200 yards, either.

 

[RicinYakima]

You could just clamp 22 dove tail rings to the Lyman Targetspot bases.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I just added a tang to my Rossi '92 rifle. I too was worried as many times a tang sight causes issues you mention.


I was pleased to find even tho this is a windage adj site. Its comfortable shooting in normal hand position!
Heavier recoil would likely not be the case. But both of these are not "kickers". (Yours or mine)
CW

 

[L Ross]

While waiting for some laundry to get done, I pulled out a Low Wall. The barrel was re-lined and it's now a 32-20. I had drilled and tapped the barrel so my Dad could mount the bases for a Lyman Targetspot. For the record, the period steels weren't perfect, a couple times it started to "crunch" when I hit inclusions...

Anyways, I'd rather not butcher the reciever, drilling and tapping it for a peep sight. The action is tight, but it is not in good shape, cosmetically. I'm thinking of an extended base from the two rearward scope base holes... I dislike tang sights getting in the way of a decent grip around the stock. This won't be rock-solid, but I'm not shooting 200 yards, either.

So why don't you want to put an externally adjustable scope on it? I have scope blocks on my Low Wall in .25-20 and I have a Malcolm Leatherwood 3X on it and it is my FAVORITE squirrel gun. When I want to play target I slip off the Malcolm and put on a Super Target Spot. I may replace the Malcolm with a MVA Winchester 5A, but man o' man a scoped Low Wall is FUN!

By the way, the Malcolm, (Statifrattin' Chinese made blinkety blank), has beautiful clear glass. The external adjustments are crude and difficult to use just like an original Lyman 438 scope, but once locked in holds its zero fine.

I used a 3X Malcolm on a modified Winder Musket I have. The original barrel was replaced with a light Winchester 52 barrel so historical value is nil. But...it shoots! I used it to win a .22 BPCR silhouette match a few years back. I did my sighting in and measured every elevation change with a digital caliper, wrote them down, and made my range changes from 50 to 100, 150, and 200 that way. If I was going to use it more I'd make a set of numbered slip in giant "feeler" gauges. Point is the optics were just fine even at 200 yard rams.

 

[4060MAY]

CPA makes a sight adapter to fit on the scope blocks for a redfield sight

Adapter for Redfield rear sight

Rear sight adapters are made for Redfield rear sights. The adapter is mounted on a rear scope base placed just ahead of the frame of the rifle and puts the rear sight at a comfortable scope height. The Redfield adapter is offset the correct distance to the left to accommodate the "gallows arm"...

www.cparifles.com

 

[Elric]

So why don't you want to put an externally adjustable scope on it?

Why not a red dot? I'd like to try irons while I still have some eyesight left.

 

[Elric]

CPA makes a sight adapter to fit on the scope blocks for a redfield sight

Now that's pretty banging. I was thinking of a Williams. That Redfield mount, the forward leg is screwed horizontally onto a block [I think]... I was thinking of a leg directly on top of the barrel, with vertical mounting screws into the existing .800 spaced holes.

Now waitaminnit... I have one, if not two Williams FP sights for the Knight MK-85 muzzleloader. A bit garish, silver, but free and the mounting base is for a barrel flat... Have to root about.

Up grade on MK85 sights. - HuntingNet.com Forums

Black Powder - Up grade on MK85 sights. - After getting my MK85's, I added Williams FP peeps. I hated the front sights on the rifles. I have been using the Lyman 17 AML globe sights on my Hot Rods for a long time. So I decided to give them a try on the knights. The one thing that I knew was the...

www.huntingnet.com

 

[L Ross]

Why not a red dot? I'd like to try irons while I still have some eyesight left.

Hahahaha, a red dot? That'd be an abomination unto the deeply lamented spirit of J.M. Browning!

You rejected a tang sight out of hand, (pun intended), which is one of my absolute favorites. Once I started shooting tang sights with my thumb along side the grip, (due to my buffalo rifles trying to tear my thumb off), I realized I was getting smaller groups. I think the rifles were canting less in recoil. It has now become a routine habit. I have tang sights on a Low Wall, two Hi-Wall's, a two 92's, and 86, two 94's, a 39 Marlin, a 9422, two Sharps, and a Ballard. Some of these rifles also have scope blocks.

I also don't bump my snot locker with a Springfield, and I believe I get a straighter trigger pull with less tendency to put torque on the pistol grip.

I only suggested the externally adjustable scope because you mentioned having drilled and tapped your Dad's Low-Wall. The last reason is that I am a slave to tradition. I cringe when I see side mounted scopes stuck on 94's and 71's, and I have not bought some very nice Winchesters over the years because of holes drilled willy nilly on the receiver for receiver sights, yuck!

 

[Elric]

Hahahaha, a red dot? That'd be an abomination
rejected a tang sight out of hand,
having drilled and tapped

Busy day ahead.

I wanted an example that would cause cognative dissonance. Could have chosen a Picatinny rail under the barrel with a green laser. Or a surplus night illuminator... 'ceptin that the WI DNR frowns on vision enhancement after the sun goes down.

I got a tang sight on it right now. If it was a Winchester 62B [or was that a 63B] sight that uses one mounting screw and a base that is milled to mate to the radius of the Low-Wall tang, that'd be sweet. Rejected sounds crude, like I was offended. I got enough tang sights. Though I must admit, the present one does allow those with opposeable digits to get a grip around the wrist.

First, do no harm... I failed that one. The barrel should be draw filed and gone over with some wet-dry, then re-blued. Unfortunately, it seems the good file makers were outsourced. Nicholson Black Diamond files were sweet back in the late 90's when I draw filed barrels. Quality has taken a big dump.

 

[Elric]

I wonder who butchered the barrel...

Rear screw is about 1.00 inch from forward edge of the receiver. Barrel flat is about 0.500 inch.

12L44 seems to be the winner for a machineable, cold blue-able carbon steel.

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[Brad]

12L14 will certainly blue. Matter of fact it is damn hard to keep from rusting in the open air.
It machines very well.