Rear Sight Identification

DonW1 · Post by **DonW1** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:32 pm

The Savage guys say its not Savage and the Marlin guys say its not Marlin.
Anyone know if this is a Winchester sight? 3 1/8" from the upright to the forward point. (Its mounted on a sporterized military rifle.) Appreciate your input. Don

3855 · Post by **3855** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:15 pm

Not Winchester either.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:30 pm

Looks very similar to the early Winchester "long" sight, but... could also be a Marbles or, more likely, Lyman. I can't quite make out that mark on the right side where the dovetail is. Can't say for certain, but can't rule any of those 3 out. Any mrkings on the elevator or underside?

DonW1 · Post by **DonW1** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 6:32 pm

Well looks like I'm in wonderland as this is getting curiouser and curiouser.

Griff, the "mark" is a rivet that holds the top plate of the sight to the dovetail base. Look close and you will see a round mark on the left side as well.

Here's where it gets weird: no markings at all on the visible sight surfaces, so I drifted the sight off the barrel. There is a 620 stamped on the bottom of the sight dovetail. Coincidentally, that is the last three digits of the serial number. Dovetail looked wide too, so I measured it: .440. A std 3/8 is .375. I'm not a sight expert but don't recall any std US sight being that wide.

I had looked in Stroebels for the sight and there were some kinda like it, but not the same. Also, some his prints in the book are not clear enough to make a positive ID.

My only guess now is that the sight was made when the rifle was converted. The sight is nicely shaped and finished, top and bottom. Neat looking semi-buckhorn sight though.

So it looks like another unanswered question surrounding the "goofy deer" Mosins that were done in Japan. Long story and way off-topic here. I thought the gunsmith/artisan had used an off-the-shelf sight. Thanks for your interest Gents. Don