Uberti 1873 sights question

[blackpowder]

Hi all around !

For many years now I shoot my Uberti '73 short barrel saddle carbine, mostly leaving my original period made winchesters on the rack. After some refitting and tuning it works and shoots as well as any of my old ones. However, I can still not get friendly with the sights it came with. The front is a fixed part of the barrel band and not adjustable - fine! I can live with that. The rear is a ladder type sight, which, in its down position gives a poor sight picture through its much too generous square cut-out. Flipping the sight up and using the ladder makes it worse, and the range scale on the ladder is anyway unsuitable for handgun calibers with an effective range of about a hundred yards. IMO not a very suitable sight.

Question is: Was this type of sight used on period original winchesters? All my old '73s (the earliest made in 1885) have the traditional buckhorn sights. And does anyone have any suggestion what alternative rear sights would work considering that the front can't be easily changed?

[Buck Stinson]

If your original Winchesters are rifles, they would have the buckhorn as a standard rear barrel sight.  Your Uberti is fitted with a rear sight that was standard on the carbine.  The original Winchester carbine rear sight was much finer and very well made compared to the one on your gun.

[blackpowder]

Here is a link with a couple of photos so everyone knows what I'm talking about. Any ideas what I can do to improve this. This ladder contraption is just not working for me....
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YC68fbD2nkCxiDEb7

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[King Medallion]

You can replace it with a semi buckhorn, but then you will have to replace the front sight with a taller sight.

[Cliff Fendley]

Marbles make a nice short shank sight that fits those with a finer V and comes in various buckhorn or flat. I've got the full buckhorn version on one of mine.

The original ladder sights on the uberti will always have to be filed down to hit point of aim at say under 40 yards or at least that's been my experience.

[blackpowder]

[quote author=Cliff Fendley link=topic=63452.msg751211#msg751211 date=1577804728

The original ladder sights on the uberti will always have to be filed down to hit point of aim at say under 40 yards or at least that's been my experience.
[/quote]

Exactly! Now that you mention it, besides a poor sight picture, mine shoots high out to 50 yds or more. Needs to be filed down quite a bit.

[Abilene]

Well, making the front sight taller would fix that, but it is not so easy to do on the carbine barrel-band sight.  But here is one method I used, a piece of 1/8" welding rod filed to shape and JB-Welded to the top of the sight.  Works well for CAS.  I haven't tried shooting it "way out there" 

[blackpowder]

@Abilene: That's a neat idea and probably works much better than messing with the rear ladder sight, filing it down and all. But it sure doesn't do anything in the way of appearances or good looks - that welding rod button, I mean...

[Slamfire]

 Maybe,, use a black marker on the sides to dress the brass ,, maybe the top too ??.

   coffee's ready ,, Hootmix.

[blackpowder]

Here is a pic of my sights (excuse my bad drawing). If I want to hit POA anywhere from 20 out to 100 yds, that is how I have to use the rear ladder sight - with the front post just barely showing on the bottom of the cut-out (see pic). So I am thinking of filing down the sights, leaving just about 2 milimeters, so the front post is flush with the top. then filing down the center making the cut-out about 2 millimeters deeper as well.

Anyone have a better idea? Abilene's method is probably easier but I'd be afraid of knocking the bead off the front post if I accidentally brush against something with the front end....

[Cliff Fendley]

File it down a little at a time. Simple easy and permanent. I've even had to deepen the bottom notch. I've had to do every Uberti 73 carbine I've owned or someone else did it before me.