Looking for some "Antique" Rifle Sights

[Grogan]

The other day I picked up a Stevens .22 Single Shot. 

It's a Model 414 "Armory" musket that looks like a miniture 44-1/2 but it .22LR.

It looks like an 1880s-1890s rifle although it was really made somewhere between the World Wars.

It doesn't have its original Stevens sights on it and I'd like to try to find some originals.

Do any of you pards here know of any dealers that handle "Antique" sights (i.e. sights for "old" rifles)?

I know this one isn't a "Buffalo Rifle", unless they only stand ~4" high, but it looks the part.

[kurt250]

try axtill rifle company . there in wyoming and make repro sights for al sorts of rifle. exl. products. have several sets on many of my guns. check out there web site. kurt250

[Grogan]

try axtill rifle company . there in wyoming and make repro sights for al sorts of rifle. exl. products. have several sets on many of my guns. check out there web site. kurt250

Yes, I do too.

But,  unfortunately, they don't have anything for THIS Stevens!

It's a Target Rifle and Stevens actually made a pretty nice Tang Mounted Peep Sight for this (and I think other) model, as well as a nice adjustable Receiver mounted Peep that's also missing

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[Caleb Hobbs]

You might try the folks at American Single Shot Rifle Association. www.assra.com - I think. Someone there may be able to help you. Good luck.

[Grogan]

Thanks Caleb, I'll give them a try.

[Will Ketchum]

Grogan, a friend of mine was selling an Armory with the original sights.  He told me the sights are hard to find and that they go for about $200.  Another friend of mine bought it.  I bought a Stevens 44 (same action) and a Pope tang sight.  Harry Pope designed the sight for the Stevens rifle. I wish you luck finding an original Armory sight.


Will Ketchum

[Grogan]

Will,

So, there's really TWO rear sights available for that rifle.

One's the Receiver Peep sight, mounted on the left side of the Receiver by a single large screw (mine's blank, with just a hole there).  This sight is an adjustable sight with a screw in Peep Aperture.  It appears to be an "adequate" sight.

Then there's the Stevens #130 Tang Mounted Peep sight with "micrometer" adjustment.  This is the one I'm really looking for.

What's there on my rifle now is another "period" Tang Mounted Peep sight of an unusual design.  It in itself probably has some collector value, but as a shooting aid it leaves a lot to be desired.  It has a nice screw elevation adjustment, along with a legible scale and Target Disk aperture.  However, for the windage adjustment it uses a pair of opposing knobs (loosen one, tighten the other) that screw in tight against the sight's staff that contact the staff below a pin that the staff pivots on.

Thus adjusting for windage moves the staff in an arc, either left or right.

With this set up, any change in either windage OR elevation changes the other's setting, meaning that you have to constantly find the rifle's zero with any change in sight adjustment. 

[French Jack]

Check out Buffalo Arms, they list a tang sight on Pope's design for windage and elevation.  It would be correct as a replacement for this rifle.  I believe it is made by Smith.  It somewhat is on the folding staff design of Lyman.  It is listed as the Pope-Stevens Scheutzen tang sight, on page 128 in their current catalog.

[Will Ketchum]

Check out Buffalo Arms, they list a tang sight on Pope's design for windage and elevation.  It would be correct as a replacement for this rifle.  I believe it is made by Smith.  It somewhat is on the folding staff design of Lyman.  It is listed as the Pope-Stevens Scheutzen tang sight, on page 128 in their current catalog.

French Jack, I can't find it in their on line catalog.  I would like to see a picture of it to see if it's the sight I have.

Grogan, I think the Armory came with the receiver sight.

Will Ketchum

[Grogan]

Will et al,

If you go here

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?p=225792

you'll see a few photos of various "Armory" rifles, including one (the one with the scope mounted on it) that shows the original factory sight, as well as a couple of other sights that were made for use on that rifle.

There's also a capture from a book on sights (I have that book, somewhere) showing what was available for it.

I'm looking for both the #130 sight as well as an original, like that pictured on the scoped rifle.

I'd even settle for one of the Mod. 42 sights (with lever), if I could find one.

[Will Ketchum]

I couldn't view the pictures since I'm not a member.  I think this one at Gun Broker has the correct sight.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=97022455

Will Ketchum

[Grogan]

I couldn't view the pictures since I'm not a member.  I think this one at Gun Broker has the correct sight.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=97022455

Will Ketchum

Will,

Really?  Couldn't view it? 

Hmm...I found that right off of Google and have looked at it on a few different PCs at different locations.

Going to the site you put the link up as, yep, that's the one!

Hmm...don't need an extra rifle just to get the sight, but yes, that IS the sight that came on the rifle.

Now if I could only find one of those No. 130 sights that was made to go on the Tang of that rifle...

[Will Ketchum]

Grogan, did you check the Buffalo Arms catalog that French Jack mentioned?   I can't find it in their on-line catalog and don't have a current hard copy one.

I'll try to get a hold  of the man that I bought mine from and see where he got it

  Do you have a Dixie catalog?  There is a similar one there.

Will Ketchum

[Grogan]

Will,

I think I have a current BA catalog (all I saw there online was a "Smith" sight...turns out it's Axtel-Riflemith, wrong sight in this case).

I DO HAVE both Dixie and Track of the Wolf catalogs, but nothing current.

[Will Ketchum]

Grogan, french Jack wrote" Check out Buffalo Arms, they list a tang sight on Pope's design for windage and elevation.  It would be correct as a replacement for this rifle.  I believe it is made by Smith.  It somewhat is on the folding staff design of Lyman.  It is listed as the Pope-Stevens Scheutzen tang sight, on page 128 in their current catalog.


so check out page 128 and let me know. 

Will Ketchum

[Grogan]

I went and checked out my latest Buffalo Arms catalog and found that sight on Pg. 128.

I'm not sure who makes it.  It is somewhat of a different design than the No. 130 Stevens sight I was looking for.

It says it's a Stevens-Pope designed sight (probably for the Mod. 44-1/2 action).

I'm not sure @$285 I'm ready to lay out the cash for that one.

I'm also not sure if it will fit the Mod. 414 rifle?