I have rejoined the brethren!

[stagpanther]

Yes--I have for many years been using just scopes on my lever guns--but have simply found them to be ungainly--and have decided to rejoin the irons only guild. So I removed my 3 x 8 scope and restored a skinner peep onto my rossi 44 mag and am forcing myself to learn how to shoot irons all over again--despite my 2x astigmatism. I think I can do this to at least 50 yards. : )

[Radny97]

Amen brother. Preach.

[Risasi]

Thumbs up.

Do you know about this gent who goes by the moniker "Nate Kiowa Jones"? His website has a lot of info on the M92, including Rossi specific info and parts. Have a gander:

https://store.stevesgunz.com/index.p...products_id=10

You get a little more sight radius with his rear peep sight, that might help with your astigmatism.


I'm not sure how new or old your Rossi is, but it looks like the newer one with the bolt safety and the front sight notch behind the barrel band rather than on top, so I think it might fit. You might give him a call and see what your options are.

[stagpanther]

Thanks for the tip--I ordered Steve's CD and improvement kit shortly after I got my rifle about 5 years ago--I did some of his changes but I didn't do any grinding of internal parts since my action was smooth and trigger pull/break very reasonable for hunting right from the get-go. His video is a bit obscure when explaining things by showing pics of his pencil sketches. lol. I even came up with a few tricks of my own which increased the accuracy of the gun.

My problem isn't with the rear sight--it's the front one which is a bit of a blur--whether the rear one is on or off. I have the same problem with all front sights but have learned to compensate somewhat by putting the target slightly over the top of the front post and centered as best I can.

[flashhole]

I did the same thing. Pulled the scope off my Marlin 1895G and reverted back to open sights. I tried the Ghost Ring set up, didn't work for me. Then went to the Fire Sights. I really like this setup. Put the red dot between the two green dots ... easy as it gets and fast to pick up.

I recently purchased a Ruger Mini 14. Only reason I mention it is because I put a Red Dot sight on the Mini. It sits about 12" in front of my eye and is very fast to acquire and get on target. I might try one on the levergun if I can figure out how to mount it. Likely have to pick up a Picatinny rail with the hole pattern for the scope rings.

[stagpanther]

I did the same thing. Pulled the scope off my Marlin 1895G and reverted back to open sights. I tried the Ghost Ring set up, didn't work for me. Then went to the Fire Sights. I really like this setup. Put the red dot between the two green dots ... easy as it gets and fast to pick up.

I recently purchased a Ruger Mini 14. Only reason I mention it is because I put a Red Dot sight on the Mini. It sits about 12" in front of my eye and is very fast to acquire and get on target. I might try one on the levergun if I can figure out how to mount it. Likely have to pick up a Picatinny rail with the hole pattern for the scope rings.

I think part of the problem is getting a scope mount to stay put well on a typical direct to tapered round barrel screw-on--very hard to do in my experience--even the mounts made by the manufacturers for their guns are pretty sketchy in my experience.

[Tidewater_Kid]

Stagpanther,

Have you ever tried using 1.25 readers when shooting irons? It helps me to be able to see the front sight with my 55 year old eyes.

TK

[stagpanther]

Stagpanther,

Have you ever tried using 1.25 readers when shooting irons? It helps me to be able to see the front sight with my 55 year old eyes.

1, 1.5, 2 bifocals, trifocals etc--tried for years--each thing helped one thing but caused problems in another way. Unfortunately--I can't return my eyes to the manufacturer and ask for a replacement or refund.

[dgludwig]

stag panther, the choir I belong to applauds.

[jdscholer]

I think it's a matter of using the right weapon for the right range. I'm pretty good with my slingshot, but I don't try to kill squirrels at 50 yards. I shoot bow, muzzle loader, pistol, open sight milsurp, as well as long range varmint. With whatever weapon you're shooting, "a man's got to know his limitations". (with raspy voice) jd

[Targa]

Hey Stag, I have the same rifle and have been toying with the idea of replacing the standard rear sight with a similar peep. My Rossi shoots high with the rear sight at the lowest setting, does that rear peep drop the front site a bit more? I would like to dial in the elevation a bit more without filing down the front sight. Thank you, Darrin.

[stagpanther]

Hey Stag, I have the same rifle and have been toying with the idea of replacing the standard rear sight with a similar peep. My Rossi shoots high with the rear sight at the lowest setting, does that rear peep drop the front site a bit more? I would like to dial in the elevation a bit more without filing down the front sight. Thank you, Darrin.

I bought my skinner rear and front years ago right after I bought the rifle--as others have said you might prefer to simply replace the safety with Steve's skinner-style rear peep. As I recall some filing was needed to get both the rear and front dovetails in--and skinner's "high" front blade compensates for the tendency to shoot high.

The biggest drawback to the peep IMO is the difficulty of changing your windage should you change ammo etc--not so easy to break a hammer and drift punch in the field and start banging away at it. If I were to do it over again (and I may do it anyway if I can't push this set-up out to 100) I would probably go with a matched set of front and back sites (I think both tru glo and marbles offer them) that also have easy windage adjustment.

One other thing I found with my rossi 44--the magazine cap pin which screws down into the dimple on the barrel--on my rifle was under such pressure that it was distorting my shots. When I relieved that pressure--my rifle showed an immediate and vast improvement in accuracy.

[Targa]

Thank you for the info.

[stagpanther]

You're welcome--and good luck, let me know what you end up doing--as you probably already know this sweet little carbine at under 5 lbs is a dandy woods hunter.

[dgludwig]

QUOTE: "...The biggest drawback to the peep IMO is the difficulty of changing your windage should you change ammo etc--not so easy to break a hammer and drift punch in the field and start banging away at it..."

You might be interested in my choice for a peep sight: the Williams "FoolProof" (Lyman makes similar sights). Windage and elevation can be changed with the twist of a screwdriver and the adjustments locked in with set screws. I've had a Williams receiver sight mounted on several of my rifles for the last four decades and recommend them to anyone wanting a sturdy, well-made peep sight. The folks at Williams are also great to deal with.

[Targa]

Well Stagpanther, I have decided on the Skinner rear peep, I really like the looks of it. I will just work with the front sight and file down as needed to adjust for elevation. What I am going to do before that is see what the rifle does at 100 yards once the Skinner is installed. The rifle is currently shooting about 2 1/2 inches high at 50 yards, I want to see where it is at a 100yards before I start filing.
Yes it is a sweet little carbine, it will be with me for the long haul.

[stagpanther]

Thanks DG--I will definitely look into that.

I just went out and shot a quick 5 Berry's bullets loaded to the same specs as my hunting loads and got this:

about 3.75"--with a scope I could probably get most and occasionally all touching at 50 yds. I think this is good enough for "minute of deer" as long as I stay conservative and aim for the boiler room--what sayeth the brethren?

One thing I noticed about the skinner set-up is that it is optimized for sighting in against a predominantly dark background I think. It might be just my bad eyes--but when aiming against a mostly light target and background--the blurring effect gets worse for me.

[ThomasT]

I have several lever guns and about half wear scopes. I doesn't make me any difference. I learned a long time ago that I can only shoot as well as I can see. So a scope helps. But I also like to just use iron sights.

I just had cataract surgery on my right eye a couple of weeks ago. Also astigmatism correction on that eye. Boy howdy can I see good now. My left eye gets done nov 7th. I can't wait. It really has astigmatism and it will be corrected also.

Now I can see my handgun sights. I can see with peep sights. now have 20-20 vision in my right eye. I was afraid I was going to have to give up shooting. I did have to readjust my scopes.

I bet you have already had your eyes checked Stag and maybe they can't help you. But if not they seem to be able to work miracles on eyesight repairs.

Did you ever get your Henry rifle shooting well for you?

[stagpanther]

I have several lever guns and about half wear scopes. I doesn't make me any difference. I learned a long time ago that I can only shoot as well as I can see. So a scope helps. But I also like to just use iron sights.

I just had cataract surgery on my right eye a couple of weeks ago. Also astigmatism correction on that eye. Boy howdy can I see good now. My left eye gets done nov 7th. I can't wait. It really has astigmatism and it will be corrected also.

Now I can see my handgun sights. I can see with peep sights. now have 20-20 vision in my right eye. I was afraid I was going to have to give up shooting. I did have to readjust my scopes.

I bet you have already had your eyes checked Stag and maybe they can't help you. But if not they seem to be able to work miracles on eyesight repairs.

Did you ever get your Henry rifle shooting well for you?

That sounds fantastic! The only thing my eye doctor was willing to do was to prescribe eyeglasses--I guess I have to try and find a new doctor. When I was younger I actually had very good eyesight.

The henry thing did not end well--but they stood 100% behind their satisfaction guarantee and gave me a full refund. I never could figure out how to keep the bore reasonably clean. I probably could have had a professional do some work on the bore--but I said the heck with it and gave up on it.

[stagpanther]

Went out again today and shot some more Barry's at 23.8 grs of H110. I've developed a little trick which seems to be helping so far--If I hold the sites up against a dark background my eyes seem to be able to show the definition of the front site better--and then swing the barrel to the lighter target I can focus a little better rather than trying to site in from the get-go with the sites on target only. I also pushed a bit further to 60 yds.

[bamaranger]

Not so many years back, when I first joined this forum, I used to taunt frequently "No scopes on your lever carbine". At age 55, my eyes turned the corner, and now, near 59, a scope is a definite asset. But I still have peeps on several of my short carbines. The problem of course, is getting that front sight in focus.

The front sight I am seeing best, I think, is the XS sight with the white stripe. There may be something about the strip against the serrated blade, I dunno, but the stripe seems to stand out better for me, I think even better than fiber optics....which are also a bit delicate in my limited experience with them.

XS sells those blades in various heights, and two blade thicknesses. Mine mounted in a Ruger dovetail easily. The little Marlin .357 will get one soon.

[stagpanther]

Thanks bama--I'm about the same age as you so I can relate. : )

[SIGSHR]

I am 67, wearing glasses for 40 years, I find iron sights somewhat more challenging-and fun. More "authentic".

[jmr40]

I don't have optics on any of my levers. But if I ever do a small 1-4X scope is the way I'll go. A typical 3-9X40 scope is way too much.

[stagpanther]

I don't have optics on any of my levers. But if I ever do a small 1-4X scope is the way I'll go. A typical 3-9X40 scope is way too much.

I had been using Leupold scout scopes--which at 2x is hardly overkill--in fact I found you could use them much like a red-dot with both eyes open for peripheral vision maximization. Highly recommend them.