Peep sights for lever guns

CZfool68

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I traded into a handy little Mossberg 30-30 Brush Gun. It has the Williams FO sights. My inclination it so replace them with some peep sights for the longer sight radius and durability. Anyone have any feedback on the XS Ghost rings vs Skinners? I had Skinners on a 22. They were good for target shooting, but with a 30-30 would I be better off with a Ghost Ring? Or doesn't it make a difference and I am over thinking this?
 
I don't care for a peep unless it's close to my eye (ie AR15 or Traditional tang mounted peep)
I have had both the XS and the skinner.
To me, the XS ghost ring is not precise enough to hunt deer with. Maybe for 25 yd shots, but past that I feel like I owe the animal better.


I would prefer a tang mount over both of them. If tang was not an option, then a plain old M92 style elevator rear and blade front would be my second choice.

It's a 3030, so long shots are not really its forte.
 
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Personally I like Skinners. I think it is just what you prefer. Now having said that, I only have Skinners on my Henry 22. I do not know if there is a difference for a larger caliber.
 
Personally I like Skinners. I think it is just what you prefer. Now having said that, I only have Skinners on my Henry 22. I do not know if there is a difference for a larger caliber.

My dilemma is that I liked the Skinners I had and they are excellent sights, but then I have to figure out the front sight on my own. The XS comes with the front sight of correct height for the rifle. Supposedly.
 
I don't think you can improve on Williams peep sights. They've been around for years and have proven themselves countless times.
 
I don't think you can improve on Williams peep sights. They've been around for years and have proven themselves countless times.

The gun came with Williams Firesights. But the rear sight in barrel mounted so you don't get the long sight radius. Plus in dim light in my man cave the FO sights don't do crap. Might as well have a peep and normal front sight. Williams web site sucks and I don't see a peep option for the Mossberg.

Why do lever guns all come with crappy sights? Short sighted companies. ;)
 
I've only put them on 94 Winchesters, never owned a Mossberg lever gun.
 
Skinner, and order the aperture kit to go along with it. There is an aperture in there tight enough to shoot out a gnat's asshole.

Keep the front sight you have, mount the Skinner peep and use a piece of masking tape folded like a tent over the front to figure out your front sight height. Super easy stuff.

Skinner also has great CS, so you could maybe just ask and get in the ballpark of which front sight you need.
 
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I have some of both, prefer the look of the skinner but find them functionally similar. No wrong decision on this.
 
Skinner, and order the aperture kit to go along with it. There is an aperture in there tight enough to shoot out a gnat's asshole.

Keep the front sight you have, mount the Skinner peep and use a piece of masking tape folded like a tent over the front to figure out your front sight height. Super easy stuff.

Skinner also has great CS, so you could maybe just ask and get in the ballpark of which front sight you need.

I am not real smart so this might not be super easy stuff. Leaning towards the Skinner as they offer a peep that screws right into the existing scope mounts. Very simple. They also have the dovetail barrel blank that can store an extra aperture. Then it's just dealing with the front sight. I'll probably call and see if they have a clue. Or just order a couple.
 
Marble’s still make tang sights. That would look great on a Marlin. And it would have the longer sight radius you’re looking for.

It is a Mossberg w/ 16" barrel. Not sure a tang is the way to go on this one. But those do look cool on the older rifles with longer barrels. Might have to go that route someday.
 
I have a Williams FP receiver sight on my Marlin 1894S .41 Mag. Remove the aperture and then you have a larger ghost ring. Compared to my 1941 Win 94 in .30 WCF.

Apr04 1011.jpg 1894 Win and Marlin.jpg
 
I have a set of Skinners on the Rossi 92 in 44 mag. Had a NCGW on the Ruger 1 and took it off for a scope. Could never figure out how to use that sight.
 
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Thanks, but I think I'm going to pass on the Williams. Don't really need that kind of adjustability on a 16" gun. Thinking this will be a 100 yard and under gun. I am also not a fan of the Williams that hang off the side of the receivers. Might be worth it if you are shooting at longer distances or adjusting for loads. I'm going to set this thing up so I can point and shoot quickly under 100. I'm going to mess around with the FO that are on it now, and see if They are worth a damn. If not XS and Skinner both look very basic and what I need.
 
What is the front sight on that Rossi. Looks huge and very visible.

I bought the gun used and will have to find out. If it is an aftermarket sight my guess would be a Skinner to match the rear. I did go to a Craft Store and get some neon green paint and painted the front sight. I do that to a lot of handguns. I find it works better than the red and cost less then $2.00. I apply it with a wooden tooth pick. Last forever. BTW, I ordered about 4 different apertures for the rear sight.
 
I like the Skinners I have on my Marlin .30-30. 2" groups at 50 yds, offhand, with my eyes. Not too shabby, IMO.

Boo-hiss all ya want, but I'm at the point where red dots on all my leverguns is starting to make more & more sense. Works great on my .45-7o.

View attachment 83674

You are probably wise. I traded for a new lever gun. It has the Williams Firesights. At 50 I am ok. At 100 not so much. Part of the problem is the not so fine adjustment and looseness of the sights. The other part is my eyes are over 50 now. I am used to having perfect vision, but that is no longer reality. I may go peep sight before I cave and add a dot. It is a 16" 30-30 so I don't plan on any distance shooting anyway. But it would be nice to have 2" groups at 100. But I love shooting with red dots.
 
I like red dots on all guns. My 44 year old eyes are definitely letting me down so anything that lets me get back on target faster and reasonably accurate is a big help. In fact I'm contemplating a red dot sight on my muzzleloader since 100-150yds is all I will ever shoot it to distance.
 
I'm still torn on this. My heart wants to just order a peep sight and be done. But I have an extra Leupold VX3i 1.75-6 x 32 lying around. So a set of rings and I'm good to go. If I wanted to hunt with this rifle any downside to that scope? I won't be all cool and traditional, but I should be able to hit what I aim at out to a few hundred yards.
 
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