SPEAKING OF ELK KILLING WEAPONS

[easeup]

One thing I have always wanted is to take a bull with iron sight lever gun.
Any of you guys got any opinions, not about the gun or caliber of the lever gun, but specifically about the sights to use.
I cant shoot the typical factory provided buckhorn slot and bead to hit a truck at a 100 yds. To take an elk, I need something a whole lot better; but wish to get it done without the modern optics. So I have been shopping a little for a peep sight for the Winchester.
Anybody wanna wade in?

[Swede]

The gun I shot my first bull with was equipped with Williams peep sight. I still have the gun and peep. I think for a person with good eyes and shooting a short range rifle, a peep is great. I prefer a large orifice in the peep especially when hunting forest and brush types.

[Elkduds]

My Lyman Deerstalker has a Lyman aperture (peep) sight, #57 I think. Highly recommended.

[wawhitey]

you wouldnt be shooting a model 88 by chance would you? you said your winchester lever gun so im taking a guess. i have a 66 win model 88 in .308 that im going to use this year where opportunity presents itself if i end up hunting modern firearm seasons and ive been having issues with the stock sights. in fact its in the gunsmiths getting bastardized right now.

[itsnlkthing]

I have a Winchester model 94 that was my great great grandfather's. 30/30 octagon barrel, factory everything. Every generation has taken elk with that gun. If it weren't like carrying an anvil around all day I would hunt it more. The open sights are great in the trees. Much like a bow, you just need to know your limitations. I'm sure a peep would increase your range some but the iron sights will do the trick.

[easeup]

nope. just have a little octagon barrel 94. I think the sights are going to get upgraded to a peep of some sort so I can actually hit an elk at 100 yds or more with it.

[jswbga]

I really like the look/feel of Skinner sights:

http://www.skinnersights.com/winchester_26.html

never used one, but they do look to be pretty robust.

shane

[Lefty]

If Im using a lever action rifle Im using the sights the gun came with.

I shot my first whitetail in Saskatchewan with a pre 64 Winchester, 30-30 buckhorn sights

[Migolito]

I shoot a M-99 and love it. My deer load is 130 gr. Barnes TTSX at about 2830 fps. It shoots sub MOA and drops deer in their tracks. I've never recovered a bullet-they all pass through. IF I was going to hunt Elk I'd use a 150 gn. TTSX at about 2550 fps. I still have the "buckhorn" sights, but, I shoot Marbles standard peep with a medium aperture. http://www.marblearms.com/standardPeepTang.html This sight w/medium lets me shoot out to 250 ish yards dead accurate. Its also a fast aiming easy to use sight.

[easeup]

I had originally nixed the tang style peep as at first thought doesn't seem to fit with the hunting scheme and I wasn't sure if it were so close to the eye it would blank out surrounding things I need to see while hunting. So tell me more about the Marble flip up peep. Does it fit good in the hand while trudging the mountains? when you throw the rifle up to your cheek can you still see good around the peep?

[Migolito]

I like the Marbles (tang) because it allows the original V style sights to remain on the rifle. So, if a target is fairly close you have the quickness and ease of use of the V style rear sight. My V sight is a fold down, so, if the target is farther away I fold down the rear V sight and simply lift the tang sight (it flips into an upright fixed position) and you intuitively look through the peep. My eyes aren't what they used to be, but, I can hit deer size targets in the vital zone at 250 yards every single time. With the round I shoot the bullet is traveling down the pipe to the target out to about 250 yards, so I don't need to use the elevation adjustment on the sight once I dial it in the first time. I don't shoot farther than that at Deer with this rifle. It's kinda uncanny how accurate that peep is. The peep doesn't effect my ability to see peripherally around the target in an adverse way. Obviously it does limit the area directly around the target, but, perfectly acceptable. Also it's not really that close to my eye...maybe 2-3".
I just had a very accurate rifle built and added a 6-24X50 scope. I can hit targets at stupid long range. I will be hunting with it this year on a couple of backpack hunts, however, my best days in the woods are with my iron sighted Savage 99.

[easeup]

thanks Mike for the tang stuff.
anybody else have experience with this subject?

[Magic]

Not elk, but I have my Great Grandad's old Win. 32-20 that I want to shoot a deer with. Even it's a doe at 20 yards, I just wanna do it.

[easeup]

now there is a guy that knows what I am saying.
what I have found out magic is that with the buckhorn sight I cant hit a spot good enough to be sure I would kill it. So we are going to a peep sight. As you see by the reviews above the accuracy is significantly improved.

[pd]

Great thread, Easeup. This prompted me to contact Skinner Sights. I have a completely stock Marlin 336SC (made 1952), and I either need to steal somebody else's eyeballs, or up-grade the sights.

[easeup]

the skinner sight is on my current short list.
I am thinking if a fiber bead to replace the front post also. it just has to make it better.
still pondering the options.