Front sight options for dovetailed barrel

[JWKilgore]

I have an old Marlin 30A .30-30. For Christmas I got a Williams WGRS-336 FS set. It includes an adjustable peep receiver and a dovetail front bead with a fiber fire-sight. I immediately recognized that the front sight would be too low. Looking at the Williams web page, I'm guessing the front sight I got is supposed to be installed in the dove-tail slots in the front ramps used on modern Marlin 336's instead of the older models with slots directly on the barrel.

 

I installed it anyway, figuring I'd try it out at the range then order a taller front sight to fit.

 

Finally got out to the range yesterday. I'm loving the sight picture, but I couldn't even hit the paper at 100 and 50 yards. I was 11.5" too high at about 25 yards.  I calculated that my new front needs to be about 0.75" tall measured from the bottom of the dove-tail to the top of the sight. That's worst-case; a tiny bit shorter could work. The rear sight can be lowered a tiny bit more (see pics), but I'd like to at least keep it flush with the rear of the receiver. Williams doesn't have an "email for question" options, and I'm planning on calling tomorrow, but I don't see anything on their web-site even close to that tall.

 

 

First question: Am I aiming correctly? With open sights you put the front bead directly below where you want the bullet to go. I was using a concentric-circle bulls-eye target, and I was aiming by centering all the circles. Outer peep, concentric circles on the target, thin black circle around the fire-bead, and finally the round fiber bead itself. Is this correct with peep sights? By centering all the circles and the bead I realize I was aiming slightly higher than I would have been with open sights. I liked the bead, but I know that a flat blade front sight could be shorter because I'd put the top of the blade where the center of the fiber is now.

 

Second question: Assuming Williams doesn't have a suitable front sight option, does anyone know of a reasonable option for installing a tall front sight into a dove-tail cut directly into the barrel? Assuming I can't find a workable fire-sight, right now I'm leaning toward the Skinner 1/2" base x 0.65" tall front blade.

 

 

New Williams rear peep sight

 

Showing barrel-mounted rear blade sight and front sight area.

 

Close-up of front sights. Original brass bead sight is on the right.

Edited January 18, 2015 by JWKilgore

[Clod Stomper]

You might consider covering the existing dovetail with a ramp like the newer 336s.

Other than that, the easiest option is going to be a taller front sight.

If you go with the ramp, you could avoid drilling and tapping the barrel by using a dovetail slot blank to fill the existing dovetail slot and drill the blank instead. With no permanent modifications.

[JWKilgore]

I might consider the drilled & tapped blank option, but that would require paying an actual gunsmith with actual tools and actual skills instead of me doing it in my garage. A complication is that the front barrel/magazine band is too close to the dovetail.

 

Williams confirmed that the WGRS sight set I ordered won't work with my gun, or at least that they don't sell a front sight tall enough. I'd have to upgrade to the 5D or FP rear sight which mounts lower, and then I'd have to special-order their tallest front sight (0.57"). Anyone in the Chattanooga area need a slightly-used WGRS-336 FS set?

 

*OR*

 

My next upgrade (next year?) was going to be a Weaver or XS Systems "Scout" rail with a low-power Burris or Leupold long-eye-relief scope. I'm worried if I go with the low-profile peep I won't be able to see over the rail if I have to dismount the scope. So right now I'm actually leaning toward keeping the rear peep and finding a taller front sight. It won't be a "fire sight", but it will still be an upgrade over what I have now.

Edited January 20, 2015 by JWKilgore