Peep sights?

[wstrayer]

So the eyes are getting to the point that the rear sight on my carbine is blurry. Options are to shoot with light power reading glasses or a peep sight.
I do not want to drill and tap my 1880 Carbine for a tang peep. Any other options?
I thought about a cut-down being sold on another board. Who cares about drilling that tang.

[Jim]

How about purchasing an “extra” tang . . .and D&T’ing it?
These tangs are very easy to remove and replace.
(Not the H&R replicas, as these “tangs” are cast INTEGRAL with the receivers.)

[wstrayer]

I would figure that it was never removed since 1880. I can only imagine what it would take to remove it from the back of the action trough.

[Tony Beck]

Generally they are not hard to remove, if you have the right wrenches(!) If you don't have the right wrenches, don't try it. S&S Firearms sells a tang wrench. It fits everything from M-1855 muskets through all the Trapdoors. Then you need a vice with padded jaws to hold the receiver without marring it.

The other peep site option is to replace the rear sight with an M-1884 Buffington sight just for range day. That has a peep. The gotcha there is if you still have slotless screws on the current sight, you probably don't want to mess with those.

[Dick Hosmer]

Tony, did you ever find anything further on those lock plate-screw mounted adaptors from many years ago, to which a modern micrometer receiver sight could be attached? Did they come with special screws? I guess if you used musket screws on a .45-70 they would be long enough.

[45govt]

No trapdoor was harmed in this photo

[Tom Trevor]

That is enough to hurt your eyes. Did not work that well as the screws stretched under recoil using the original screw holes in the barrel.

[wstrayer]

I never thought about using the lower hole on the Buffington

[Dick Hosmer]

I never thought about using the lower hole on the Buffington

Weii, it's there, but certainly NOT ideal, especially for old eyes. It's biggest plus is being non-invasive. If you want the ultimate in iron sights without harming the rifle the two-tang approach is the best. Not yet mentioned by anyone is the advantage of the longer sight radius - and, if you want want to push THAT, how about using the back position and having interchangeable buttplates?

[45govt]

This was pointed out by a friend
"Just drill tang and mount strap to contour of stock. Be sure to mill hole for dome of tang screw. This is a H-R tang sight note extra hole that allows and sight with Sharps sight spacing to fit it and no damage to the stock.