Tang Sight for old eyes??

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Dastook
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Tang Sight for old eyes??

Post by Dastook »

I have wanted to try a tang sight for some time now but have not because: I have 20/20 vision at distance but I am 50 now and my close vision is blurred. I have to use 1.75 readers and the gun sights are getting a little harder to pick up. How are tang sights for this?? Are they better for this problem. Also how are tang sights when it comes to low light conditions compared to regular iron sights?
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Chuck 100 yd
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Post by Chuck 100 yd »

They work just great for guys like you and me who cant dial in that rear sight like we used to. Just look through the hole,forget it is there, and put the front sight on target and fire. All of my open sighted rifles wear some sort of peep, either tang or receiver mounted with the exception of my traditional muzzleloading long guns and the rear sights on those are mounted 12-14" from the eye.
I have seen old ML rifles with 2-3 dovetails in the barrel where the owner kept mooving the rear sight forward to be able to see it. :wink:
The rear sight on many rifles ran be reversed. Tap it out and install it backwards(leaf forward) to gain distance from the eye. This works for a while for some people. :)
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Sixgun
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Post by Sixgun »

Dastook,
Chuck 100 Yd hit the nail on the head. I am 53 and all of my leverguns are equipped with tang sights. Just focus on the front sight, leave the target a little fuzy and the eye will automatically center itself. Below is a picture of my son with his Browning 1886 SRC with a tang sight I installed for him. An hour before the pic was taken, he bagged an elk at 236 yards. So..........tang sights are for everyone, even the younguns.-------Sixgun

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marlinman93
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Post by marlinman93 »

Another old guy with old eyes here! I shoot with tang sights all the time, and it sure helps me!
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Post by Rusty »

I don't care for tang sights on my leverguns cause they seem to be in the way of where my hand wants to be most all the time. I do use peeps on the receiver though.

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AJMD429
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Post by AJMD429 »

Tangs best for my 'old eyes' - two times I use other sights:

1. If light is marginal I find a good scope WAY easier to see the target with. That means most of the time when hunting deer in the thickets or woods.

2. If in rugged terrain or I were going after wild hogs or something, I'd rather the compact durability of a receiver peep.
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Griff
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Post by Griff »

Another vote FOR a tang. with 20/15 vision I have a hard time seeing the FRONT sight w/o my "line-less" bifocals,

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Post by Don McDowell »

I like tang sights for target shooting, but prefer a reciever mounted peep for hunting. Have also shot the one ragged hole sight quite abit and like it quite well.
I wear bifocal prescription glasses.
Tommy Reb
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Post by Tommy Reb »

Definitely, go for the tang (or receiver) sight. Each of my lever guns and Sharps have them. For hunting and low light conditions, use a relatively large rear aperture.
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El Chivo
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Post by El Chivo »

after shooting some tang sighted rifles and some receiver sighted rifles, I find I prefer the tang sight for the closer eye-relief. It lets you use a smaller peep which is more accurate and sharpens the front sight more.
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gon2shoot
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Post by gon2shoot »

I have a tang on the 86 but it just feels like its in the way, have reciever sights for several others. Sure helps the old eyes.
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Pete44ru
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Post by Pete44ru »

[ how are tang sights when it comes to low light conditions compared to regular iron sights?]

In order of utility, going from light to darkness, the open barrel iron sights are the first to fade, then receiver peep, then tang peep. Only a (horrors) scope will allow sighting to almost full darkness - and beyond, with some scopes.

It works exactly the opposite, mornings, from pre-dawn darkness to daylight.
jsimmons
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Post by jsimmons »

My Henry wears a Marbles tang sight. One day, I'm gonna get me one of those fancy soule-type creedmores.
Gun Smith
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Post by Gun Smith »

Tang or peep sights work great for us old folks with farsightedness. I just don't care for the lump on the receiver that a receiver sight makes. All my old Winchesters have tang peeps, as the holes are already there for mounting on most.
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crs
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Post by crs »

Countme in on the aperture sight - tang or receiver mounted.
Looks like you should try one.
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Dastook
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Post by Dastook »

Ya'll got me me convinced. Thanks for the replies.
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KWK
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Post by KWK »

One rather experienced African hunter, John Taylor, wrote he used open sights even as he aged. He had his guns sighted with the rear sight well down the barrel, towards the front sight. By reducing the distance between the two, he could keep both in focus. The loss in sight radius was more than compensated by the increase in sight clarity. I plan to try this when I return to the US and can get my hands on my rifles again. I know that when I hold out a revolver, both sights still look good, and they have a similar sight radius to Taylor's rifles.

As for lighting, standard open sights leave much to be desired. Black blades mounted vertically disappear fast. Try instead blades canted forward to catch the light, and paint them with black outlines over white. I imagine a 3 dot or 3 square arrangement on canted sights might hold up well through the evening. Taylor preferred the traditional British shallow V with a big front bead, the V having a vertical white line at its crook.
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marlinman93
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Post by marlinman93 »

I never have understood how tang sights are "in the way" when shooting? It seems like a simple solution to just not wrap your thumb over the top of the tang.
You can't leave it there and work the lever anyway, so why keep changing positions every time you work the lever? Just leave it alongside, and don't worry about it.
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longhair1957
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Post by longhair1957 »

Any of you guy's with a 1895 Winchester use a tang or do you just go with the reciever sight?
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Sixgun
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Post by Sixgun »

longhair1957 wrote:Any of you guy's with a 1895 Winchester use a tang or do you just go with the reciever sight?
Longhair, The only way you can put a tang sight on a '95 without the bolt knocking it back is by the use of a "special base" sight made by Marbles, but............They have not been made since the twenties or thirties at the latest. I snagged mine from Ken Bean of York,Pa.


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longhair1957
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Post by longhair1957 »

Sixgun wrote:
longhair1957 wrote:Any of you guy's with a 1895 Winchester use a tang or do you just go with the reciever sight?
Longhair, The only way you can put a tang sight on a '95 without the bolt knocking it back is by the use of a "special base" sight made by Marbles, but............They have not been made since the twenties or thirties at the latest. I snagged mine from Ken Bean of York,Pa.
Thanks, I guess I'll go reciever if I do it! :wink:
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Post by Gun Smith »

A couple of my M. 95's have the sight shown on the takedown 95 in the above post. They do keep the bolt away from the sight, but you don't want to crawl the stock too much or the sight may hit you on recoil. You get a great distance between sights though, about 36" on a 28" barrel gun. The "climin' Lyman" receiver sight works best on the M. 95 and lays tightly on the side of the action.
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Post by OJ »

longhair1957 wrote:Any of you guy's with a 1895 Winchester use a tang or do you just go with the reciever sight?
I really like the Williams FP71 on my Winchester 95 & my eyes are over 81 years old.

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Works for me though I never tried a tang sight - would have required major surgery on this 95. I remove the aperture and use it as a "ghost ring" - just as accurate and faster on target.

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