Marbles vs Layman vs Uberti?

[Johnny Moon]

First, thanks for adding me to this wonderful forum My first post. I own an Uberti 1873 with 24.25 octagonal barrel with an antique finish, yes I paid extra to have it look beat up LOL.

My first question...
I see most everyone likes the marbles tang sights over the Lyman, but I have heard some are using an Uberti tang sight. What's the difference between the marbles and uberti besides the cost? I'll be having it mounted on my Uberti 1873. I like the looks of the Uberti over he marbles, but if quality is much better with the marbles version I wil go with that. I see that there is an old vs new Marbles, so should I by V2 over V1 or no real difference?

Thanks,

Johnny Moon

[3leggedturtle]

Can't help youy I only have one a Lyman. Should be a few along soon to answer you. Welcome to the forumn and what caliber is your '73? Todd/3leg

[ollogger]

Hi & welcome!!!

have lyman & marbles & one mystery one with no name, no problem with any of them
didn't know uberti made a sight, but your new gun sounds great



ollogger

[Chuck 100 yd]

Marbles has windage adjustment so that is one reason for their popularity. I have two of them mounted on Uberti 73`s. I like the Lyman but need windage adjustment on most guns and if the front sight can not stay on center because it must be adjusted to get the gun sighted,that bugs me to no end.
The newer marbles also have replaceable elevation staffs so you can set up for short,mid, or long range and swap them out as needed. I shoot mine in Cowboy Action so no need for that with mine.

[Chuck 100 yd]

OH!! I forgot!! Welcome!!!

[william iorg]

Welcome, don't post a lot but I have several tang sights. I prefer the Lyman on a hunting rifle. The Lyman sight is trimmer both upright and when folded which is nice on a snap shooting rifle.
The Lyman is adjusted for windage by placing shims under the base. Easy adjustment.
For a hunting rifle set up for one load for hunting season the Lyman is a fine sight. Same can be said for the XS sight which is a pain to adjust but once set is a fine hunting rifle sight.
For the target shooter the Marbles sight is a good one.

[Griff]

1st and foremost, and Welcome to THE Forum!

Kinda depends on which "Uberti" sight you're thinkin' of! If it's this one available from Cimarron:

It's more in line with the Lyman & Marbles. What I don't know, is whether it is windage adjustable like the Marbles, or fixed windage like the Lyman. The description o the Uberti site isn't very forthcoming. It looks very much like a sight I have on my mdl 94 Winchester, which is windage adjustable. Mine also has a nice set screw in the front part of the base, for making sure the staff is vertical... and not leaned fore or aft; which makes the aperture hole elliptical shaped... and will throw off your aim. The Marbles, besides being windage adjustable, has click adjustments... Again, the Uberti description doesn't elaborate.

The fact that it comes with a globe front sight is a nice plus... At least for me... as I like 'em!

Some folks say that a tang sight speeds up their shooting... while others say it slows them down. It really depends on the size of the aperture. A nice small aperture will better center the eye behind the sight, which then increases the precision of your sight picture... and your shooting. However, this also decreases the light available... so in low light situations it makes it harder to see the target. The increased distance from rear sight to front also increases precision.

Using the sight sans the aperture disk is like shooting with a "ghost ring" rear sight. With a good cheek weld to the stock, no head movement, you can really see all around the front sight... these are usually the guys that say a tang sight speeds up their shooting. They don't really SEE the rear sight, it's more like a fuzzy circle they're looking thru, but with a bit of familiarization, their eye automatically centers itself in the rear sight and then all you have to concentrate on is the front sight.

[Shasta]

Welcome to this great forum!

I don't have any experience with Uberti sights; I didn't even know they made them. I do have extensive experience with Marble's tang sights.



I like the windage adjustment capability of the Marble's sight, but I especially like the "clicks" in Marble's adjustments. It makes it very simple to get the correct setting merely by counting the clicks. There are eight clicks per each revolution of the adjustment knob. By making a reference mark on the sight base, and another on the elevation knob at its lowest setting, you don't even have to count every click.




For a setting of let's say 36 clicks, just rotate the knob four complete revolutions (32 clicks), align your staff mark and add four more clicks. The Lyman sight has no windage adjustment and the elevation knob does not have the benefit of click stops. A reference mark such as I apply to the Marble's sight is helpful with adjusting the Lyman sight, but I still much prefer the Marble's. I shoot NRA Cowboy Lever Action silhouette so quick and easy sight adjustments are a must for me. I only use the Lyman on an old rifle that I want to look original.

As for new vs. older Marble's, I have both, and like the new sight's ability to easily change elevation staff height, but find that the elevation clicks tend to be mushy and indistinct on some of the new version compared to the older fixed staff sights. Most of my Marble's sights are the older version.
The really old Marble's tang sights are similar to the Lyman in not having windage or click adjustment.

SHASTA

[AJMD429]

Bein' a cheapskate, I found a Taurus tang sight from CheaperThanDirt.com for $29, and it is a clone of the Marbles (includes windage and elevation) just like the Rossi is a Winchester clone. The one I got was VERY well made, and I ordered four more for another $120 (what just one Marble's would have cost). I put them on several guns, and have been very satisfied. They fit the Rossi 92's perfectly, being I think made for the Rossi/Taurus 22 LR pump rifles, and fit my original Marlin 1889 as well.

For the front I used Lyman Globe sights, but plan to get the other inserts recommended above in the thread.

Here's the thread on my tang sight project...http://levergunscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20359



The screws were temporary ones from Ace Hardware, because the supplied Tang screw was not the right size for the Rossi 92, and I didn't have a metric one on hand.

[Johnny Moon]

Can't help youy I only have one a Lyman. Should be a few along soon to answer you. Welcome to the forumn and what caliber is your '73? Todd/3leg

Thank you for all the welcomes

Sorry, forgot to mention my 1873 is a .45 Colt version. I bought it with a set of 1858 BP revolvers and a Bond Arms Derringer all in .45 colt so I could reload the same cartridge for all of those. I sold the 1858s and plan to buy a set of Ruger Vaqueros. BP and I didn't really mix well LOL, but I may still try it again.

Here is my Uberti 1873 .45 colt with 24.25 octagonal barrel and antique finish:



Here is a link to the Uberti Tang, and it definately looks like the base has the windage adjustment:



Not sure how much I will use it, but it's site picture looks to be similar to what I am use to seeing on the M16 I had in the Army. I really liked using the peep sites on my M16 during range days.

I'm not a hunter, just a range and maybe CAS shooter, and it and my other CAS guns are my home defense options if I ever need it, hope I never do. I really dont need or want any black guns. This may be a bad habit starting, I may own a few (many) old west reproductions down the road.

[jnyork]

I use the Marble's tang sight for all the reasons described in the post by Shasta. I have 4 rifles I use for silhouette and all wear Marble's. I had a rifle with a Taurus sight and was very disappointed with it, no click adjustments and every time I folded the sight down it would change the windage adjustment. Threw it away and good riddance.

[Johnny Moon]

I have 4 rifles I use for silhouette and all wear Marble's.

jnyork & shasta - Cowboy lever action silhouette sounds like fun, never knew it existed, but maybe the CAS pards wanted to keep the noob shooter on their firing line LOL.

Can the Uberti .45 colt be competitive in that or are the modern higher pressure load rifles the rifle of choice?

[jnyork]

I have 4 rifles I use for silhouette and all wear Marble's.

jnyork & shasta - Cowboy lever action silhouette sounds like fun, never knew it existed, but maybe the CAS pards wanted to keep the noob shooter on their firing line LOL.

Can the Uberti .45 colt be competitive in that or are the modern higher pressure load rifles the rifle of choice?

The game is played with rifles chambered for pistol calibers so your .45 will do just fine. There is another version for .30-30 class rifles, as well as for .22 rimfire.

In my experience, CAS shooters don't display too much interest in silhouette, it requires too much marksmanship I guess.

[Shasta]

Can the Uberti .45 colt be competitive in that or are the modern higher pressure load rifles the rifle of choice?[/quote]

In NRA Lever Action Rifle Pistol Cartridge Silhouette matches, the caliber is not so important as the skill of the shooter. I see competitors using rifles in caliber .22 Long Rifle, which is legal, and I see folks shooting the .44 Magnum. It boils down to what you can shoot well. A guy with a Marlin 39A might not have much luck knocking down the heavier 100 meter Ram targets, but if he can do well with 40 meter Chickens, 50 meter Pigs, and 75 meter Turkeys, often enough that will win the match. Our club's top shooter uses a Marlin in .22 Magnum. Most of our competitors use .357 Magnum or a .32-20.
The point is, a rifle in .45 Colt has more than enough power for the Pistol Cartridge matches, and can as well be very competitive in the Rifle Cartridge matches where the Rams weigh 50+ lbs. and are set at a distance of 200 yds./meters. My 1880 vintage Winchester 1873 in caliber .44-40 does very well in both disciplines, so your .45 Colt is definitely capable also.

As an aside, I used to shoot the SASS cowboy action discipline, and while it is a great sport, i personally did not like having to always be in costume, and having to run and hurry my shots to be competitive. As an older guy with some health issues, I very much prefer the slower pace, precise aim, and relaxed atmosphere embraced by the metallic silhouette disciplines.

SHASTA