Lyman tang sight on Browning 1886

[Fisher-Price]

Taking a long weekend with the wife in Myrtle Beach SC. I decided to stop in a pawn shop in the middle of the outlet, tourist trap section and believe it or not. They had an 1886 of the 1986 vintage. I have been wanting one since 1986. There are a few dings & scratches in the wood, nothing too bad. Metal is near perfect. It appears to be unfired or very little. No wear around the muzzle and no bluing missing from the bolt. So it hasn't even been played with...till now! They even had the box and manual. End result is I need gas money to get home. I didn't steal it but I got it for $250 less than they usually go for on Gunbroker. My Browning 1886 carbine finally has a big brother.

My question is this. It has Lyman tang sight on it. I am unfamiliar with tang sights. This one can touch the wood and has put a few small marks where it touches. Is there supposed to be a stop or detent to prevent this? Second question. I can turn the knurl part to run the peep up and down, is there a way to "set" this once I get it zeroed? Running it up to where it is usable make the touch the stock part happen even sooner. Of course I may just take it off and have 2 screws in the tang.

Does a Marbles have stops or do they work the same? Is the hole spacing the same for Marbles & Lyman?

Fisher-Price

[Shasta]

Sounds like you got yourself a fine rifle there. You didn't say what your primary purpose for it will be, but a tang sight is a great asset for precise shooting at longer distances, especially if the range is known. The Marbles and Lyman sights are each manfactured to fit specific guns, so hole spacing is the same for either sight depending on the brand of rifle.

The biggest difference between the two is that the Marbles is adjustable for windage while the Lyman is not, and the Marbles has click detent adjustments, making it the better sight in my opinion. Neither sight has a detent to prevent it from contacting the stock in the folded down position. I have seen rifles with a piece of tape applied on the comb to prevent the sight from marring the wood, but I personally don't let those little dings bother me. I do turn the sight down to its lowest setting before folding and this usually keeps it off the wood, depending on the height of the sight stem used.

I don't use the Lyman sight, but do have quite a few Marbles. I know the newer ones have a jamb nut on the stem above the knurled adjustment knob to lock the setting in place. None of my sights have this though as my primary use is lever action silhouette shooting that requires frequent readjustment of the sight elevation for each of the discipline's four distances, and leaving it set in one place defeats the purpose of the adjustable stem.

My method of keeping track of adjustments is to run the sight stem all the way down to its lowest setting, then I file a permanent reference mark on both the stem base and the knurled knob. After that it is an easy matter to simply count the number of turns up from the bottom to achieve the desired setting. Here is a picture showing the reference mark:



Don't give up too soon on your tang sight, but do keep in mind that with heavy loads a tang sight may come in contact with your noggin!

SHASTA

[Fisher-Price]

Thanks Shasta,

I think I'll get a Marbles since I like the idea of the windage adjustment. I have ghost rings on a Guide Gun and a Skinner peep on a Marlin Cowboy so I like the concept. It's just this is the first tang sight for me and will take some getting used to the location. I just use it for plinking and having fun, no competition or hunting. Our range is 140 yards so no long distance. I use my guide gun for hunting in the woods, and a scoped bolt rifle for the open.

Fisher-Price

[Pete44ru]

If there's 2 holes in the top tang for the Lyman, besides the issue tang stock screw/hole, somthing's rotten in Denmark.

Both the proper Lyman and Marbles tang sights for the M1886/86 Browning/Winchester/Miroku utilize the issue rear stock tand screw hole with a longer-than-issue- tang screw, plus one (1) extra hole in the tang or the forward base screw.

If the Lyman on the rifle is not mounted using the issue stock tang screw location, God only knows what model Lyman tang sight was used - MEANING that, if you order a proper Marbles tang sight:

1) The Marbles base holes most likely won't align with what's been D/T'd in the gun.

2) You'll most likely need to D/T ANOTHER hole in the tang for the proper tanger to fit.

IF, the above holds true, AND you want a Marbles, your best course of action would be to measure the center-to-center distance of the two base screw holes used for the Lyman, and speak with a Marbles CSR to determine which Marbles tanger would it.

FWIW, I've had both Lyman and Marbles tang sights on my a886/86's and have never had the paerture hit the nose of the comb (wood) - so I suspect the sight arm of the Lyman used on your rifle is longer than needed or an 1886/86 (IOW, for some other rifle).

I hope I'm wrong, and you'll have an E-Z-Peazy time.

.

[crs]

Fisher Price,
The Marbles tang peep on my Miroku Winchester 1886 .45-90 also touched the wood of the front tip of the comb until 86er removed some wood for me. It looks good and when the sight is down, it locks before touching the wood.



To complete the tang sight installation, I recommend the installation of a folding barrel sight that does not interfere with the use of the tang such as seen below:


When you do not need the tang sight, just fold it down and the barrel sight up and fire away:


The latter configuration has proven very handy and effective with my 1886 when using heavy handloads at ranges out to 50 - 75 yards. Also, remember to be careful where you put the thumb of your trigger hand so as not to hit yourself in the nose!

[Grizzly Adams]

I have a Browning 1886 rifle that I mounted a vintage Lyman 1886 tang sight on. It touches the wood of the stock. I have seen the same sight mounted on antique Winchester 1886s......it touched the wood of the stock. I made a leather stock cover. No worries.

[purdy]

If it bothers you, why not remove that Merit insert and get a regular Lyman insert or not use an insert at all?

[kimwcook]

Or one could get a Hadley cup w/rubber o-ring and be done with it. My MVA tang sight on my Shiloh hits the comb and I glued a leather piece to the top so's not to ding it up anymore. Have to keep an eye on it because it will come lose every now an then and I have to glue it back on.

[crs]

Grizzly, Kim, etc ,
In my case, marring the wood was not the issue. My concern (and that of 86er) was that with the tip of the sight touching the wood, a modest impact could knock the sight out of allingment or even bend or break the stem. Now, with it below the level of the comb, it is less likely to be damaged. It is also much less like likely to snag on things like clothing, a shoulder strap, or even the inside of a gun case.