Peep sight options for Argentine (small ring) Mauser

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bcrash15

New member
I just picked up an 1891 Argentine Mauser for pretty cheap from the local gun store. It has about the slickest action I have ever felt and I have a soft spot for cock on closing bolts so I couldn’t put it down. The trigger break is one of the best I have ever felt, but it is heavy, ~8 lbs.

Anyway, the gun was pretty heavily sporterized, looks like a mid-century commercial conversion (not bubba’d), so I don’t feel too bad about modifying it a little more. The entire original rear sight was removed from the barrel (no sign of it left) and the barrel was drilled/tapped for a Williams V-notch rear sight. I’d like to improve the sights and preferably want a scope, but even with the bolt being slightly bent I don’t think it would clear a scope and I am not feeling a scout style mount on this gun (and have nothing to mount it to anyway). So I was considering a peep sight. I guess the easy thing to do would just to get a peep sight that could replace the Williams V-notch, but I have heard a lot of issues with eye strain and reduced accuracy potential the further forward a peep is moved.

Seems like there are a lot of varibles to consider if mounting one to the receiver bridge. The top has a peculiar curvature to it and the sides of the receiver aren’t flat to mount one there, so it looks like I will need a pretty specific fit to make that work. Also, most of the ones I am seeing overhang the left side, which I don’t think will work with the Mauser ejector/bolt release. Just wondering what other people have used and what options are out there. Certainly this has to have been done quite a bit over the years but for some reason I am having trouble finding specific products for this application.
 
You'll probably need a rear sight about the same height as the original rear sight. If the rear peep is higher than the original rear sight...you might have problems getting close to a 100 yard zero.

You might be better off with a rear v-notch sight, since you can lower the front sight blade in the v-notch more accurately than you can with a peep --- that is --- if it still shoots high.
 
Back in the later 60s, I bought a sporterized 91 Argentine to deer hunt with that had a Williams peep sight on it. Many many years later I will have the rifle rebarreled to 257 Roberts and scope the rifle. Peep sight was removed.

Still have the peep sight in my collection of Mauser parts. But, its minus the aperture that screws into the Williams sight.....preferred shooting the rifle without the aperture. The Williams peep sight required the drilling and tapping of two holes on rear side of the receiver near bolt....assume its same diameter thread of scope mount screws.....6-48?

Anyway, PM me if you are interested in it, price should be very reasonable....think you can buy just the aperture for it as its pretty standard on Williams peep sights. P.S. think I also still have the ramp front sight installed on the Argentine barrel too.
 
One of my first rifles was a 91 >7.65 Ar. Shot a a whole lot of whitetail with it day time night time all the time because its owner was only 16 at the time. Truly someone who was at the time labeled by his parents & neighbors to be what's called: a Wild Child. :o
After some time or just prior to my enlistment I changed out the 91s rear V cut battle site with a ramp style Marbles. Rifle never shot the same after that. Ended up selling it for 65.00 ($) a huge return on a rifle I only paid 17.00 ($) for originally from the catalog pages of Klein's Sporting Goods (chicago) One particular reason for its selling was its scarcity of store bought ammo. Norma brand was expensive even back in those days and seldom found in my local. Although a local gun shop would order it in for me when needed. But they too bumped the price of a already spendy cartridge. So it became cost prohibited so to speak for me to keep it._:(
 
SureShot, I paid $35 for my already sporterized 91 Argentine around 1967. Chuckle, I paid too much for it, but was helping out a hunting buddy back then to buy a new Remington 243 win. He was a small guy who didn't care for the 91 Argy recoil. My buddy had been in army and stationed close to Alexandria, Va., where there once was a surplus military firearms importer, that if memory serves me correctly, once had enough surplus rifles to equip 9 or so army divisions. He'd gone into its retail store, selected the best one on racks, paid around $15 for it. Then had barrel shortened and the peep sight with a nice ramp front sight installed. Like you wrote, only hunting ammo you could find was the Norma and yep on the pricey side. Did shoot a fair amount of surplus Argy ammo in it back then and I did learn to reload for it too. Yes, a few deer were dropped with my 91 Argy too.
 
Huffmanite:
I think I bought mine in 61 or 62. Tried to buy it back once from the co-worker I sold it too many years before. Thinking to re-barrel it. But He wouldn't sell it back to me. He thought it was a {phenomenal} deer getter. (so I was told at the time) _No big deal with me. I was tickled he had grown to like it. By than a had a spare or two rifles leaning up against the wall here for my use anyway.:)
 
Sounds like this gun will be exactly what I want from it!

I think the front sight has been modified as well, and it has a really tall blade on it at the moment. Tall enough where getting the front and rear sights to line up properly actually is hard to do while maintaining a decent cheek weld. Hopefully the one on there will work, otherwise I will have to take the measurements off the front blade and find something else.

Huffmanite, gonna send you a PM about your Williams.
 
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