want to change the rear sight on my Henry Golden Boy ?

R

rebs

New member
My eyes just don't like the stock sights that came on my golden boy 22lr
I am thinking maybe a peep sight would be better for me. I want to ask about mounting a peep on the barrel that directly replaces the stock rear sight. But what happens when you mount a peep sight on the barrel instead of mounting it on the tang ? If I used the tang peep I would need to have the receiver drilled and tapped, which I don't really want to do. With the peep being farther from your eye and closer to the front sight is there a down side ?
 
I have a Skinner barrel-mounted aperture on my Marlin 1894c.
http://www.skinnersights.com/barrel_mount_6.html

Previously, I had Skinner's "winged" receiver aperture. Of the two, the barrel mounted peep worked better for me. I preferred the sight picture and sighting in was easier. And it's certainly faster and more accurate than the original buckhorn open sights.

The barrel mounted peep came with a screw-in aperture, but I took mine out and use it more like a ghost ring. Since it is farther from my eye, it appears smaller anyway and offers adequate precision.

I really can't comment on how it would work with aging eyes, because I'm not there quite yet.

As for potential drawbacks, looking through a small hole near your eye can help sharpen the focus of things you look at (you can even test it with small holes in a sheet of paper). In this way, a peep sight near the eye may actually improve the sharpness of your vision. This probably won't happen with a barrel-mounted peep.

Also, the sight radius with a barrel mounted peep is definitely shorter than you'd get with a tang or receiver-mounted peep.

But even with these concessions, you would be no worse off than you are with the current open sights.

You didn't ask, but I'll add that I've tried four different front sights as well:
- original brass bead
- Skinner front blade (black)
- Marble fiber optic
- XS front blade (with white stripe)

For me, the XS sight is the clear winner. It provides the best precision and is second only to the fiber optic in visibility.
http://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...6048.aspx?avs|Manufacturer_1=XS SIGHT SYSTEMS
 
Last edited:
idek, what height XS front sight did you get ? Did it leave the elevation adjustment on the peep about in the middle uf up and down adjustment ?
What sight picture do you use with the long white on the XS sight ?
 
For my Marlin, I replaced the original ramp with a lower Marbles ramp. Then I got the .350" height blade.

It looks like maybe the golden boy doesn't have a ramp at all, and that the sight fits right into a slot in the barrel. If so, you'll probably want a higher sight. It's probably impossible to say exactly what you need before you have the peep sight in place. I would order the peep sight first, see how close the original front sight lines up, and then determine what would be the best replacement height. Elevation on the peep is adjusted by twisting the peep ring in or out like a screw, but getting the front sight with the best height will ensure you don't run out of adjustment range.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean about the sight picture. I align the flat top of the blade in the center of the aperture (the same as I would with any blade). The skinny stripe down the middle just makes it easier (for me) to keep the target centered horizontally... as compared to a thicker black blade.

http://www.shopatlow.com/siteImages/product-image-811469.jpg
This image shows the top of the blade centered in the circle, and top of the blade is where the intended impact is. I think that would be called a "center hold". That's what I do.

Other people use a 6 o'clock hold. Their target alignment would look more like this (the top image):
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/ir_OMjswN_c/hqdefault.jpg
 
Last edited:
idek thank you for all the information, I appreciate it. I am going to order the barrel mount peep today
 
IMG_1978_zpsblnbvnod.jpg

IMG_1968_zpsyu5j8cpu.jpg


This is a picture of my Goldenboy with a Skinner rear peep and a Lyman Globe front sight.This is the combination that works the best for my 57 tear old eyes.Skinner peeps are very good quality but a little pricey.
 
Do,you have any problems with the peep being farther from your eye ? What size is the aperture hole ?
 
The other option for an Old-Timey sight, would be a Marbles Bullseye :)

Darmog's Marlin 1894 in .357Mag
IMG_20130511_231113.jpg


Note, this is also a good time to order an Ivory Bead front from Numrich...or a fiber optic front...
Ivory for Old-style, Fiber Optic for Old Eyes ;)
 
I have looked at the truglo set of rear and front sight, does anyone have any experience with them ?
Also seen the truglo front is .600 and the marble is 3/32. which one would be prefered the bigger one or smaller one ?
 
I've tried fiber optic front and rear sights (I mentioned the front sight previously).

I tried Williams rear Firesights on my Marlin. They certainly are visible, but in mid-day sunlight, they were actually too bright for me. They sort of flared and made my intended target dim and indistinguishable by comparison.

The Marble's front sight didn't necessarily have this problem, possibly because it's farther from the eye. As I said previously, I eventually went with the blade front sight instead--mostly because I felt I could aim better with a flat-topped blade than a round fiber optic.

As for size, I went with the smallest fiber optic I could find and it was still easy to see. Might be a little more precise and obscure less of the target than a bigger fiber optic.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top