If there are those of you Model 39 shooters out there who, like me, would like a receiver mounted aperture sight that doesn't hang off the side, may I suggest the following.

The first picture shows how I whittled a dovetail adaptor, which will fit the dovetail groove on the Williams WGRS sight for SOME rimfire dovetail grooves, out of a piece of a Ruger 10/22 scope mount. The second picture shows how it looks on the rifle. As you can see, I'm still waiting for the aluminum black stuff from Birchwood Casey, and what you cannot see is I'm also waiting for the correct screw.

The piece attaches to the rear scope mount tapped (#8) hole on recent vintage 39's (as far back as 1980, I know for sure), the front hole was there originally, and served as a second mounting hole to attach the piece to a stick of wood for holding while I "whittled" on it.

And by the way, to make sure I got the screw I needed, I ordered a "gunsmiths kit" from Midway and will soon have more #6 and #8 screws, in two head styles plus headless plugs, than I can ever use. If anyone out there needs a particular screw, or several, PM or e-mail me the size, length, and head style you need and, if I have it I'll be glad to send it to you. I will have more than I will ever use, and hate to see good stuff go to waste. So to the pics:

The piece, shown alongside the Ruger piece I started with:
http://users.htcomp.net/baskett/wgrs3.jpg

And, with the WGRS sight mounted to it, on the rifle:
http://users.htcomp.net/baskett/wgrs4.jpg

I don't know yet how tall a front sight is going to be required and, of course, it will be different on a Mountie such as shown versus an A model, due to barrel length and diameter.

Just for what it's worth...

eljay

Eljay, you are a handy sort.

If you should take a look at the Postal Match standings, the man leading the 50 yard iron sight competion is using the "vacum tubing in the aperture trick" you posted here and that I passed along.

Eljay, you are a handy sort.

If you should take a look at the Postal Match standings, the man leading the 50 yard iron sight competion is using the "vacum tubing in the aperture trick" you posted here and that I passed along.
Well thanks, KenK, and that's neat. Glad to hear someone is getting some benefit out of the idea. ;-)

eljay

Thats a good trick there eljay. Will have to remember that one for future use.

Thats a good trick there eljay. Will have to remember that one for future use.
Thanks, Gismo. My only concern right now is that a fairly high front sight may be required on the Mountie, because of its tapered, smaller diameter barrel. I think the A, with its large diameter, non-tapered barrel, will require a lot shorter front.

That one I'm working on is my Mountie, and I'll know in the next couple of days what the front sight height will have to be.

eljay

Thanks, Gismo. My only concern right now is that a fairly high front sight may be required on the Mountie, because of its tapered, smaller diameter barrel. I think the A, with its large diameter, non-tapered barrel, will require a lot shorter front.

That one I'm working on is my Mountie, and I'll know in the next couple of days what the front sight height will have to be.

eljay


You made a Gizzy for your sight. :D I think from looking at it that you are going to need a really tall front sight. Look at that picture with your new sight and see how much taller it is than the regular rear sight thats on the barrel. Thats pretty high. I don't know. It looks good, but that seem awfully high.

You really need a sight like this that fastens on a weaver base.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=111883

You may not be able to find a front sight that tall. I could be wrong. You did a good job on shaping the base. I never would have thought of that.

You really need a sight like this that fastens on a weaver base.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=111883

You may not be able to find a front sight that tall. I could be wrong. You did a good job on shaping the base. I never would have thought of that.
Trouble is, by the time I get the Marlin scope sight base, which is for the Weaver mount, and then put that one on top of it, it's as tall as what I've got.

I had this WGRS on the Remington 572 (which I swapped for the 39A I showed you), and it took a VERY tall front sight, 0.7 inches total height into a dovetail in the barrel. It is the XS post, and I still have it. Tallest one they make. I plan to cut it down to the proper height for this application. I also have a supply of the XS plastic temporary post front sights which fit into the dovetail, to be cut down until they're the right height. Tomorrow, if the wind has laid some, I intend to remove the Marble bead from the ramp on the front of my Mountie, install one of the plastic ones, then go out and shoot, clipping off segments (I hope) of the plastic sight, until it's the right height.

At that point, I'll know. If it's too high, that's when I'll scrap the idea, or else try the same thing with my 39A, for which I know it will come out shorter.

Anybody's guess how it'll all come out. I'll let you know, if you're interested.

eljay

Sure I want to know. If it works, I might just have to rig one on one of my Marlins. Hope you get it tuned in.

Sure I want to know. If it works, I might just have to rig one on one of my Marlins. Hope you get it tuned in.
Gismo,

I shot this afternoon, with a cobbled up front post made of masking tape and cardboard (back board of a scratch pad), taped over the stock bead. The results are as follows:

Added total sight height of new post over stock bead: 0.165"

Height of new post to fit in ramp - 0.465"

This if for my Mountie. I calculate that if it were for a 39A, the increased height of the front sight would be 0.11".

These numbers are all right with me. On the Remington 572 that I took this rear sight and an XS white ramp post which is 0.70" tall and mounted in a dovetail in the barrel off of, the front sight was, in fact HIGH. This height on the ramp on this barrel looks okay.

Now, all I have to do is figure out how to grind that 0.70" tall XS ramp down to 0.465" tall. And it's steel. Oh how I wish I had a mill, or a lathe, or SOMETHING!

And oh, that Mountie! I don't take credit for this; I was shooting at about 27 yards, and resting my arms on a bench, but after the second cutoff of a cobbled up front sight and my wife calling the shots, I shot four while she said, "two inches high at twelve o'clock. Enlarged same hole. Same hole. Enlarged same hole."

And this with my SHORT barrelled 39! In a very short time, I've become a big Marlin Golden 39 fan. ;-)

eljay

eljay,

You just need a better knife to whittle the next one from.

You do need a small mill for your chores. I am trying to same for a Smithy combo Lathe/Mill/ Drillpress. I don't need anything big right now. Not like I need to turn barrel tapers or anything. Will get a full size lathe later.

Glad to see you are getting everything all worked out.

Gismo

I just wanted to post these to show y'all how the finished product turned out. I wanted an aperture sight that didn't hang off the side of the receiver, and that's what I got.

Gismo, the front sight height look acceptable to you?

http://users.htcomp.net/baskett/Mountiesights.jpg

http://users.htcomp.net/baskett/Mountiesightf.jpg

eljay

Looks ok to me but you could get the rear sight a good bit lower if you wanted. Just cut the base of your adapter down until you get to the dovetail part.

Looks ok to me but you could get the rear sight a good bit lower if you wanted. Just cut the base of your adapter down until you get to the dovetail part.

His knife was gettin too dull from all that whittling. :D

Hey eljay. Front sight looks pretty good. Not too tall at all. You will have to tell me all the numbers of rear and front sight in case I want to try it later. I know thats a Ruger 10/22 base. I'll be sure and have a few extra blades for my knife. :D

Good job!!

Now you need to find you a piece of black plastic and whittle a filler for the dovetail in your barrel and remove the factory rear sight. I did that in my Henry H001T octagon barrel when I added a scope. Fits pretty good.

Gismo, what's the deal with those Smithy machines?

Looks ok to me but you could get the rear sight a good bit lower if you wanted. Just cut the base of your adapter down until you get to the dovetail part.
No material left for the counterbored hole to hold onto if I do that. ;-)

Now you need to find you a piece of black plastic and whittle a filler for the dovetail in your barrel and remove the factory rear sight. I did that in my Henry H001T octagon barrel when I added a scope. Fits pretty good.
I intend to do that (remove the rear sight), but suspect I'll chicken out and just buy a dovetail filler, like I did when I put the XS Ghost Ring Hunting Sight set on my 94. ;-)

The back aperture sight is the Williams WGRS 54. With the front sight, there are a lot of options. I like the wide white post (XS Sights, Fort Worth, Texas), but you may prefer a bead, in which case you could use a Marble, or several others. Trick is to determine what height. For that, I have several of the black plastic temporary post front sights supplied by XS. They are segmented, and you start with the high one, clip off segments while test firing until you have the correct height. Then, if you want the XS post, you simply call them, tell them how many segments are still on the post, and whether it's for a dovetail in the barrel or a ramp. They'll sell you one ($30), and you simply fit it in place. For a bead, measure the height and get the nearest available in your choice of bead front sights.

If you start this project, PM or Email me, and I'll sent you one of the temporary posts. Makes the job a lot easier.

Good shooting, and be safe,

eljay

Gismo, what's the deal with those Smithy machines?


They make big and small machines. They have some that are a small lathe, milling machine and drill press all in one. Here is a link to one of them.

http://www.smithy.com/midas1220.htm

If you start this project, PM or Email me, and I'll sent you one of the temporary posts. Makes the job a lot easier.

Good shooting, and be safe,

eljay

I'll do that. Thanks. Don't chicken out on making the filler for your rear sight. You did such a great job on your gizzy for the other, I know you can do it. All I did was file the dovetail in the plastic, then shape it. It turned out pretty good. I know you can do it eljay.

If there are those of you Model 39 shooters out there who, like me, would like a receiver mounted aperture sight that doesn't hang off the side, may I suggest the following.

The first picture shows how I whittled a dovetail adaptor, which will fit the dovetail groove on the Williams WGRS sight for SOME rimfire dovetail grooves, out of a piece of a Ruger 10/22 scope mount. The second picture shows how it looks on the rifle. As you can see, I'm still waiting for the aluminum black stuff from Birchwood Casey, and what you cannot see is I'm also waiting for the correct screw.

The piece attaches to the rear scope mount tapped (#8) hole on recent vintage 39's (as far back as 1980, I know for sure), the front hole was there originally, and served as a second mounting hole to attach the piece to a stick of wood for holding while I "whittled" on it.

And by the way, to make sure I got the screw I needed, I ordered a "gunsmiths kit" from Midway and will soon have more #6 and #8 screws, in two head styles plus headless plugs, than I can ever use. If anyone out there needs a particular screw, or several, PM or e-mail me the size, length, and head style you need and, if I have it I'll be glad to send it to you. I will have more than I will ever use, and hate to see good stuff go to waste. So to the pics:

The piece, shown alongside the Ruger piece I started with:
http://users.htcomp.net/baskett/wgrs3.jpg

And, with the WGRS sight mounted to it, on the rifle:
http://users.htcomp.net/baskett/wgrs4.jpg

I don't know yet how tall a front sight is going to be required and, of course, it will be different on a Mountie such as shown versus an A model, due to barrel length and diameter.

Just for what it's worth...

eljay

Found a better way! Did a reply to the above post, in order to get the pics close together for comparison.

http://users.htcomp.net/baskett/wgrs-kn.jpg

This is the Williams WGRS-KN sight, mounted directly to a 39A. It's a bit more delicate operation, but no adapter to be made, and mounts lower, as you can see. As pictured, the sight is set properly for the stock front 39A bead, with the bullet impact at the top of the bead at 25 yards.

The delicate part is the rear hole on this sight, which is far down the elevation ramp. It's for a #6 sized fastner, and must be opened up for a #8, to fit the rear scope mount hole on the 39A. Then, a #8 screw must be modified by reducing its head diameter (to fit the counterbore) and height (to be flush with the ramp surface upon which the sight itself slides, and cutting the slot deeper, at least on the screw I used.

I assembled this sight by the rear screw only, applying a layer of thin, double adhesive tape to the bottom of the sight to prevent rotation around the one screw at the extreme rear. It worked out so well I am considering drilling and tapping a hole for a #6 fastner in the top of the receiver to accept a fastner through the front hole on the sight, making it totally resistant to being "bumped" off center.

Again, just in the "for what it's worth" department!

eljay

Looks great eljay. Will have to keep this in mind to work on this winter.

Gismo