Suggestions on a aperture sight for .44 carbine?

[GP_Pirate]

My father recently gave me his 1971 vintage .44 carbine. It is in excellent condition with less than 20 rounds fired. I want to add an aperture (peep) site for hunting with my aging eyes. Any suggestions from those who have done the same? Will I need to replace the front sight as well? Thanks so much for any assistance.

Glenn

 

[RSI]

I have a early 80's carbine that I have added a Williams 5D receiver sight. It works well for my eyes and does fine with the standard front bead. The downside is that you must drill and tap the left side of the receiver in order to install the sight. Williams also makes a sight that mounts in the rear scope base screw holes (not sure if a 71 model came with those are not). This sight is their WGRS-44 which they recommend using with a taller front sight. You can purchase this as a set with a taller front sight included. There are others out there but these 2 come to mind and have been on the market for a long time.
JMS

 

[GP_Pirate]

Thanks so much for the suggestion. Yes my gun has the screw holes to mount a scope. I would prefer to use those rather than drill and tap the side of the receiver.

 

[sailorb]

I have the Williams rear sight t,hat fits the scope holes and a fiber optic bead on the front of my 1974 vintage carbine. I believe I used a .250 bead on one of the Williams riser blocks, also .250, for the set up. I would have to check my records, but I think that was it. The shorter bead on the riser block gave a more solid, less prone to damage front sight. I took this off for a while and tried a 1.5X4.5 scope, but it shot better with the peep. I tried different diameter peeps and settled on a mid sized one, I think .095. For hog hunting in close quarters, I use a.125, which is almost liike a ghost ring. I like the WGRS sight because it is more compact and streamlined than the 5D.

 

[mike7mm08]

Williams is a good way to go. Another option would be a New England Custom Guns peep sight for a weaver scope base. More expensive than the williams but much more solidly made and easier to adjust. You would need to mount a scope base on the gun to attach the sight to. Would give you the option of mounting the sight either on the front base or the rear. You may find the sight picture better with the sight at one distance or another from your eye. Regardless of which peep you go with I would also go with a fiber optic front. Peep and fiber optic is about the only open sight combo I can shoot accurately.

 

[GP_Pirate]

Thanks for the pointers. I really like the idea of a fiber optic on the front. It's great on handguns and should be a big plus on the carbine. I plan to hunt primarily hogs and will need quick acquisition.

Does Williams sell a fiber optic front that will fit the present dovetail without modification?

 

[sailorb]

Yes they do, but they come in a variety of different heights. It seems I may have an old Williams catalog that listed such info, I'll look. It may be on their website or a call to customer service can get you the right one. They may even sell them as a set. If the front sight is too low, you run out of adjustment on the peep sight. (Don't ask how I know this)

 

[Boxhead]

Williams WGRS with a Marbles brass beaded front.

 

[sailorb]

I looked it up. My record keeping is not perfect, but I believe I used a .250 riser block with a .290 fiber optic bead. The rear sight is a WGRS mounted to the scope holes. My old, but reliable Williams catalog calls for a .570 front sight with the WGRS and a .450 with the 5D. My front sight is at .540 and I think it is a bit more durable than a .570 single sight. I have never had any problems with the two layers coming loose and I have plenty of adjustment range. A bit of Loctite helped. I have the tall sight on a Marlin 36 and a Swedish Mauser (very customized dovetail) and have had problems with both getting bumped and damaged. Not so with the riser block, short sight combo. For hogs, I use a 30-30 with a Williams peep and a .125 diameter twilight aperture. Great for close action brush shooting. Be forewarned the WGRS uses long shank apertures if you are buying a different one.

 

[GP_Pirate]

SailorB - thanks so much for taking the time to do that. I have ordered the WGRS with the .570 front as a set directly from Williams. Also ordered the ghost ring aperture. After I get them installed and try them out, I might later get a fiber optic front to see how I like that. I'll probably have a smith install the front sight as I have no specialized tools and don't want to screw up such a fine old gun. I'm very excited and will report back on how things work out. I really love that Ruger carbine.

 

[GP_Pirate]

OK. I just received my new Williams WGRS set with a .570 front. The installation of the rear was easy. I am considering doing the front myself. The new front looks like the dovetail matches ok, but I have heard that the old site removal and new site installation should be done from a certain side. Anyone can shed some light on this? thanks!

 

[RSI]

I changed out the rear sight on a 77/44 and it was tapered to be tapped out toward the ejection port side and installed in reverse. Looking from the back of the rifle toward the front punch the sight on the left side toward the right. Mine did not want to move easily but I stayed at it with a brass punch and hammer. Once it starts moving it gets easier.

RSI

 

[GP_Pirate]

Yes. I did just that and no problems, even though I used a wooden dowel in lieu of a proper brass punch. Thanks!

 

[balthazar]

I would check the NECG receiver sight.