Big John Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I want to look into options for a larger bead front site for my Marlin 1894 Carbine. I can find plenty of dovetail sights but not many ramp style like are on my carbine. Most of the ramp style I have found have been fiber optic am I just over looking them? Thank in advance for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bullweed Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Three options: 1) Ramp style with dovetail plus a dovetail sight insert (like a Marbles with an ivory bead or an XS) 2) Have a gunsmith cut a dovetail, probably for $50 or less. This may require an extra tall front sight or shorter rear sight. 3) Have a gunsmith screw a larger bead onto your existing front sight (I recently did this with a S&W revolver) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Fill 'Em 67797 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 My 1894C has a ramp with a dovetail. The ramp is mounted to the barrel with two screws, but the sight itself was dovetailed into the ramp. If yours is like that, just remove the sight and get one from Longhunter Shooting Supply that has the big bead. If you could provide pictures of what you have, it would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Houston # 35508 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I had my jeweler put a 24k gold over my stock brass bead and that was the perfect sight! It doesn't tarnish, you can see it even inside a building in the shade try that with a brass bead!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I had my jeweler put a 24k gold over my stock brass bead and that was the perfect sight! It doesn't tarnish, you can see it even inside a building in the shade try that with a brass bead!! Thats is a good way of doing it. Also (and I got this idea from Randy St. Eagle), I soaked a primer in oil overnight. Then scraped its guts out. Took the empty primer and JB Welded it onto the existing front bead. WOW, what a sight. I used a small primer BUT, if your in a bad way, you can use a large primer. One minor other detail: I cut a thin slot beneath the existing bead for the primer to slide into and allow the primer to seat more fully onto the existing bead. Three of my Marlin now use a primer cup for the front sight. ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thanks for the ideas guys. I will take the rifle out again and look at the ramp with my glasses and see if maybe I just did not see a dovetail in the ramp base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck D. Law, SASS #62183 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thats is a good way of doing it. Also (and I got this idea from Randy St. Eagle), I soaked a primer in oil overnight. Then scraped its guts out. Took the empty primer and JB Welded it onto the existing front bead. WOW, what a sight. I used a small primer BUT, if your in a bad way, you can use a large primer. One minor other detail: I cut a thin slot beneath the existing bead for the primer to slide into and allow the primer to seat more fully onto the existing bead. Three of my Marlin now use a primer cup for the front sight. ..........Widder This is a version of what I was about to suggest. You can also take the guts out of a spent primer and use a punch to tap it back out flat. JB Weld it into place, shine it, and wah-lah, you have a very nice front bead...for cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Howdy Ya mean like this? Front Sight I don't remember now if there is another screw under the dovetail or not. This sight originally had a hood over it. You can see the slot where I pulled the hood off. The bead that is in place is one that I had laying around. Probably a Marbles, but perhaps a Lyman. The dovetail is a standard 3/8" dovetail. Either Lyman or Marlin front sights will fit in. You just have to choose, as there are a lot of styles available. Marble Front Sights You can buy Marbles front sights through Brownells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Jingles Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Big John, Just today registered for this wire, so sorry if reply is too late but I had same problem with my Marlin 94' carbine. Was looking thru Evil Roy and Longhunter websites and decided to buy the biggest bead Longhunter offered cause I can pick it up even without reading glasses. I was told by both men that nobody made a bead sight to go on the existing carbine ramp. I couldn't figure this because I knew the carbine ramp was a 3/8 dovetail and they were selling a Marble bead with 3/8 dovetail. The "cowboy" Marlin mounts to the barrel and is 1/2 inch overall high so I subtracted the ramp height empty, (from the ramp base to bottom of dovetail) and ordered the size .175 diamter bead in .370 height which I was repeatedly told would not work. I also got a flat buckhorn for unobstructed swings from target to target. Took all to a local smith and was 1/4 mile down the road when he called and said it was ready. The Marble base is wider than the ramp but centers in the ramp and is one awesome fix. It ain't purdy, just effective ! I headed to the range and set the buckhorn rear sight at proper height so that my bullet lands EXACTLY" centered behind the big bead ensuring that as long as my bead is in the target I HIT the target. Marble sight from Longhunter $ 27.00; Flat buckhorn from Evil Roy ran me $ 15.00 and gunsmith $ 10. My carbine sports a Kirkpatrick lever wrap and stock leather and a Griner action job. It is a sweet beginners carbine but must be fed mag casings....Enjoy ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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