I am rebarreling a M70 to .458 Lott and am undecided about which sight to put on it. I want something light weight, fast, good in low light, and not covering the loading port. It will be my primary rifle for buffalo and maybe, if the stars align, someday elephant. I will use a scoped .375 H&H if long shots are necessary.

I have experience with aperture sights from my time in the Marines but have not used a reflex. Your thoughts will be appreciated.

compared to the price of hunts, rifles and Lott ammo I would suggest you give both a try and find out which fits your preferences.

My .458 Lott has Talley bases and I bought a Talley peep sight that mounts on the rear base. I love that sight and frankly don't think I need any other.

However, I've considered a Doctor or similar to mount on the front base.

I've given up on conventional scopes for two reasons: It wrecks them; and I don't like getting kissed.

For up close and personal, nothing is as fast as the red dots. There are many available and anything with a street price over $200 will withstand the recoil and should serve you well. I just ordered two Vortex Venom 3 MOA and have used the Burris FastFire II and FastFire III in the past. These are small and only weigh about 2 ounces. They only require a single Picatinny base and many have the mount to fit the base included.

Make sure the battery can be replaced from the top without having to dismount the device and anything with an MOA larger than 3 will cover too much target.

I have used these successfully on a few Elephant over the past few years.

My M70 458 Lott has a Williams peep on it.

My Lott has the Talley with the peep. Love it.

I would recommend a peep and a Docter Optic, or a Trijicon Red Dot.
I would make sure the red dot was on a quick detachable base that returns to zero.
That way you can have the best of both worlds.

For DG in Africa I have used both the 2.5 compact Leupold, peep sights and barrel mounted shallow Vs...All worked well on the Lott and up...I think I like a Williams peep sight best, mostly because the camp staff can't mess with the adjustments. With the Lott and larger I'll go with a peep or barrel mounted shallow V..

For a 416, 404 or lesser caliber I like the 3X Leupolds real well, in Talley QD mounts and a Talley QD peep.

I don't want a battery powered sight of any kind on any gun I own thank you..

I put together a 458 Lott and attached a Burris Fast Fire III. Very handy and once you figured out your cheek weld very quick but I was never very happy with it. On the front bridge it got in the way of "my" loading mechanics, on the back it seemed just to close to my eye. Honestly I never liked the looks it gave to a classic rifle. There are very good receiver sights out there and with a green or yellow fiber optic front sight it will very close to a red dot. I have been mounting NECG's See-thru front sights on my bolt guns with a green fiber optic front and found them very fast and with a good fitting rifle it is like pointing a shotgun.
The research is half the fun
Good Shooting

Thanks to all for your input. I am leaning toward an aperture but will try a reflex as well. Any opinions on the Leupold DeltaPoint versus Trijicon's RMR?

Tagging on to glean ideas. Zephyr, how sturdy is that sight being skeletonized? Feels solid? I like that configuration idea a lot, especially since figure 8'ing green on red is what I do on my trap shotgun now, would be quite second nature to me for quick shooting.

They're pretty rugged I have been on two major hunts, two separate rifles and they have held up. What i like about them is that you can see through the sight given you a complete sight picture whereas an iron sight will normally block the bottom of your sight picture.
I use a green or yellow fiber optic front as I see it better than the red in all light conditions.

If you have good enough eyes peeps work very well.

If your eyes are not so good one of the better dot sights.

quote:

Originally posted by drongo:
Thanks to all for your input. I am leaning toward an aperture but will try a reflex as well. Any opinions on the Leupold DeltaPoint versus Trijicon's RMR?

Last I checked, the Leupold requires removal of the device to change the battery from the bottom. While batteries will last a very long time, it is so much easier to use a device that has battery access from the top and therefore does not require removal from the rifle when a battery change is needed/desired.

Hope this helps.

My 458 Lott was built on the CZ action. I have express sights and a RMR in quick release mount that literally goes on and off in seconds and locks securely. It is fast becoming my favorite sight.

clayman's set up would, imho, be hard to beat. Pack along a Leupold 2.508X zeroed at 200 and be ready for anything that comes your way.

Rich

Rich, I do have a leupold 1.5 x 3 VX3 on quick release rings set up for that rifle as well. Three sighting options available in just seconds- all good nothing bad.

I have great trouble seeing leaf sights so I recently installed this Skinner aperature sight on my .505 Gibbs. It just screws right into a standard 6/48 scope base mounting hole What a difference, I can see my sights again!



This photo is a better closeup. The "knurled" part to the rear of the sight is an interchangeable screw in aperature. They have many different sizes or it can be removed and used as a true ghost ring.

271,
Now that's a dandy sight, it always amazes me how well simplicity works, drift the sight for windage and file a NECG .500 gold faced partride to zero..I like it...btw I can make one I'm sure but would rather purchase on so where did you get it.

It is a Low Pro made by Skinner Sights. They are an outstanding company and a big supporter of the shooting sports, you will not be disappointed. They make something for just about every brand of rifle. Here is the link to their site...

http://www.skinnersights.com/lo-pro_sight_7.html

and for CZ's.........

http://www.skinnersights.com/cz_rifles_24.html


P.S. Tell them how you heard about them.

JCS:

Love it. Where did you get it? Would work great on a double.

I have a Brockman peep on three rifles. 375 H&H (Kimber 89), 375 Weatherby (Win 70) and a 416 Rem (Win 70).
They are basically a adjustable spring loaded peep on the back of a Talley base.
All the rifles have scopes attached to the bases with quick release levers. Remove the scope and the peep moves up maybe 1/8".
Every one I have bought seems to be perfectly aligned with the bore of the rifle. Are spot on at 50 yes or 1" high. Did not have to adjust any of them.
If a scope is mounted, the position actually protects the pep from being impacted by anything.
I have had mine on for +6 years and they continue to work perfect.
If you want a long eye relief scope and a peep as well, This is a good option.
The shallow V's are tough for us older guys with old eyes to use.

EZ

I shoot a lot ( Lott) and as fast and accurately as possible. Nothing beats a Trijicon RMR on the front sight base. Only two things to focus on. The game and the red dot. You also keep both eyes open. Aperture sights are fine and almost as fast. Try both and time yourself on shooting two shots into a pie plate offhand at 50 yards. You will quickly see what I mean!

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
JCS:

Love it. Where did you get it? Would work great on a double.

I get them straight from Skinner. I do know that they are currently at SCI.

Thanks, JCS. I need one (at least) of those.

To Camdog and lavaca,
How did you know the Talley peep would fit your front sight? Did you have to change your front sight?

Why do I ask when I have a scope with Talley mounts for the Talley grooves milled into the rib on my double?

Because I like a peep sight for anything other than shooting from a fixed position such as a blind and the express sights on my double rifle work for me out to 50 yards but things get blurry beyond that.

The Talley peep loks like a natural for my double, but I cannot get Talley to provide specs on their peep so I can calculate whether it will work without changesto the front sight.

Shelton,

See my response to your other post. But, you can always change a front sight -- and I've done it. The peep is easy. Only variable is size of the aperture. Some are adjustable, but I wouldn't recommend that except for a competition rifle. For a hunting rifle, think big holes and big beads, especially with a stopper. Your eye will center everything.

The beauty of a peep is you don't have to think about anything.

quote:

Originally posted by clayman216:
My 458 Lott was built on the CZ action. I have express sights and a RMR in quick release mount that literally goes on and off in seconds and locks securely. It is fast becoming my favorite sight.

Who makes the mount?