I had a customer come in last week and wanted a Williams Fool Proof peep sight mounted on his Mauser rifle

WOW, Williams no longer makes a single peep sight to fit a Mauser
Lyman still offers the 57 peep sight for the Mauser ( only for 3 models of rifles )

This customer wanted a Williams to match his other rifle
Thankfully I found a NOS Williams peep in the box, so once it gets here all will be good

Just amazes me how the gun industry has changed so much the past couple of decades

J Wisner

Wow… that’s almost unbelievable! Williams used to be the mainstay of Mauser peep sights.

The world changes.

Optics have gotten so good and reliable.

The need for other types of sights have been greatly reduce.

I'm an old guy and still prefer the ease of handling a rifle without a scope. I still use my Lyman and Redfield steel receiver sights. I only hunt at short ranges to make sure I don't cripple game animals.

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Originally posted by OLDMAN76:
I'm an old guy and still prefer the ease of handling a rifle without a scope. I still use my Lyman and Redfield steel receiver sights. I only hunt at short ranges to make sure I don't cripple game animals.

I foolishly sold a 93 Mauser with that sight, should have put a new barrel on it instead. Live and learn.

If the Williams sight had an aluminum cross-arm, I would contest that it may not be a great loss. After my teenage son managed to bend down the arm on a steel Lyman 66 in a fall, I only want stout peeps fixed on top.

quote:

After my teenage son managed to bend down the arm on a steel Lyman 66 in a fall, I only want stout peeps fixed on top.

Mine bent the bell of scope doing the same.

Stuff happens

A, friend tripped on a log and broke his rifle stock at the wrist clean into.

Peep sights are getting replaced by the mini red dot sights. For my replacement lenses they work better.

I have several Williams and Lymans on lever actions. They are great for fast shots and moving targets. I have thought about trying the mini red dots but have not tried it yet.

The mini reflex dot sights cover too much of the target at 100 yard for precise shooting in my opinion. I have a Lyman 57 on my very old 1903 Springfield 35 Whelen. It's very capable of very small groups at 100 yards if your eyes are good. An example shooting a 217 grain cast hollow point with Unique it's pretty close to 1/2 inch groups. Joy to shoot.

quote:

Originally posted by shootermetal:
The mini reflex dot sights cover too much of the target at 100 yard for precise shooting in my opinion. I have a Lyman 57 on my very old 1903 Springfield 35 Whelen. It's very capable of very small groups at 100 yards if your eyes are good. An example shooting a 217 grain cast hollow point with Unique it's pretty close to 1/2 inch groups. Joy to shoot.

It depends on which red dot sight. The reflex sites, don't know. But there are some tube type, like the Burris Speed Dot and the Leupold RDS that have a 1MOA dot that are useful on 100yd rifles/carbines. I am seriously considering the Leopold RDS for my new to me Marlin 1894. My old eyes are not what they used to be. Most of my other lever guns wear Williams or Lyman receiver sites. But I tried a Burris Speed Dot on my brothers Marlin 1894 and really liked it. The younger generations of shooter are embracing tech, red dots and very high magnification scopes, and ignoring peep sites. It comes down to the bottom line. "Can I manufacture and sell at a price point and still be profitable?". Everyone who visits this forum should understand, it costs significantly more $$$ to make one, than it does to make a thousand (price per unit). And, "units" sitting on a shelf unsold cost the manufacturer. Times are a changein', if you haven't noticed!

quote:

Originally posted by J Wisner:
Just amazes me how the gun industry has changed so much the past couple of decades

It’s really been hitting me lately. It seems like yesterday I could call you or Ted Blackburn and order a bunch of beautifully machined parts to upgrade a Mauser.

I miss those days.

Just yesterday a friend and I were saying how we miss Fajen! No makers out there come close to what Fajen made for the hobbyist.

quote:

Originally posted by shootermetal:
The mini reflex dot sights cover too much of the target at 100 yard for precise shooting in my opinion. I have a Lyman 57 on my very old 1903 Springfield 35 Whelen. It's very capable of very small groups at 100 yards if your eyes are good. An example shooting a 217 grain cast hollow point with Unique it's pretty close to 1/2 inch groups. Joy to shoot.

Another aspect of sight coverage is tunnel vision. A buddy has a red-dot sight (possibly AimPoint) that's black and about three inches long.

You'd want to keep both eyes open with this one because it has the worst tunnel vision of any sight of any kind I've ever seen. The old Sako receiver sights were pretty bad in this regard, too.

You guys need to move into the 21st Century; Fajen has been out of business since 1998. Young guys don't want wood stocks and what is a peep sight?
Bolt action? out local gun shop does not stock anything with a wood stock and most are ARs.
And with scopes.
Yes I know some of you actually still use them, but it won't be long until, well, you know.....Relics of the past.
I actually still use Muzzle loaders with real black powder too; guess how many others I see doing that?
Zero.

Not only do I use scopes, dpcd, but insist on the old ones without jello for guts.

Just this week I happened on a minty Kahles Helia Super 39S. I should just lay it in a box but can't resist putting it on a rifle, despite its being a bit big.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:

I actually still use Muzzle loaders with real black powder too; guess how many others I see doing that?
Zero.

The crowd favorite and possible winner of this years World Match at Whittington is a 35 year old.

You need to get out more.

One does not make a trend and everyone in the sport knows this. It's an anomaly which is why it is news.