Tang VS Ladder sight

[Darkangel]

Hay Ya'll;

I just got one of those Marlin 1895 Cowboy 45/70 LA. It came with Buckhorn sights. This nice weapon has a 26 inch barrel so it can reach out some distance. I'm trying to decide if I should change out the buckhorns for a ladder, or leave it as is and add a Lymen Tang. I'm already going to have to add at least an inch, maybe two, to the butt. Any help or suggestions would be great.
thanks Ya'll
DA

 

[Kenneth L. Walters]

I've never seen a ladder sight that works very well. Just not very well made. If, however, you know where to get a really good one I'd certainly appreciate knowing who is making them.

Tang sights can be had that are anywhere from junk to works of art depending on how much you are willing to pay. All but the bottom end pricewise seem to work very well.

I didn't realize that you could add a tang sight to this variation of Marlin. Really? Is it already drilled and tapped?

I'd look at MVA sights. You might want to call them and ask. They CLEARLY make the very best (and most expensive). C Sharps sell some nice one too. Then there is Marbel (sp?). Lyman I'm not so sure about.

 

[David Wile]

Hey Dark,

I got a Marlin 1895 Cowboy a few months ago. Other than the lousy Marbles rear sight it came with, I think it is a beautiful piece from the old west. With my original rear sight at its highest elevation, I was still shooting a foot low at a hundred yards. Then the screw in the rear sight leaf plate fell out. I called Marlin's customer relations and they promptly sent me a new Marbles buckhorn sight. I still had the same problem with elevation, so I installed a Lyman #2 Tang sight, removed the Marbles rear sight, and replaced the rear sight with a Lyman folding leaf sight.

The Lyman tang sight for the 1895 comes with a replacement tang screw and an elevation plate. It does require one hole to be drilled and tapped in the tang, but it is an easy job to do. My tang sight required absolutely no shimming to insure it was plumb with the barrel. The Lyman sight has enough elevation to reach about 500 yards I would guess. I have only been able to shoot as far as my rear pasture which is 300 yards. There is no windage adjustment on the Lyman tang sight, but you can drift the front sight one way or the other if necessary. I found that I did not have to move my front sight at all once my tang sight was installed.

It also comes with two different sized aperatures: a small one for long range and a larger one for hunting purposes. Some folks say they remove the aperature insert and use the tang opening as a ghost sight. For me, that is too large a hole for my old eyes. You could also install a Lyman receiver sight without drilling any holes. The receiver is already drilled and tapped for a slap on receiver sight. In my opinion, however, the Cowboy gun looks better with a tang sight.

Marlin has a forum where you can search a lot of this information. As you might expect, most of the folks who use the forum tend to be Marlin oriented, but it is a pretty good forum.

I have my folding rear leaf sight set for a 100 yard point of aim. Then I have my tang sight set for 300 yards. If I use the tang sight, the rear sight gets folded down. You really cannot leave the buckhorn sight on the barrel if you install a tang sight because it gets in the way of the tang sight aperature picture.

A Lyman tang sight is somewhere in the $60 range, and a Marbles tang sight is about twice that amount. The Marbles does have windage adjustment, but it just does not seem worth the money to me. If you install a Lyman and have to make a windage adjustment, you drift the front sight once and let it stay there. The only adjustment I now make to my tang sight is for elevation, and the Lyman does that quite well. If using the folding rear leaf sight, the Lyman tang sight folds to the rear and is out of the way.

If you are shooting a load with heavy recoil, the tang sight can poke you in the eye if you position your eye too close to the sight. I do not want to make you unduly concerned, but you do need to keep that in mind when using a tang sight on a rifle with heavy recoil. That same thing is true with a scope hitting you in the eye if you creep up on it too closely. Just a warning reminder.

I like the cowboy, and I like my Lyman tang sight. It looks period correct for a Cowboy gun.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[Darkangel]

WOW! David, Kenneth , thanks for the response. I think I'm going to do the tang sight thing. I would like it to look realistic, but I would like it functionable out past 300 yards.
David, what ammo were you using.
I have several boxes of the Remington Gov. 45/70, 405 gr JHP. I used them in my Pedrisoli sharps and was somewhat amazed at the accuracy I was getting. (32 inch barrel using a tang sight, I was getting 3 inch groups at 200 yards) Not bad for an old boy who cant see without a scope, of course that was off the bench.
I'll see how things turn out and let you know.
thanks Ya'll
DA

 

[David Wile]

Hey Dark,

Like I said before, I have only shot out to 300 yards with my Lyman tang sight, but the elevation was only up half way. As far as my ammo, I load my own and use 405 grain cast bullets. I loaded some of them with 50 or 51 grains of IMR 3031, but they just hit me too hard to suit me. I'm not out hunting dangerous game; I'm just punching holes in paper. Therefore, I am satisfied to load my ammo pretty much like what you get when you buy a box of Remington or Winchester 45-70s. Not as hot as they can be, but a bit easier on this old body.

Another thing one can do to get longer range with the Lyman tang sight is to use a lower front sight. I know of one fellow who did that, but I did not find it necessary for me so far. If I ever get to shoot 500 yards, I'll find out if my current sights is OK or not.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile