Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Lyman sight ID help for Savage 99

Good evening all. My brother and I are going through the many many Savage guns and parts by dad left for us when he passed away not long ago. We need some help to ID a couple of Lyman sights.

This one looks like a Lyman 30 1/2 SA. Both have windage adjustment and a screw in eye piece. However, it is longer than the 30 1/2 as you can see in the picture. Also, it is stamped 84 (and SA) on the bottom.










The second one is the same size as a #30 1/2 also with a screw in eye piece. However, it has a different adjustment collar. The in these two pictures the 30 1/2 is on the right. Mystery sight is on the left.







Any help you can provide will be appreciated!

Paul

The 30 1/2 was made with 2 different lengths. I don't recall the precise details but others here will.

Is the hole spacing the same on both?

Yes, hole spacing is the same. All sights are stamped SA on the bottom for Savage.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/10819639/Lyman_30_1/2_Question

Welcome to the campfire!

Thank you. Looks like we have both short and long base #30 1/2 sights.

Paul, I am seeing pictures of three different sights, the last one you pictured with the different adjusting collar, in my opinion, has been put together using a post assembly from a No 102 or 103 sight that has been shortened. The no 103 was never made for the 1899 as far as I know.

In the picture in the link, on the far left, is a No 102 or 103 which is similar, but they had a tapered top and were made using the longer base so they could be made taller, on a short base they would be to short to work as designed.

I am not sure how a No 101 or 102 are put together but the adjustment collar on a No 103 was held on by a nut and the inner sleeve was threaded at the top for it. By shortening it the threads have been removed and there would no be enough height left for the nut anyway - yours looks like the top of the adjusting nut has been chamfered and then the inner sleeve flared out to secure it.

Gene, They did make an 1899 30-1/2 in 103 style. I have one brand new in the box. I can send pictures if you like.

pwomble where are you from? Welcome to the forum.

Yes, I would like to see how the post is put together, thanks. Is is on a long base?

Gene, they made 103's for the 1899...I have one. It is an early one with no markings on the tang.

I'm not sure what the one in the photo is as it does not have the calibrated knob for windage. But note, it is a later short tang version which required the upper stem area to be shorter. Lyman might have done away with the 101, 102 and 103 for the 1899/99 and just produced this style with the one adjustment. Who knows?

As for the short tang version, I think they started sometime around WWII or later...just guessing from the rifles I've seen them on.

Gene, Yes the 103 that I have has a long tang. PM me with your e-mail address and I will send the photo of it

I am between Tampa and Orlando in Central Florida.

Wow, your way down there. My son goes to school in Gainesville. I sent a message earlier to you. If you have any more questions on the sights you have or you dad's rifles let us know. We would love to see them!

Here are pictures of ed7189's 30½ 103 style sight -


Here is a 103 SM for the 22's to show how they are put together. You can see by the way it is put together, if it were cut down the only way to hold the adjustment collar on would be to flare the inner sleeve, that's what I think was done with the sight pictured above. It's hard to see in the pictures, but it looks like the top of the collar may not be blued suggesting to me it's been cut.




The nut that holds the adjuster on is kept from turning by the threaded rib on the rear of the stem, so on these sights it must go full length.

The numbered sleeves for both windage and elevation on these are supposed to turn so they can be zeroed, I could not get either to turn on my sight with my fingers... and I can't find my other set of pliers...

Yeah, I see now what you meant by flaring the inner sleeve. Methinks you're right.

There were three 103's for the 99 on an auction site a couple years ago. I took a swing at them but they went for a scandalous amount of money, but not my money.

Here is one (short tang 30 1/2 with micro elevation)I have a photo of that is listed as a 102 (not).

Rick, that has the taper top elevation adjustment collar like the ones in pictures of the 101 & 102 - it also looks like the finish on the front and rear parts of the base do not match, is there anyway to check & see if the assembly numbers (if any) on the parts match? I tried holding both a short base and long base 30½ in front of the picture at the same angle trying to match the size and it looks like the one pictured is the same height as the long base, but it is very hard to tell because of the angle and I do not know if the sight pictured is all the way down. If the numbered collar is the same height as the one in the first post this one is definitely taller than it because of the taper above the knurling.

Sight from Rick's post -


Sight from pwomble's post -

"... is there anyway to check & see if the assembly numbers (if any) on the parts match?"

No, just a photo I saved from sometime in the past.

Did you send a PM? I don't have it.

My dad left us 29 total 1899's and 99's. Several were my grandfathers before he died several years ago. We have quite the collection of Savage 23's too. My dad was a big time Stevens and Savage guy.

My grandfather gave me my first 99 in 300 Savage when I was 12. We had a set of steel hog silhouette targets he made. He said if I could knock one over at 100 yards off hand he would give me the rifle. The deal was I would never sell the rifle if he gave it to me. He knew I wouldn't miss. I killed my first deer with it that year.

Here is a sample of the collection. I'll post a few rifle pictures this weekend.