Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Remington 700 open sights vs reciever sights at 100 yds?

I bought an older Mauser, cheap, that someone had quit "sporterizing" after cutting the barrel back and taking off the original sights. I'm not planning on using this rifle past around 100 yards.

My gunsmith has a set of used Remington 700 sights and some used receiver sights. Both at a reasonable price; $25 for the 700s, $60 for the receiver sights. He believes the reciever sights will give me the potential for considerably more accuracy. IMO he's right but at 100 yards would there be that much difference? I've always thought the 700 had some of the better factory open sights and the rear sight is windage adjustable.

Go for the receiver sight. It's faster, easier to use, more accurate and generally easier to sight in. You may have to play with the front sight height to get it to work, but they a good set-up.

My 65-year old eyes can hold about 3-4 moa with open iron sights and about 2 moa with a receiver sight. Sometimes I do quite a bit better with one or the other, but in general the aperture sight is superior by about 1-2 moa for me. In my younger days the difference was even more in favor of aperture sights.

The bigger advantage of the receiver sight vs the open iron sight is the elimination of any need to deliberately align the sights with each other. Your eye is not jockeying from rear sight to front sight to target. You simply look through the aperture, place the front sight on target and squeeze the trigger.

Of course, you should be focusing on the front sight only, not the rear sight or target, for best results when using either system.

Other advantages of the receiver sight are greater flexibility in choice of front sights, easier use in poor light and faster acquisition of a sight picture than with open sights. Most aperture sights have better adjustment mechanisms than the ramp-and-drift adjustments of open sights (although the Remington open sights are quite easy to adjust).

Another vote for the receiver sights. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you can hit at longer ranges with aperture sights.

Ed

One more vote for aperture sights

Yep, I recently bought a Model 94 chambered for the .32 Special cartridge.

The first thing I did to that rifle was to take off the factory-installed sights and put a Williams fire sight up front and a Lyman aperture sight on the receiver.

Thanks to all, receiver sights it is.

Good call!

A few years back I bought a first year of production 700 ADL 30-06 Carbine and it still had the factory barrel sights which I zero'ed for 50 yds. The previous owner had a rec sight on it at one time and had cut the stock out for it, but it didn't come with the gun when I bought it.I found an old Lyman made for the 700 hole spacing and put it on, zeroed it for 150 over the top of the rear barrel sight. The Lyman rec has a quick release button to remove the staff but it is still zero'ed when you put it back. I then put Weaver bases on the rec, with a 4x M8 Leupold in Weaver rings it was complete.Weaver bases with Weaver rings are pretty repeatable if you want or need to remove the scope to use either iron sight system. The rec staff is easily carried in a pocket of my daypack for use if needed. I did this for the specific purpose of versatility if needed. Magnum man

Excellent setup. Always take the belt-and-suspender approach to life, when possible.

receiver sights are the way to go

Snake

I also think receiver sights are the way to go if you want irons. Years ago I used a scope mounted in tip off rings. This allowed me to switch over in seconds if needed. I thought it was a good idea as there is lots of heavy brush hunting here in Ontario.

To the best of my recollection I only ever switched over to the irons twice in the time I had that rifle!

Jim

Receiver peep sights and a post front sight are easier to work with for target shooting, but for hunting a v rear sight and a bead works as well, although everyone puts them down in favour of the aperture.

I have a Williams on my 700 in 35 Whelen but think I'll order and XS for it.