Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Need front sight size on savage 1899

Good Morning,

I have an 1899 303A built in 1906 and I need to replace the front sight-its missing the ivory dot and someone filed the spot where it was back a touch. It's had the wood redone and has probably been re-blued once so it's a shooter. The sight is a dog ear style. It has round medium (almost bull) contour barrel about 20-22 inches long. Does anyone know the correct base size for this model Savage? I'm looking at a Marbles sight as a replacement. Unfortunately I don't have pictures available at the moment but I can post some in the afternoon if it will be helpful.

Thanks in Advance

If you are talking about the dovetail it is the standard 3/8" which is found on nearly all guns for both front or rear sights. Of course there always exceptions but 3/8" is considered standard.

For the other dimensions I would recommend you try to match the sight you are replacing.

22" barrel would likely make the rifle a model 1899A SR (Short Rifle). Often found with a metal shotgun style buttplate, but sometimes with a crescent.

Go with Lightfoot's advice. Pretty easy to find ivory bead front sights, the key is knowing how tall it has to be.

We don't know what for rear sight the gentleman has. It could very well be some kind of aftermarket thing that would skew the data derived from measuring a stock front sight.

Were Short Rifle barrels simply shortened Rifle barrels, or were they a horse of a different color? That info could possibly skew the data derived from simply measuring the height of a standard front sight.

I'll confess as to how I would do it. Instead of going through the mathematical calculations (my brain is already freezing just from the thought of it), I would grab any old sight from my junk box and try it, and go from there.

Thanks for the info Lightfoot. Now I just need to remember how to measure the height - is from the bottom of the dovetail to the top of the bead?
Calhoun, it is the short rifle and has the 20 inch barrel with the shotgun buttstock. Gnoahhh, it has an original marbles tang sight - front sight is also original.
Thank all of you gentlemen. I appreciate your helpful advice more than I could ever express in writing. May you all have a terrific thanksgiving.

Typo - sorry make that a 22 inch barrel.

If you mike an 1899A barrel 22 inches from the back it'll be about the same diameter as the 1899A short rifle at the muzzle. Same with the carbine at 20".