Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Peep sight for 1920

Can someone please tell me which Lyman peep fits the 1920?

Thanks...

Lyman #54, some bolts were not drilled for it.

Is anyone aware of a 1920 fitted with a Lyman cocking knob sight?

Good question. Was the 54 a factory option for the 1920?

It's not actually on the cocking knob, it's on the shroud just ahead of the cocking knob...is that your point Gary?

..or are you looking for a 1920 with a Lyman 54 on it?

Here's a thread with good pictures;
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...s/8330810/Lyman_54_sight_attached_to_a_S

Actually no, Jeff. I have a 54 on mine. I'm referring to a cocking knob (cocking piece) sight, fitted onto the back end of the cocking knob. Lyman made them for Krags, Springfields, Mausers, etc. I was just wondering if any were made for the 1920.

Oh yeah. I know what you are talking about. I have never seen one but it does seem like you need enough meat in the knob for the dovetail. Those things put the site damn close to your eye!

Not any closer than a tang sight on a lever gun. I had one on a Mannlicher-Schoenauer. They work nicely.

Ive never shot a rifle with cocking piece peep sight, but they always kind of gave me the willeys. But I can see the advantage with maximum sight radius.

Here is an old article from April 1920 about the sighting issues for the 1920 with mention of an experimental cocking piece sight and the reasons for going to the design used for the 54. It also says the advantage of a cocking piece sight is that it is close to the eye for sighting but moves forward away for the eye on firing - Lyman sights for 1920

Cocking piece sights have been used by the thousands. While it undoubtedly slows lock time a bit, it's not enough to matter in a practical sense. I certainly never noticed it when working with the gun I had with one.

Good article, Gene. Thanks for scaring it up.

Yes, thank you.

It has always struck me that the tolerances in moving bolt parts made for an inconsistent sighting position for bolt-mounted sights.

...good enough for deer at a 100yds, sure, but these sight had 30-40 MOA verticals..., how much variance would each bolt closure make the sighting at longer distances?

When a bolt is not cocked it can wiggle a lot, but I think when cocked the heavy spring tension will usually put it in the same position every time. Look at externally adjusted target scopes, they usually have both mounts under spring tension with a lot less force than you would get on a cocking piece, some are even made so they can slide to ease recoil forces.

Also, custom builders often cut v-grooves in the sear with corresponding v in the striker so they mated perfectly for shot to shot consistency. By in practice, I was told by a guy who lived and breathed this stuff, late Michael Petrov, that the setup didn't really need so much help to achieve good accuracy. My M1908 M-S with its cocking piece sight was more accurate than I was.

I have cocking piece peep sights on a First Model Newton, it was a factory option, and a Sedgley Springfield Sporter that is an after-market Lyman unit. As noted previously, I don't think that the cocking piece on the 1920 has enough "meat" to cut the dovetail that the Lyman sight mounts in.

Here's a 1920 set up for cocking piece site;

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3447804/1