Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Replacement Lyman 54 Mast

I have a Model 1920 / 26 in .300 Savage (S/N 11XXX) that reeeeally wants to get sprung from detention in the back of the safe.

When it followed me home a few years ago, it wore an old Weaver scope. Adequate, but I finally took it off - this li'l rifle wearing a scope is like putting shoes on a duck. The base holes are ugly, but I'll fill 'em.

Anyway, being a 26, the barrel is not dovetailed for a rear sight, and it does have the standard Lyman 54 base (left-side)... but, like so many, it's missing the mast.

I seem to recall at one time there was a gentleman who fabricated a functional replacement mast. Might anyone know if he - or his masts - might still be around? Or, on a more technical side, can anyone suggest another mast-type sight that could lend itself to being milled to fit the 54 base? My son is a machinist - if I can't find a replacement mast, I'd love to be able to hand him donor parts and say "Here, Kid! Make this fit!"

By the way ~ he has a 1920 with a Marble's S20 ~ the other really neat but really scarce one.

I think it was Long Beard King that made the slide for his 54.

It was me. I made it for the base I got from you, Joe.

I milled it out of a block of steel. If your son is a machinist he should have no problem executing one for you. Mill it to fit the vertical mortise and also the shallow mortise on top of the base. It's nice to have it drop neatly into that horizontal mortise when lowered all the way down. Cut a slot in the vertical surface for the threaded post to pass through and allow for as much vertical movement as you wish. The clamp nut was a simple round knurled nut I turned in the lathe. I stoned the surfaces to achieve a nice slip fit in the base, and polished the whole thing bright when done.

For windage adjustment I fashioned a steel facsimile of the old Redfield 102 system.

I sold the gun it was on to a member here, I don't remember for sure but I think it was DiamondJim. I understand he has since sold it on too.

The clamp screw in the pic was replaced with the round knurled nut described above. This is a Photobucket pic- look quickly as it may disappear soon.

That's it! Thanks, Gnoahhh!

Well done. I'll pass that along to the Kid - and after seeing the picture, I had a thought...

I pulled an old Marlin 336 out of the safe and measured the "mast." If I can find an insert for a Lyman 66 it should be a very simple and quick modification. Otherwise, he can do one from scratch.

Thanks again ~ I can't wait!

(Then comes the challenge of working up California legal lead-free loads).

You might be able to find an elevation staff off a Redfield 102 that may get you half way there. Regardless, Gary’s fix certainly was a high class fix.

It was, Joe. I made mine to duplicate an original complete with the windage adjustment screw. and the little flip up aperture. I have pictures somewhere. I'll try to dig them up. I have actually made three,

This is one of the ones that I made several years ago,

Maybe you and Lightfoot should team up on making Savage sighting a accessories. That's pretty nice looking.

Well, I guess he showed me!!

Nice job of work, LBK.

I dunno about that. Maybe we ought to get the three of you guys together to start making some of this hard to find stuff!

Of the 3, I think I'm the smart one. I want no part of dealing with the public.

Ruffly, how many hours to made a complete 54 sight?

Okay, it's official ~ I yam quite impressed!!

Getting my new Acra Mill and Hardinge lathe set up and would love to take on parts for obscure obsolete gun projects. I enjoy kibitzing with "the public" (ask Joe, I'll talk to anybody, whether they want me to or not!) and like a challenge. Right now is not good, I'm knee deep in my side job gun-money making enterprise, "professional grade" croquet mallets. (Don't laugh. I get $300 apiece for them.)

Time spent on projects like this, when one, two, or three is the extent of the run? Not profitable by any stretch of the imagination. Factor in time/labor/overhead (to include cost of tooling)/materials- and unless one charged 2 or 3 or more times what the sight like LBK made is worth you would be cheating yourself. It has to be done as a labor of love and with a willingness to help a guy out, not to mention a desire to help keep these old guns percolating. If semi-serious quantities are called for (and frankly, how many Lyman 54's could a guy realistically expect to sell) then it becomes more economically feasible and a small profit can expect to be made. That's based on using basic analog machine tools, and hand filing/stoning to final fit. I'm clueless about CNC stuff other than the fact it uses black magic at its soul.

I guess I’d have to ask what are the most commonly asked for hardest parts to find for the 99 and start there. But I don’t have an answer for that.

Including wire EDM (for the little flip down aperture) fitting and assembly. about 12 hours.

LBK, did you incorporate click adjustments in the sight you made?

No. I am "almost" certain that even the originals don't have click adjustments.

Can't say for sure, it's been a couple decades since I played with an original 54. But, I've yet to encounter a Lyman receiver sight that didn't employ click adjustments. Anybody else?

Not on the windage of the later ones with screw adjustment - not sure of the earlier ones with a knob, but I don't think so and of course no click adjust on the elevation on any of them due to the design.