Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors #98 bolt peep sight questions

I think I have identified this as being a 98A for the Model 71, but would like to be 100% sure. I have seen a couple others that are shorter & have different contouring on the bottom, those I think were for the Model 65's or other Model 92 based actions, would these be 98C's? Was there also a 98B? Hopefully someone can help with a positively identification.

I have not seen one with the nut on the elevation screw, but I think it might be the correct piece because of the rounded top which would allow it to swivel as the sight was adjusted, The eye piece was not acquired with the sight but is a modern one that looked close to the originals, might be a bit to long.





As an added note I looked up the patent so see if it showed the nut on the elevation screw, that patent does not show this sight, about the only thing it might have in common is possibly some features of the elevation screw - and I think even that's a stretch.

That looks to be a 98A sight, probably for a 71 but as you know they also put them on the 65 and 64 rifles. I don't know what the dimensional differences are. I have a 71 and a 65 with the ''bolt peep", I'd have to pull them out of the safe to measure. I can't comment on the nut because I've never taken mine apart.

The sight diagram you show is a 96A that was used on a couple of their rimfire rifles, 68 and/or 69 IIRC.

Thanks tmitch, I took it to a gunshow today and most thought it a late 98A based on the stamping, earlier stamping would be "patent applied for" and the elevation lines marked for yards with "100", "200" and "300" where this one just marks the one line as "0".

I was surprised that they stamped the patent number for the 96A sight on these.

Resurrecting this...

And thanks for your pics!

I suspect the "late 98A" could well have been correct. My early (1937) version does indeed say Patent Pending. And mine has no "centered" witness mark where the aperture dovetail and the base meet. The witness marks on the left side (that I can see on mine) are numbered 100, 200...

If the thumbscrew (marked UP) is the elevation knob... what do the two screws in between the thumbscrew and the aperture do?

It looks to me like the opposing screws on either side of the aperture dovetail are about windage adjustments, yes? back one off, tighten the other? Looks like the slot on the left-side screw is interrupted with a smaller internal bolt/screw/something (?) so an interrupted driver is required on that side, yes?

Mine is perhaps set for 200 yards; that's the lowest witness mark (left side) that appears, and the rifle shoots very high at closer ranges (e.g., 2½" high at 50 yards); haven't ever fired it at longer ranges... But there doesn't seem to be much way to move the sight down so the 100 witness mark is the only one that appears. I thought first that the whole thing was bottomed out until I saw your pics with the several witness marks.

On casual inspection, the elevation knob won't turn... and I don't yet have an interrupted driver to mess with windage yet (assuming I've figured that out properly).

I haven't found a way to identify the front sight; best I can do is say it rises approx .132" above the height of it's dovetail base.

-Chris

And maybe this addresses what the two smaller screws are that live between the knurled thumbscrew and the aperture base:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...975426/re-mod-71-bolt-peep-how-to-adjust

-Chris