Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Peep sights on a Model 99?

When I bought a Model 99 in 308 it came with Williams receiver peep sights. I took them off and forgot about them. I recently found them and thought about selling but it seems that no one bothers to shoot peeps on these guns any longer. Willimas doesn't even make them any longer. Sad to see the passing of an era.

I might be interested in the sight. Do you have a picture and or a model number?

Williams Foolproof, the FP-prefix style, are good fully functional sights that will do the intended job, but they are alloy, not steel, and not generally as well thought of, or as good looking, as Lymans.

Receiver sights are old tech and old tech doesn't always work so well with the old eyes of the old guys who might still want to use them for nostalgic reasons.

I have some Lyman 56-57 steel side mounts on pre-war Model 71s, along with a couple with original
98 a bolt peeps on the Deluxe Model 71. My eyes still work, but glasses can cause a challenge.


I have ordered a Skinner, all blued barrel peep sight to try on my 250-3000 M-99.
That means two aperture sights- with the original Lyman tang sight for longer ranges.
If it doesn't work as expected, I will try it on another old M-71.

I still use peep sights. I have both Lyman and the Williams FP sights on Savage rifles. I actually used a Savage 23A with peep sights yesterday to dispatch a couple squirrels chewing holes in the outbuildings. They worked great.

Nick

I love peeps... have 2 scoped rifles, the rest are all peeps or irons.

Is the Williams the style set up for the tang holes, or the rear scope mount holes on a d&t rifle?

Peep sights on post-1960 Savage 99's aren't often seen, and most people don't want them. They were a low selling item, which is why Williams discontinued them.

But, there are folks out there who do want them. They pop in occasionally asking where to find one.

Is the Williams the style set up for the tang holes, or the rear scope mount holes on a d&t rifle?
Inquiring minds.

It should have an actual model number on it.
I think it is the model 99S that I need.

I can let you know...

I guess guys don't care for a little challenge anymore. If you can't "see" to use aperture rear sights have you taken up the problem with your optometrist? My first optometrist wasn't a shooter, my current one is. Both of them were a big help in keeping me in the iron sight game. There's lots that a fella can do about this issue if the desire to overcome it is there.

As for the barrel mounted Skinner, there's many disadvantages to it and few advantages.

Low light issues with peeps aside, I actually find them easier to shoot in short yardage and/or brushy conditions than glass.

If it were not for the antler restriction here in PA all of my guns would have peep sights. No longer is any antlered deer legal. You now have to have at least 3 points on one side. I missed shot opportunities a couple of times going from binoculars to rifle so now I have scopes on most of them. I still take out the old stuff with open sights but later in the season when I am alone in the woods and the deer are not so spooked. Still no guarantee.

I shot 2 this yr with peep sights on 2 different rifles. I shoot ghost rings with a dab of my wife's white nail polish on the front sight. Basically what I can see with my naked eye yet I can see with the peep, and the white shows up best for me against a darker background.

I shot my second deer with less than 5 minutes of legal shooting light left at around 80 yds in a field. I was getting ready to hang it up and had just checked as it was getting dark enough that I questioned if I could even see my sight if a deer was there. I seen it was feasible yet, and 30 seconds later 1 walked out.

I really enjoy getting back in the woods and settling in by a good trail. It may take hours of waiting, or like this year days. I like being in the woods.

In that situation, I love to use my .303 with a Lyman aperture sight. I most likely will only be shooting 50-75 yards, so no hindrance at all.

The first sight I had on the .303 was a Williams. I liked that one because it sits neatly on top of the action. However, I bought a nice Lyman and replaced the Williams with it. Just because I grew up with Redfield and Lyman aperture sights on 99’s. That’s what my dad used. To me it’s iconic of what deer rifles used to look like.

The aluminum alloy Williams FP sights can have one advantage over side mounted steel Redfield and Lyman sights - I found that you have to modify the stock on some 99s to get the side mounted sights to fit. Not the case with the Williams that mounts on tang holes.

Ran into that a couple years ago when replacing a scope with a peep sight on a 1956 99F. Had access to a FP-S, but came across Redfield and Lyman sights and tried to mount them instead - both would have required notching or relieving the stock for them to fit. Went with the Williams, works just as well. BTW, I also have a 1923 99F takedown with a Redfield peep sight. The other sights didn't go to waste, one of my cousins was looking for peep sights for some 99s and they fit his rifes without stock mods.

When I got my .250-3000 I wanted an aperture sight because of it's era. I went with Redfield even though I was told it probably wasn't appropriate for my 1919 rifle. I wanted Redfield because it was a Colorado company-some history there. No issue with having to trim the stock.



The front sight is silver and pretty visible.

Shot this year's deer with it at 174 yards. It was a pleasure!

LHS

I love peep sights!

The one thing about them is they keep you from shooting them before legal light. ( if u be not wanting to stay at the grey bar motel)

LHS, that's a Redfield 70 LT. The T stands for target, the knobs are serrated for finger adjustment. It's pretty rare. The 70LH is more common. The H stands for hunting. It requires a screwdriver or coin to adjust the sight. These sights were introduced around 1937/38.

Thanks, yeah. Rick99 hooked me up last year when I was looking for one. I just saw one on eBay for $399. 😳 Very cool sights in my opinion-for 1930’s technology.

I put a target aperture on it that was on a 513T with a Redfield sight. Since then I found a website that has those apertures to replace the one on the 513.

LHS