Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Question regarding sighting in a Lyman 1A SA Tang Sight on my 1899b

So I realize the tang sight has no windage adjustment so I would have to move the front sight to accomplish that. Do most fellas remove the rear sight and utilize the tang sight only or keep it on? Any tips would be appreciated. I sure like the looks of that tang sight on the 1899B.....

Also wanted to mention that I will be using this rifle for hunting and not just paper punching....

Removing the rear sight is usually whats done, replaced with a slot filler of folding rear sight. For a hunting rifle a folding rear sight can be used as a backup and can also be lined up with the front and tang allowing you to quickly check or return to zero if your peep sight gets moved.

You can also adjust the tang sight by shimming one side. I had to do that on two of mine because there was no windage adjustment on the front sight

You can always replace the rear open sight with a "period" Marbles folder. A buddy of mine shims his tang sights before making adjustments to the front blade.

I already have that rear sight from Marbles installed. As far as shimming, I have access to plenty of shim stock. Just not sure how to "shim". Put a shim under one side to tilt the sight?? Can anyone eloborate or guide me to a thread that has explained the process previously?

That's right you shim one side to tilt the sight. I just cut some shims out of beer cans

Sounds good. I have 60 rounds loaded up but no more IMR 3031 in these parts. Not sure what I'm going to do. This powder shortage worries me.....

Where in the world do you get beer cans? Do any of the metals leach discoloration to the stocks?

Sooner or later things will settle down. Once the "OMG, I've got to buy it now at any price 'cause I'll never be able to get it again" buyers run out of money the market will correct itself. The stuff is out there. Just the other day I scored an 8 pound jug of 2400 and a thousand 158 gr 38/357 cast bullets at reasonable pre-shortage prices. The internet is your friend. There are many small operations that haven't been tapped out yet and are still selling at decent prices. Just keep internet searching, working the gunshows (although you won't likely find reasonable prices there) and checking out the out of the way gun shops and independent sporting goods stores. You never know what you'll come up with. On the other hand, it wasn't that long ago that I sold a brick of .22 RF to the clerk at Sportsman's Warehouse. Seems that even the employees can't buy .22RF there at decent prices in decent amounts.

Try some Winchester 748. I have had good luck with this powder and 170 grain Sierra bullets.
P&D enterprises in Edmonton usually has plenty of that powder.

I'm surprised more people haven't discovered that shooting cast bullets stretches one's powder supply during these lean times. Cost of plain based bullets cast from wheel weights: zilch. Cost of powder (10gr. Unique for a plinker/practice load), 700 shots per pound of powder: you do the math. Primers: you're on your own there.

Switch to a gas checked bullet or a jacketed bullet and a stiff charge of 3031, 4895, 4064, etc., and load a couple cartridges to hunt with, thus conserving the dwindling stock of those powders. (And you'll have multiplied your shooting proficiency by several degrees with all the shooting you had fun doing with the 'plinker' loads.)

Spoken like a true rifleman. Just makes way to damn much sense.

Well this is all I could muster at 100 yards so far:

Well if that's off your hind feet I'd say you're good to go. Off the bench with irons and old eyes, I would be good to go with that.

Peep sight, off the bench and I'm 41 years young. Hopefully I can experiment to tighten it up....

Has anyone zeroed the 1A tang sight for 200 yards and the folding barrel sight for 100? That way you'd have a quick choice of two zeros. Fold the tang sight down for short shots and put it back up for longer shots.

I like that idea!!!!!

Or you could just sight in to hit dead on at 150 and be done with it.

Rod

I sight in an inch or so high at a 100 and don't worry about holding over or under as far out as I'm likely to shoot. Being ensconced as I am in Eastern woodlands, that distance isn't likely to be over 150 yards. In fact, during 45 years of deer hunting my longest shot was way less than that (hence my predilection for iron sights).

I hunt with a 1899 B in .303 all the time. It's rigged with a Lyman tang sight set to a 150 yard zero using 170 grain Speer flat Points. 200 yards is a long dam shot with a .303. I replaced the original rear sight with a Lyman folding sight. I can shoot better in low light with the leaf sight than the peep sight. I have by far had my best luck accuracy wise using IMR 4320. My 1899 C .303 shoots about the same as the B. I use brass sheeting cut into thin strips about the size of a paper match as shims under one side or the other of the tang sights base for windage adjustment.

Pre-hunting season 100 yard sight-in. Top 3 hole group results after final sight adjustment. It'll shoot groups like that every time.