I'm trying to locate a new tiny ivory bead blade for the front sight for my 303. Appears that a small portion of the original ivory has chipped off the blade and makes it very difficult for my old eyes to focus on. The original sight has a small screw in the right side to hold the blade portion in place. Any suggestions as to where I might locate a new one?
Thank you.
WhipseY
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...70.l1312&_nkw=savage+99&_sacat=0https://www.ebay.com/itm/Savage-99-Front-Sight-Lyman-32-H-Z-362/333724568044?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4db388c9ec:g:1xEAAOSwXINcQK~n&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACYBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkCrLl8erj3ATP5raQxjc%252F%252B812Jp18F8zzdFn91JKUVvoAjaEsFc6SP5ylbtD7CxH65bK6yXwPZ2drQ%252F8HW1owmRj5YkJIY0MyEdKcHv625leZPbP9iGAfG7nxDj2tdfmTs6hVk9Z%252BMQe8LfNUC%252BR%252FLEY3jeyecHMUDwYi3Fp3Nj9gR4OppqdNMyMF%252FwALB0%252FiqBTsvDcf48p92oNGwZUvL9TDSDZzap5CgO5sCEeAcHm5pdjYcDMf%252FvXXyuiIJjbvS76Azn5%252BGP56QhppMA39A1mnr%252BDsgNjSfDGvGQK%252FqhKSOA9oZ%252F9QMeUsiEPmTS96INr3T4JBE8VDaSCG%252F06JyZARdaiPNeM0qjpb2k3rEniQbFRtj6lfkkBVpOJTvONP%252BSxMI7CeTx6X5VEgB8vnx%252FXT%252Fd7ShE1FBlvv1ZSaahXOdwavDQY3yybe
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Savage-99-Front-Sight-Blade-Gun-Parts-8/233438937526?hash=item365a0b81b6:g:QIMAAOSwuMFUdcas
If you scroll down on the first page of the link Roy sent you I think you will find two blades that will fix your problem. Both are listed at $29.99 BIN. It sounds like you have the split post front sight base that Savage used in the 1920s.
Thanks guys but I'm specifically tying to stay as original as I can so I am looking for "ivory" and those are brass.
It's my hunch the blade you have is a Lyman sight. The original blade may not have had a bead. But it seems to me that someone used to sell replacement beads - Williams comes to mind.
Went through the 6 pages of Roys EBay list. No ivory blades. Yes it is a split post front sight and the blade is 5/16 long and square. The screw holds and positions the blade. I'll keep searching. Thanks!
WhipseY
Went thru my stash, no ivory bead.
Not legal to sell ivory anymore, a dealer who had a couple vintage sights with ivory beads for sale was asked to remove them from his table at a gun show.
I would inquire of a local jeweler. After a brief lecture about ivory being illegal to sell, ask if he would do the work if you provided the ivory and then search for old jewely at thrift stores etc till you find something that will work. On the other hand you may get lucky and he will say no problem he happens to have a small piece of something that will work.
Super idea! I will follow up with that. Thanks everyone for your help. I never thought of the legality of the ivory issue.
Piano keys are another source of ivory for small projects. Find an old piano that someone scrapped and pry the ivory off of it. I did that once and still have a small stash of it which I jealously guard because I use it to scrimshaw my name onto when I make little plaques for on projects I build.
Not legal to sell ivory anymore, a dealer who had a couple vintage sights with ivory beads for sale was asked to remove them from his table at a gun show.
You can still buy and sell ivory.
But its gotta have documentation as being pre-ban ivory to be legal to sell. That's where people get tripped up I believe, or am I wrong?
I may be wrong, but I believe that fossil ivory is legal. And what with global warming (or whatever you choose to call it), more is emerging every day.
Does it have the same properties as modern elephant ivory?
Have you ever used a piece of bone like a thick ham bone? Saw and file it to fit. Just an idea. Be Well, RZ.
But its gotta have documentation as being pre-ban ivory to be legal to sell. That's where people get tripped up I believe, or am I wrong?
Elephants aren't the only animal you can get ivory from.
I remember that African wart hog tusks were once used to make the big-azz ivory beads that London gun makers put on some rifles for "night sights." It was claimed that wart hog ivory didn't "yellow" over time like elephant ivory--it would keep its bright whiteness for night visibility.
Anybody tried wild boar tusk "ivory"? I have a large tooth fragment from an extinct species of giant peccary/javelina that roamed Eastern Oregon 80-zillion years ago. It was identified by a paleontologist at the neat museum at the John Day Fossil beds.
I found it while hunting ground squirrels along the Crooked River with my Savage 23B. It hasn't "yellowed over time." LOTS of time.
(How many felonies did I just confess?).
I bought and installed a couple ivory shotgun beads a few years ago. The elephant ivory bead is already starting to yellow but the hippo ivory bead remains as white as snow.
I got them off a guy on eBay. When I went back to his website to buy a couple more he was shut down. I figured the guv put the clamps on him.
I think if faced with replacing a missing ivory bead on a front sight today I would fab one out of an ivory substitute of which there's a couple available, or make a solid gold one out of my old wedding band. Personally I like a gold bead instead of ivory for all around visibility anyway.
I have a bit of walrus tusk.
Just occurred to me that an old pool cue ball would be a good source of ivory for projects. Keep an eye out in antique stores and flea markets. Back in the day that's what they were made of.
You could also go online and buy some Narwhal or Walrus.