hi folks,
have a marlin 1894 cowboy lever gun. the standard bead front sight just about covers the silhouette targets, question, which front sight should i get, and also, which rear sight will work well? one last ?, can i a ply this set up to a marlin 39a? thanks....dan

Dan, almost everyone of my acquaintance uses the Marble's tang sight and the Lyman 17a with the wide post. There are other setups but this seems to be the most popular. Works very well for me on a Marlin 39a, a Marlin 1894CL, a Uberti 1873 and a Winchester 1886.

I like the Marbles because the clicks are nice and positive with no slack in the threads, making the constant sight adjustments you need for silhouette very easy.

The 17a with the post using a 6 o'clock hold (bottom of the belly) enables you to obtain a much more precise sight picture and allows you to keep the whole target in the sight picture.

Hope this helps.

I agree with the 17A. I use it with the thin post but based on the abve will try the thicker post tomorow.

I like the Williams FP receiver sight with target knobs for the rear. Tangs just seem to get in the way of my grip.

I use that set up on Marlin 39A, 1894 and 336

Ken

Yep.. same 17A front sight on all three of my cowboy rifles, and like GTKF I use the Williams FP receiver sights with target knobs. For the front sight, I use a Lee Shaver post/bead insert. It's got a very thin post and next-to-smallest bead. The bead shows up well on the targets and is almost like a dot reticle in a scope.

hi guys,
thanks for the feedback, one ? about height of front sight, brownells has many different heights, any thoughts? thanks.....dan

Depends on the height of the receiver. I use the .404" with the Williams works on all three of my guns.

If you use a tang, I think you'd need a higher front but decide which rear sight and check with someone who uses ithat sight t on the same gun

Ken

I use the 17AML on my Marlin CL's. It's .494 high. I think it lets you get your head in a more comfortable position on the stock. Al Foust

I use a williams fp with a lyman 17a with a thin .494 front pin sight. One thing I do is set the chicken setting for the bottom of the leg then never move the sight. I adjust my POA for each animal. Now, using the loads I use, the bullets shoots extremly flat. Bottom of the leg chicken, pig, half way up the leg turkey and bottom of the belly for the rams. These loads and aiming methods are for a 30-30 and 357 (pc) and 32 win spl.

I hope this helps.

I know it looks funny reading the sighting method Tim describes, but I have shot his 30-30 and .357 L.A's and can attest to the fact that it really does work.

Basically with the ballistics of his loads it just works out such that by aiming at the small part of the animal like the leg, or a high contrast area like the low belly-line on the ram, it gives a nice small aiming point and the POI goes into the center of the animals. I don't know how Tim ever came up with this method of sighting, but with the fat iron sights and with how small the animals look without the help of a scope magnifying the sight picture at those distances, it really works well.

I didn't want to buy three new sight sets for my Marlin 22, 22mag , and 357 so I used a file and SLOWLY filed the sight to give a more narrow front sight. I use the basic same hold on each animal with the 22 and 357. The 22 mag shoots so flat that I hold dead on with it back to the Rams and there I change to a 50 grain federal load so I can crank the sight up and hold on the ram's belly. The 357 shooting 180 grain loads give me the same basic hold on cla as the 22 does in smallbore.

The 180 grain load does a good job on the Rams at 200yards but takes it's time getting there.