M94 Winchester Vintage Peep Sight

My first experience with a peep sight was back in 1952 as a U. S. Marine. I had never used the peep sight before and managed to earn an Expert Rifleman qualification badge quite handily with the old M1 Garand. I’ve used quite a few peep sights since, until my aging eyes told me it was high time for a scope. A peep sight isn’t mounted just any place on atop eject rifle. In fact there isn’t a lot of room.

First of all, there must be a flat surface sufficiently to the rear on the left side of the receiver for ample screw attachment of the sight base. There also must be adequate receiver wall thickness to accommodate the attaching screws. The older pre-1964 Model 94s met both of these requirements. On top is the peep sight micrometer adjustment assembly with retainer clip on right. In the center is the main peep sight attachment block. Peep sight attachment block is seen below.

The Redfield peep sight attachment base began as a solid steel base an inch in length, 0.75" high, and just over a half-inch thick. Milled into this base is a slot for the outer micrometer scale worm gear, driven from inside, to serve as a fully adjustable sighting elevation mechanism. There are two countersunk screw holes located Far 400" below the top of the receiver, centered 4" back from barrel/receiver juncture.

30-30 Winchester rifle. inside the base spaced 0.400" apart and 0.490" below the top used to attach the block to the receiver. A pair of 6-48 screw holes, centered 4" back of the barrel/receiver juncture, are drilled and tapped for attachment screws. These were The coin elevation adjusting screw is seen at top. Below center: The sight seen here shows its rearward position on the receiver and the two coin-adjustable elevation and windage adjusters.

The bolt and firing pin are seen with the hammer cocked. substituted with hardened torque screws. The threaded screw holes must be spaced 0.400" apart and 0.490" from the top of the receiver. The sight is positioned so the rifle bolt can travel freely a distance of 2.75" beneath it as cartridges are loaded or ejected. I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had ever mounted such a peep sight just a little too far forward causing case or cartridge ejection interference.

Adjusting The Sight Sight adjustment is a snap with the Redfield micrometer peep sight. Aperture height is about 0.7" above line of bore. With a 0.110" aperture, the visual coverage at the front sight is about 0.50". As I viewed things, the rear sight aperture clearly encircled the round, front sight hood with the front sight bead at center. This presents a very easy to use sight picture. Elevation and windage adjustment are conveniently made using a coin such as a quarter. As adjustments are made an au-

Far 30-30 WCF ammunition has been available for many years. Pictured here area few. From top, Hornady 170 grain Interlock; Winchester 150 grain Power Point; Remington 160 grain Extended Range; Federal 150 grain Classic. dible quarter minute click is felt as each calibrated notch is moved. On top of the scale is printed "MIN" on the left and "YDS" on the right. I later discovered it is calibrated in quarter minute and yards as determined by actual sighting in. Anyway, the rifle sighted in without complication.

This hunter appears very comfortable using the Redfield peep sight. 30- 30 WCF wearing the old Redfield peep sight covered in the text, leaving two highly pleased individuals… the hunter and the gunsmith. I have the only special order 8-groove .30-30 Winchester barrel made by Thompson Center for my TCR’83 rifle and it shoots well. I was a bit surprised as the Model 94, with its Redfield peep sight, shot groups at 50 yards that closely measured up to the scoped TCR’83 .30-30 WCF barrel.

Winchester sold about 5,000,000 Model 94s through 1983 and the cartridge has reportedly killed as many whitetails as most of the others put together. Peep sights were not popular on the Winchester Model 94. Perhaps they are not quite as fast to shoot in the deer woods. While I have used both open and the peep sight, the peep delivers better accuracy in my hands, particularly with a hooded, front sight, which helps alignment.

I was pleased to learn that the hunter, who had this Redfield peep sight installed, shot a large buck with it… lots of satisfaction from both sides here. AG