1901 Rear Sight - Help

[ButterBolt]

I have a 1901 Rifle with 1901 rear sight. I read that you release the sight base to adjust windage by flipping that flipper, moving the base, then flip it back? My flipper don't flip. Stuck?

I removed the sight, tapped the side a bit and got the 0 lines lined up. Then remounted the sight.

My question is, do these thing tend to get sticky, rust or am I not doing things correctly? Should I soak it in something for while? :-?

[butlersrangers]

ButterBolt: Take your sight off your rifle and soak it in a cup of solvent, like kerosene, denatured alcohol, or Hoppe's #9. Let it set for a few hours. You can scrub things around a bit with a toothbrush. Later, lay the sight on its left side on a small flat piece of hardwood. Give the lever some light taps with a small plastic headed mallet. Lever swings to the left to release "binding action".

[Pentz]

When my 1902 rear site arrived it was so gunked up that I could not turn the windage knob. After much soaking, blasting with carb cleaner and such, it is still sticky and I need to find a punch small enough to knock out the pin holding the windage knob to the screw.

[butlersrangers]

Try 'Liquid Wrench'. It is best not to take the 1902 windage screw and knob apart, unless absolutely necessary. A bit of resistance helps hold windage setting. It is hard to re-pin the knob on the screw shaft and have it look as neat as Springfield did.

[ButterBolt]

Thanks for that. Great picture.
Where is that windage release lever positioned when tight/loose? Is it a detent, or merly a turn CW till tight arrangement?

I have a jar of red kerosine handy.

[butlersrangers]

ButterBolt: It is all done with friction. When the lever is pushed to the right, (toward the 'center-line' of the barrel/sight base), it 'rides down' on an inverted screw's thread. This clamps the two parts of the sight base together. If parts are clean, it does not take very much effort to move the lever to lock or release. (Attached picture shows 1901 sight from the bottom with lever in 'locked' position).

[butlersrangers]

Pentz: (In regard to 1902 sight windage adjustment).

From my experience, there is a lot of slop and 'backlash' in this adjustment on a 1902 rear sight. It does not turn smoothly like a fine target sight. On the other hand, it works. It allows windage adjustment and holds its setting. Get things close and then concentrate on sight picture and centering of shot group. I see a lot of shooters who fiddle too much with fine adjusting their sights. They end up frustrated because they have not allowed things to stabilize and get into a shooting rhythm. IMHO

[ButterBolt]

Roger that. I want to get a no wind zero, photograph that position, (used to draw it) and keep it there. Kentucky windage from there. Thanks.

[Dick Hosmer]

ButterBolt: It is all done with friction. When the lever is pushed to the right, (toward the 'center-line' of the barrel/sight base), it 'rides down' on an inverted screw's thread. This clamps the two parts of the sight base together. If parts are clean, it does not take very much effort to move the lever to lock or release. (Attached picture shows 1901 sight from the bottom with lever in 'locked' position).

You do need to be sure the screw is properly seated, and that the sight base fits snug to the barrel, since the screw head is hollowed out for the curvature of the barrel. If improperly assembled, the lever will never lock. Start with the lever swung all the way out to the left, and jockey things until everything is snug and it starts to bind up when straight ahead.

[butlersrangers]

ButterBolt: Your last response confuses me. I believe you may be mixing in advice I directed toward Pentz, on a different (model-1902) type of Krag sight.

If you don't want your m-1901 sight to move for windage adjustments, make sure it is indexed on "0" and leave it 'frozen-up'.