Take a Peek!

Aperture rifle sights—peep, receiver, ghost ring—are
head and shoulders above “open iron.”

By Payton Miller

I was introduced to the virtues of aperture sights fairly early on. My first real exposure to them was fairly inauspicious. I had an ArmaLite AR-7 .22 with a fairly rudimentary peep setup consisting of a flat-topped blade front paired with an elevation-adjustable rear aperture which was pretty much a hole (and a too-tiny one at that) through a sliding bit of sheet metal screwed to the rear of a hooded unit at the rear of the receiver. Simple yes, but far superior to the open (usually step adjustable U-notch) ones I was used to. You simply ignored the aperture and focused on the front blade, which seemed to somehow “automatically” center itself.

My second revelation came when I was a bit older. The rifle was a dead-stock P-17 Enfield with a considerably more sophisticated military rear unit—it was elevation adjustable and built like a… well, a brick “outhouse.” With it I managed a 3-shot 100-yard group measuring slightly over an inch using old-school Federal “Red Box” 150-grain softpoints. That was as good (actually, better) than I was able to do with most scoped rifles at the time. (Notice how I still remember it?).

While I like scopes on bolt actions, for leverguns and “just for fun” .22’s, I like an aperture sight. The best ones I’ve used in terms of low-profile “inconspicuous-ness” are from XS and Skinner. Both are rugged, adjustable, and aesthetically perfect for traditional leverguns. If necessary, just drift out the factory “buckhorn”-style rear (you’ll never miss it) and slip in a slot blank.

I’ve also owned and used receiver sights from Williams and Lyman. These are bigger and mount to the left side of the receiver on the Winchester and Marlin leverguns I’ve put them on (check to make sure your rifle, if it’s an oldie, is drilled and tapped for them). They compensate for their larger bulk and complexity by ease of windage and elevation adjustment. You can change your original zero and return to it pretty quickly (this can be a bit of a chore with the XS and Skinner types).

This Marlin .45-70’s potential has been upgraded by an XS Ghost-Ring
rear and the company’s White-Stripe front blade (below).

Both the Williams and Lyman employ screw-in apertures. And I’ve often removed the aperture and simply used the remaining circular threaded sleeve as a large ghost ring. However, if you want to shoot tiny groups at a respectable distance, the smaller the aperture diameter, the better. If you want to hit something big and close—and do it quickly—a big ghost ring is your best bet. Yes, a low powered scout-type scope with a heavy reticle is just as fast (or faster), but a ghost ring weighs a heck of a lot less, is less expensive, and won’t As much as I like rear apertures, using them in conjunction with a bead front makes me crazy. The XS White Stripe flat-top blade front is far superior, at least to me. A bead may be OK for game, but sometime you’ve got to zero (or at least check your zero). And a bead front isn’t the best reference point unless you’re exceptionally talented at holding precise “Figure 8’s” on a bull’s-eye target.

Since I like a 6’o’clock hold, I’d much rather zero using a square instead of a round bull’s-eye. A lot of serious (unscoped) handgun hunters have been using big squares as an aiming point out to pretty fair distances when zeroing. It’s just easier to stack a “square on a square” than a “circle on a circle.” The XS is angled just right, and is broad enough to pick up quickly. And the white stripe really helps. Just make sure you get a blade the right height.

Unless you’re some kind of an android, you’ll eventually get to the point where open sights are pretty much a memory. Aperture sights, particularly ghost-rings with a generous internal diameter, can help you ward off having to go to a low-power scope or heads-up red-dot optic for a couple of years longer. How many more is “a couple?”

I don’t know. I’m still waiting to find out myself.

Shooting Facilities provided by Angeles Shooting Ranges, 12651 Little Tujunga Rd., Lakeview Terrace, CA 91342, (818) 899-2255 www.angelesranges.com.
By Payton Miller

Bulkier, but quick and easy to adjust, are calibrated receiver sights
such as the Lyman 57 (above) and Williams 5D (below).

One More For The Road

Wilson’s Combat’s Elite Tactical magazine boosts 9mm 1911 capacity by 10 percent.

Back in the March issue, our esteemed pistol authority Mas Ayoob had good things to say about Nighthawk Custom’s P5—a 9-round premium-grade 9mm 1911. Granted, there’s a whole lotta “9’s” in that description. Now, Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat has thrown a “10” into the equation. Namely a new 10-round magazine for your 9mm Government Model called the Elite Tactical.

What was once a 9+1 proposition has now been bumped to 10+1—all, of course, in the preferred-by-many single-stack, grip-friendly configuration. It features a removable base pad, aircraft-grade stainless steel construction and a self-lubricating nylon follower to help ensure smooth feeding.

Wilson’s perfectionism is common knowledge throughout the 1911 community. “I personally spent several months and fired 10 thousand rounds developing this product,” he says. “And I’m pretty proud of it.”
It’s priced at $39.95.

Wilson Combat, 2234 CR 719,
Berryville, AR 72616-4573, (800) 955-4856

Lyman, 475 Smith Street, Middletown, CT 06457, (860) 632-2020
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/lyman-products-corp/

Skinner Sights, Andy Larsson, P.O. Box 1810, St. Ignatius, MT 59865, (406) 531-5113
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/skinner-sights/

Williams Gun Sight, Inc., P.O. Box 329, Davison, MI 48423, (800) 530-9028

XS Sight Systems Inc., 2401 Ludelle, Fort Worth, TX 76105, (818) 744-4880
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/xs-sight-systems-inc/

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