30/30 open sights

Mount a scope on it.

Your rifle is a Winchester model 94.

Buckhorn sights are hard. The trick is to get a consistent alignment between rear and front sights and target repeatedly. This is not easy.

Your rifle should be drilled and tapped from the factory to accept a Williams side mount aperture sight. A Marbles tang aperture sight may also be available.

Aperture sights allow the eye to achieve a more consistent sight alignment to target and will be more effective.

up and down, left and right? what other direction can you move any sight or scope? move rear sight in direction you want to change impact of bullet on target. not difficult. nice rifle with iron sights. I own couple of 94's and one 1873. learn to cast your own bullets and these rifles can be fed very not much money.

Getting the sights adjusted can be time consuming and involves some trial and error work and is not going to be as precise. You'll have to experiment with the different notches to get elevation right. I like to zero irons for 50 yards. Everyone holds the front sight slightly differently in the rear sight notch, the key is to do it the same every time.

Windage will require you to either tap on the rear or front sight to slide it one way or the other in the dovetail. They are usually pretty close from the factory, but could have been moved by a previous owner or even when the rifle were dropped.

Once you get it figured out accuracy in good light is a lot closer to what you can do with a scope than you may think. The main advantage of a scope is seeing the sights in low light.

Put a Williams Foolproof on it and knock the buckhorns out. A good receiver sight is significantly better than barrel mounted open sights.

I found my open sight shooting got a lot better with what is called a 6 o’clock hold. You put the top of the front sight just under where you want to hit so you can still see your target in the sight picture as opposed to it being covered by the front sight.

Buckhorn sights have served generations very well. They are based on the optical principal of the eye finding center quickly. With practice they work great for quick shots on sizable targets within 100 yards. For precision shooting range mounted peep sights are better. I also have a side mount for a scope.

For my 94 I like open sights, keeps it trim and handy. For my marlin 336 I have a scope mounted and between those two my 30-30 needs are met. As it is 30-30 IS my long range rifle caliber, some will recoil in horror . Not many chances to shoot over 100 yards around here, they do that fine.
And yes, as @mothernatureson mentioned- left, right, up & down are the only dimensions that currently exist for sighting firearms but I'm unaware of another dimension that could be required.
I like a peep sight best like @CraigC referenced will be easiest for most to shoot well, I want them on a few rifles I own but other things I want more always come up. Good luck and WELCOME TO THR.

just practice with it a little more, if your not used to it - it is like anything else … most people aren't really good at much of anything until they've developed some proficiency with good practice. I'm better with peep and the old fashioned buckhorn sites … scopes kind of throw me, but I don't use or practice with them at all …

CraigC said:

Put a Williams Foolproof on it and knock the buckhorns out. A good receiver sight is significantly better than barrel mounted open sights.

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I've used Williams "FoolProof" receiver sights on several rifles for several decades. On a lever-action carbine, it's the only way to go imo.

For a receiver sight you most likely will need a taller front sight. I would scope it with a 1x5 if for nothing else, it's ability to gather light in low light conditions.

My Marlin, 1981 vintage, came drilled and tapped for a receiver sight.





I installed a Williams Foolproof. The traditional open sights on the barrel were just awful for shooting. I have purchased other sights, but the Williams aperture arm can be locked down with a screw and it won't wobble. That is incredibly important for accurate shooting.


That is the purpose of that screw on the base of this Lyman 48. It locks the aperture arm in place and keeps it from wobbling.



Luckily this pre 64 came drilled and tapped and I had a Lyman 48 WJS. It actually shoots well with irons, .







but then, I spent decades shooting irons in NRA service rifle competition

Use a target that matches the profile of your front sight. I like to have a slightly bigger bull than the dot on my front post. Practice getting consistent sight alignment.
Front sight moves the Opposite direction you want the POI to shift .
Rear sight moves the Same direction you want the POI to shift.
Change one at a time.

I've been able to hold 2-3" groups pretty routinely with open sights on my Win 94 30-30. The trouble is not with the sights. It's with the light. What I mean by that is that most of the critters I'm hunting move when there is little available light. And that is really when open sights suk big time. That is why all my hunting rifles are scoped. Including, presently, my Win 94, with a scout scope mounted ahead of the receiver. Because I need a scope to aim well in low light on game that is often in brush or has a backdrop of brush. What a person can do mid-day against a high contrast target with open sights means just about nothing when it comes to real hunting scenarios.

I've shot sub-MOA with buckhorns. Does not mean that receiver sights are not measurably better.

I can still knock the eye out of a bird flying with my old Spencer.

Old Stumpy said:

I can still knock the eye out of a bird flying with my old Spencer.

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I could never do that on my best day.

Old Stumpy said:

I can still knock the eye out of a bird flying with my old Spencer.

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Didn't say you were aiming at its eye