New bolt actions with iron sights?

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Deckard

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2008
Messages
282
Location
The deep south of the far north.
I'm looking for an accurate bolt action to fill a hole in my safe, but the sticking point is that its got to have iron sights. I don't have to compensate for weak eyes, don't want to spend a few hundred more on a decent piece of glass ATM, and I want irons as a back up even when I do invest in a scope. Other than CZ there don't seem to be many out there. The only other one I've seen is the Savage Euro Classic, but at their asking price of $900+ I'd rather have a CZ 550. Are there any others I'm overlooking or is somebody looking for iron sights in this day and age just SOL?
 
Pick the rifle you want and have irons installed by a gunsmith. It can be done for about half the cost of a mid-priced scope and mounts.
 
You are correct in observing that there aren't many mfgrs offering iron sights. I believe the reliability and relatively low cost of modern scopes is largely responsible for this. Something like 99.9% reliable.

For "once in a lifetime hunts", I've read of hunters taking a spare scope along, already sighted in, just in case of that 0.1%.

And, some of us are going "the other way"...I had barrels replaced on two Ruger No. 1A's and asked that they be installed without iron sights.

+1 to having a gunsmith just install iron sights on your rifle. I had Williams shorten a barrel on a Winchester 1895 and install receiver sights and a ramped front. They do excellent work, if you don't mind shipping your rifle to them.
 
Actually this is a great concept. Iron sighted rifles are extremely handy, light, and hard to put out of order. My example is a pre 64 M70 featherweight. I put a Lyman 48 WJS on a pre 64 feather weight and what a fast and delightful rifle it is.

Lightweight is not an issue in today’s world were people ride everywhere. I understand in a bordering state you are allowed to shoot while sitting on your fourwheeler. This is another reason we are so fat, we don’t walk anymore. However, the WWII generation and earlier, they walked. They walked in the Infantry, they walked in and out to their hunting spot, and weight was a premium when you were the pack mule. Older rifles, such as my featherweight, are light for that reason.

Today’s rifles are heavy and bulk, because a motorized vehicle carries them.

Rifles built prior to the 60’s often were drilled and tapped for rear iron sights. Your best bet is finding an older commercial rifle built for irons and a scope. As in all things, you can see the transition from irons to optical only rifles. Rifles from the 50’s onward have provisions for scopes and irons, finally irons become vestigial, then are dropped altogether. The best rear sights for those older rifles are the Lyman 48 and Redfields. Those sights are collector items, costing over $100.00, sometimes a lot more.

Williams still makes iron sights, might check with them. Look at the rifles they are designed for, the curves of the sight base must be the same as the rifle receiver. If you buy a late model rifle such as a M70, you can find sights because the design goes back to the 30’s, but you will need to pay a gunsmith to drill and tap the receiver. Winchester stopped drilling their M70’s sometimes in the 50’s. Remington made a M721 before a M700. Might be able to find a drilled and tapped M721, this auction M721 shows factory rear receiver sight holes on the left side. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=171595324

SAKO Finnbears had a special SAKO rear iron sight that fit over the rear dovetail. Sako's are great rifles and require an extra big bank account to buy.
 
I was in your position somewhat recently. I was looking for a good center-fire rifle that came new with iron sights, just to have the option of using them in addition to using the scope. Then I realized that with what I was really interested, 1,000-yard shooting, there was no way I was going to get a super accurate rifle for that that also had iron sights, so I just gave up and got a Remington 700 5R and put a nice Leupold scope on it.

Using a gunsmith is definitely one route to look at. Another is the Remington 700 BDL. In that picture it sure as heck looks like it comes with iron sights, right? And the 700 is quite an accurate rifle.
 
Ruger rifles will sometimes have irons, though they're not as good as CZ's. And there are a lot of leverguns that come with irons. These are pretty pitiful, though. usually just a bit of cheap sheet metal notched to act as a tangent sight, and an overly fine and vulnerable bead sight front. I prefer sourdough fronts on leverguns.
 
I handled a cz 527 carbine a few weeks back, and it had amazing iron sights. They can be had for ~$700 new
 
Watch the stocks, too. Some rifles may have irons on, but the stock is made for scope use, so the cheekrest is too high for you to use the irons.
 
I don't know what caliber you're looking for but I think SlamFire's information regarding pre-60s built rifles with Lyman and Redfield sites makes sense if you want a legacy caliber.

My old M70 with Redfield peeps sites very well and the rifle quality is good compared to a lot of other rifles old or new. Works well for me.

If you could shop until you found one of these with like era peep sites, that's what I would do.

If you want a new model rifle I don't know what to recommend but I do like all of the CZ products. They may be more economical also. Seems most of the quality production pre-60s stuff can be expensive.
 
Ruger Alaskans, Ruger Magnums, the wood stocked Rugers in 375 Ruger (forget the model name), and Remington 700 in 375 H&H is available with sights
 
Nothing at all wrong with the CZ 550s. I have a 550FS that is a joy to shoot and quite accurate as well with irons, or scope.
 
May I ask why you have an aversion to CZ's? They're some of the nicest bolt guns available in my opinion.
 
May I ask why you have an aversion to CZ's? They're some of the nicest bolt guns available in my opinion.
Click to expand...
No aversion to CZ at all. I got a chance to shoot my friend's 527 FS and loved it. I was just wondering if there was some other easy to find or less expensive (money's a bit tight these days) rifles that I had perhaps missed.
 
Based on what's been said here it looks like a CZ 550 will probably be the best choice for me as the pre '60 stuff does demand a higher price. I hadn't seen any new Remington 700s with irons before but now that its been pointed out to me I'll keep my eyes open for one as well. Thanks for the help guys.
 
Slamfire I never understood the concept of the superlight rifles. You are going to hike really far over real difficult terrain where every pound feels like 10 right? Then you shoot a 250 lb deer that feels like 2500lbs???

Personally inlove hiking and usually go on the appalachin trail 10-25miles almost every weekend. And alot of my upland/small game hunting I go just as long-whether permiting. But even if I saw an albino 20point whitetail I wouldn't shoot it 10miles from my car! I'll carry a rabbit that far...
 
IMHO, iron sights are a must for a hunter, out in the field there is a lot of opportunity to damage a rifle scope. If I even questioned wether the scope had been damaged, I would take it off and go to the irons until I could confirm zero and function. Im not sure why so many rifles come with out them these days.
 
Im not sure why so many rifles come with out them these days.
Click to expand...

I'm going to guess that's because very few of us use iron sights these days.

In fact we might be the last two. :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
Stainless bolt-action w/ iron sights?
Replies
1
Views
569
ArmedBear
A
Gunsby_Blazen
  • Locked
Bolt action with iron sights
Replies
21
Views
2K
aspade
A
J
  • Locked
Bolt Action w/ Iron Sights
Replies
5
Views
785
slopemeno
S
S
  • Locked
Confesions of a new bolt action addict
Replies
11
Views
1K
ojibweindian
ojibweindian
S
  • Locked
Bolt action with iron sights
Replies
11
Views
841
Kimber1911_06238
K
Back
Top