XS Ghost Rings on a 1894C, uber brief review

[Rob1035]

Had a chance to try an XS equipped Marlin 1894C in a local shop (Hyatts for any Charlotte locals). It had the basic ghost ring rear sight, the white stripe front sight, and the scout scope rail and they were asking $599 for the whole deal (this shop is notoriously overpriced). Here are some non-shooting thoughts:

The XS parts themselves seemed well constructed, very solid, and the scope mount felt very steady. The rear sight was obviously a ghost ring, but I was suprised how large and thin the aperture was. Coming from an A2 AR15, the XS ring seemed thinner and with a larger hole than the "0-200" A2 rear sight. I think this would make for great, quick aquisition, but may hurt precision. The rear sight did not appear to be thread for smaller aperatures like some ghost rings are. The front sight was fairly narrow, and the white stripe was very easy to pick up quickly.

Without shooting with this setup, I think it would be a lot of fun, especially on a shorter range, brush-type gun; I'd have to shoot with it before I could comment on the accuracy potential. The 1894C was compact and sleek, and I think this would make a handy little rifle.

Hope this helps someone looking at these sights

 

[Matt-man]

I've got a set on a Ruger .44 carbine, and I've ordered another set to put on a new-to-me Winchester '94 Trapper. They're perfect sights for these little carbines. Extremely fast, and with my eyes they work better than open sights. Installation is pretty straightforward; most of the time you need to replace the front sight but that's not difficult.

I also have the set they make for the Springfield M1A Scout. I like that setup a lot too. It's even got a tritium insert in the front post.

I just remembered that I had yet another set on a Mini-14 that's since gone down the road. I guess I'm a bigger fan of these than I realized.

 

[Z_Infidel]

I had an 1894C equipped with the XS Ghost Ring setup, and you are correct -- they are great for quick sight alignment at moderate range but for me they are not quite precise enough to go beyond about 60 yards or so. I can actually shoot the regular Marlin open sights better at the 70-100 yard range than the XS sights. The XS sights would be great on a carbine to be used as a defensive weapon or for hunting where the shots will always be pretty close, but are not my choice for an all-around sighting system.

I am starting to see the merit of a low-power scope with QD mounts that allow the use of the iron sights as a backup. This combination offers good low-light visibility, light weight, fast target acquisition, and a backup system. Overall, it's a little more versatile than the ghost ring option.

 

[115grfmj]

I also tried them.....

And I must agree with Z-infidel, They are lightning quick, just don't expect much of them beyond 60 or so yards. In my experience I couldn't get better than 7-8" groups at 100yards. I switched to williams, and while I was happy with the accuracy and the wide variety of aperatures available, I just could warm up to the over hang on the 1894 receiver. I changed to skinners sight,
because it lies real flat, is all steel, and it takes the williams aperatures. I'm now getting 2-3" groups at 100yds, and can land all 10 rounds on a pie plate out at 200yds.

The xs is great for REAL close quick encounter, but if you want to sqeeze more range and accuracy out of your rig, an aperature sight is the way to go.

 

[Skookumchuk]

On my 1894C, I kept the great XS front sight (after filing it down a bit) and got a Marble folding leaf rear with the white diamond. Works for me.