Model 1920 sight options

[Khornetguy]

I have a model 1920 in .300 Savage. I just cant see the iron sights anymore. I'm looking at sight options. I know there was a lyman peep available but I cant find one anywhere. It also seems that mounting a scope isnt an option. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks

[Mad Dog]

Stith used to make a set of mounts for the 1920 but they're even more rare than a Lyman #54 which is the peep your talking about.

Is your guns bolt even drilled and tapped for a Lyman sight?

Another route is a Marbles S20 which needs to be drilled and tapped but is made for that model.

[DogT]

I got a lightfoot adapter for my 1922 G breakdown model. Fits from the dovetail to the tang screws. I put a 3-9x40 Prostaff on it with Redfield high rings and it works great. It's a bit far from the eye but what are you going to do? The adapter is about $150 as I remember, but it works great. I had a small white tail in the sights the other evening but we're out of season, but I could have blown her head off at about 70 yds. His email is m1watson at cox dot net. I had trouble with his emails but I contacted him through gunbroker and that worked. He's got stuff on ebay too, but not the scope mount. It's a special order. I had mine in under a week.

[Model24]

It's a bit far from the eye but what are you going to do?

Bushnell makes a 3-9 x 40 and a 1.75-4 x 32 with 6 inches of eye relief. Nikon used to make a similar 3-9, but it's discontinued. I have the Bushnell 3-9 on my Savage, and on a Mauser 98 with the same issue. Not as nice as the Nikon, but it fixes the problem.

My 99 also sports the Redfield receiver sight, which works very well. These come up for sale on a regular basis at the usual suspects.

[DogT]

Thanks for that info. I've got a Bushnell 2.5-10x 50 on a 22 Win61 and it's a lot better than the old Bushnell's used to be. I may look into that. Scopes have improved in the last few decades with the Asian competition, but then they mostly come from there anyhow. I have some nice binoculars that were very reasonably priced that are just outstanding compared to the old stuff, but still nothing compares to good expensive EU glass. I have an old M8 Leupold 40mm that's pretty dark but it's a 36x. It's still sharp but my eyes aren't. That's on my Rem MatchMaster 513-T.

[Model24]

That is true, even the inexpensive new stuff is better than the mid-grade old stuff. And I agree, it's hard to beat old EU optics. Still, coatings are better these days, and age wreaks havoc on coatings and rubber seals and Nitrogen purging.

Neither of the 6 inch eye relief Bushnell's that I mentioned are in the 2019 catalog. I just bought one of the 1.75-4 x 32's today, knowing that it's discontinued.

I have an M8 Compact in 2.5x, and I love it dearly. I have a Swift scout scope on a Rossi 92 that's a copy of the M8 equivalent. That M8 line was a fine product. You can't go wrong with Leupold.

[Mad Dog]

I don't think you guys understand the thread, he's looking for a mount for a Savage model 1920 bolt action rifle, not a 99.

[Model24]

D'oh! Sorry. Please allow me to change all my responses to, "I don't know."

[Sav22]

I am not sure but I think even the Stith mount for the Model 1920 required some extra holes. Another issue with mounting a scope is the bolt handle - for center mount scopes it would need to be bent unless the scope were mounted very high, so, first check for bolt clearance before doing anything else.

I thought it possible that a Miller-Kodiak mount would work on a 1920 and not require any extra holes - that mount is held only by a piece in the rear sight dovetail and pressure from a long spring steel base attached to the scope. Here are some old pictures showing one held on a 1920 and of how it attaches to an 1899. This type mount might work on a 1920 if you used a long eye relief scope so it could be mounted ahead of the bolt.

Here it is held on a 23A and a 1920/26 (and it would not work on that anyway because there is no rear dovetail) -

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/57520.jpg


This shows how it attaches on an 1899 just using the rear dovetail and some spring pressure -
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/57467.jpg

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/57468.jpg

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/57521.jpg







(https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/57467.jpg)

[Model24]

Here's an old listing for a Model 20 with the Lyman #26 bolt mounted peep sight.

https://www.gunsamerica.com/936293804/Savage-Model-20-26.htm

That also appears to be what Sav22 has in one of his photos (Thanks for those!). Khornetguy, have you done interweb searches for "Lyman 26"?

[Sav22]

Here's an old listing for a Model 20 with the Lyman #26 bolt mounted peep sight. It's a Lyman #54 peep, the Lyman #26 is a front sight, I don't know where the person listing that rifle came up with that number for the peep sight. The sight is not rare on a Model 20-1926, that's the standard sight on those and there is no dovetail for a barrel sight.. so that's it unless you want to machine in a dovetail.

[Model24]

Okay, that settles it. I'm not going to spread any more disinformation on this thread. But I am going to sit back and listen. I'm learning a great deal, thank you!