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N/A Williams Peep Sight Modification & other Peep Sight options

I have never liked the little 3/8“ aperture on the Williams diopter. With everything coming to build extensions, I decided to start working on the aperture. Getting it closer to eye is a concern. Bigger is safer. Prototype #1. Have one another in the works. This one is made for the extensions and would have to be trimmed a bit if directly over the receiver.View attachment 385924View attachment 385926
Nice work. A small disc is good for plinking and hunting when you don't want a larger one restricting your field of view. For quicker target acquisition.
 
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What effect is there of moving a peep sight a little farther forward on the dovetail? Would that raise the poi, all other things remaining the same? And then, having it a bit farther back would move the poi down? Or do I have that backwards?
When moving a peep sight forward or backwards on the rail, if any adjustment is needed, it will be very minor. A click or two. Depending on the quality of the rifle/rail. The big difference is the further down the receiver the peep goes (closer to the front sight) the larger the aperture “hole” needs to be. This gives more room for “shooter” error. When the peep is close to the eye, the aperture can be very very tiny. This tightens the front to rear sight picture as the further opens it. Also the more distance between front and rear sight aids in sight alignment. If you are looking for a major change in elevation, moving the peep forward or backwards is not the answer.
 
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Instructions from an old Anschutz catalog from the early 1960s.
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The Williams peep sight extension and eyecup are almost completed. Just waiting for the tap and die. I think this is a good rubber eyecup for the sight. The aluminum extension is 1” long with a black anodized finish. Can be either gloss or matte finish. The older Williams sights were gloss and the new ones are matte.
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I'm keeping my FWB 124d more in the lines of a sporter. I have one of the early Beeman/Williams aperture sights with target knowbs located as far back as possible. It also has a Gehmann ajustable aperature installed, one which I got about 18 months age. They did make one threaded to fit the Williams/Lyman sights and it works great. The sight is just far enough foward enogh to use for quick shooting without danger of hitting my eyeglasses. Other guns with Anschutz aperature sights have extension tubes in front of the Gehmann adjustable units. One or two guns also have a tube installed in front of the sight body as a sunshade, works great.
 
Instructions from an old Anschutz catalog from the early 1960s.
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Note that most German sights WORK the same was as most US ones: i.e., turning a knob clockwise turn moves the POI's elevation down, and windage left.

What's different is how they are MARKED. US sights indicate the way you want the POI to move, while German sights mark the error you want to fix (somehow that just seems very German to me, LOL...)! Not being too bright, I recall it taking me a bit to figure that out. 🙄
 
Forgot to post my Gehmann 598 got here Tuesday. BoG and I got black ones, levgen721 did you end up with the silver model? I have a 510 iris on the way for it. Now all I need is the right gun to put it on. MDriskill, you know anyone selling a HW77 MK1?
The right guns are called Feinwerkbau. You can buy a new FWB 124 Sport from AOA. All my guns are mainly designed for shooting at a distance of 4m, 7m and 10m, which is why I don’t use Weihrauch. But I would buy Weihrauch at AOA or would buy it at auction if you're looking for a used one.

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Love both of those! The bolt-action cocking Haenel 311 is a rather weird gun, but might be the most accurate tap-loader ever made.

The nifty Haenel diopter sights, which as you note use an internal click wheel with different-sized apertures, were inspired by classic British Parker-Hale designs. Haenel's front sight inserts in fact interchange with P-H ones.

For comparison's sake, here's a Webley with a P-H sight and very similar PH 60 internal-click eyepiece.

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Love both of those! The bolt-action cocking Haenel 311 is a rather weird gun, but might be the most accurate tap-loader ever made.

The nifty Haenel diopter sights, which as you note use an internal click wheel with different-sized apertures, were inspired by classic British Parker-Hale designs. Haenel's front sight inserts in fact interchange with P-H ones.

For comparison's sake, here's a Webley with a P-H sight and very similar PH 60 internal.
I don’t think that the Haenel 311 front sight inserts are interchangeable with Parker, since the Haenel 311 has quite a lot of modifications of both rifles and front sights. On the pic. on the left is a 311-2 front sight, on the right is a 311-4 front sight, I know at least one more 311 Mars Q1, (a rare rifle and I don’t have one) with an "oblique" front sight. But the Iris Parker itself is really structurally similar to the Haenel 311.

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The right guns are called Feinwerkbau. You can buy a new FWB 124 Sport from AOA. All my guns are mainly designed for shooting at a distance of 4m, 7m and 10m, which is why I don’t use Weihrauch. But I would buy Weihrauch at AOA or would buy it at auction if you're looking for a used one.

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LOL. If I wanted another new sporter I’d have already bought a 124 from AoA. The gun I mentioned to Mike is from the 1980’s. Would take a FWB 300, HW55, etc. if I stumble on one. I‘m just getting started but I prefer the older guns. Those are some great vintage sights y’all shared, thank you.
 
I don’t think that the Haenel 311 front sight inserts are interchangeable with Parker, since the Haenel 311 has quite a lot of modifications of both rifles and front sights. On the pic. on the left is a 311-2 front sight, on the right is a 311-4 front sight, I know at least one more 311 Mars Q1, (a rare rifle and I don’t have one) with an "oblique" front sight. But the Iris Parker itself is really structurally similar to the Haenel 311
Thanks! Very interesting - I'd love to know more about all the different 311 variants. I think the early 311 I had used P-H inserts, but could be mistaken...it's been a long time. They at least closely resembled P-H ones.

I also briefly owned a very late-model 311, which had a much bigger front sight that used Anschutz inserts, believe it or not (I remember actually swapping those out to verify). I really wish I'd kept that one, it was a complete, as-new boxed set that a veteran had brought back. It had the multi-opening diopter sight, open rear sight, and a complete set of front inserts. The coolest bit was a running target front sight, with two posts whose spacing could be adjusted! I had no idea such a thing existed, it's the only non-scoped RT setup I've ever seen.

I'd also like to have back the Haenel 312 I once owned! The Rube Goldberg breech holds its own with the 311 in the overall wackiness department, LOL.
 
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Thanks! Very interesting - I'd love to know more about all the different 311 variants. I think the early 311 I had used P-H inserts, but could be well be mistaken...it's been a long time. They at least closely resembled P-H ones.

I also briefly owned a very late-model 311, which had a much bigger front sight that used Anschutz inserts, believe it or not (I remember actually swapping those out to verify). I really wish I'd kept that one, it was a complete, as-new boxed set that a veteran had brought back. It had the multi-opening diopter sight, open rear sight, and a complete set of front inserts. The coolest bit was a running target front sight, with two posts whose spacing could be adjusted! I had no idea such a thing existed, it's the only non-scoped RT setup I've ever seen.

I'd also like to have back the Haenel 312 I once owned! The Rube Goldberg breech holds its own with the 311 in the overall wackiness department, LOL.
I've still got a Haenel 311 with the multi aperture click diopter, plus a Haenel 312, I've no idea what age they are, I get some pictures during the week.
Away from home at the moment.

Good thread, good reading 👍.
 
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