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09-11-2021, 06:23 PM
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Lyman Paine front sight on Model 1903
The attached photograph of this front sight on a Model 1903 states the following:
Lyman
REG U.S. PAT OFF
The patent office part of the marking is in a very small font and partially indecipherable, so it’s what I think it states.
I think, due to the height of this sight, that it’s a later replacement. But I could be wrong.
It has a gold bead.
2 questions:
1. Did Smith & Wesson contract with Lyman for the affixation of their sights to Smith & Wesson revolvers?
2. If so, would this be appropriate for a revolver manufactured in late 1903/shipped Spring of 1905?
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09-11-2021, 07:13 PM
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I had a similar front sight on an early .32-20 Target model. Mine was a Shread (spelling?).
__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!
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09-11-2021, 07:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Muley Gil
I had a similar front sight on an early .32-20 Target model. Mine was a Shread (spelling?).
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It sure looks like a Sheard and that's how you spell it, and I do have a Sheard on a 2nd degree of Beakertness .22/32 HFT.
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09-11-2021, 07:39 PM
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If by "contract with Lyman", you're asking if Lyman sights were ever furnished as standard equipment by S&W, the answer is no---they were offered as a special order item on both top-breaks and hand ejectors from the later 1890's into the 1920's. I had them on a Model of '91 and a .44 DA 1st (along with the Lyman Ivory Slide rears----a very effective combination). (I've never seen an Ivory Slide rear blade employed on a hand ejector, but there's certainly no reason it couldn't have been done. And having said that, and then gone through Strobel's work on old gunsights, the Lyman section notes the Ivory Slide rears were available only for revolvers having a rear sight slot (a la S&W's top-break rear)--which explains why I've never seen one on a hand ejector.
Ralph Tremaine
Last edited by rct269; 09-11-2021 at 07:41 PM.
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09-12-2021, 10:50 AM
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What is the Ivory Slide rear sight? I have a gun that shipped with Lyman Ivory Bar adjustable rear sights.
Mike Priwer
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09-12-2021, 12:32 PM
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Well, I've never heard the term "Ivory Bar" before; but it is so much more descriptive than "Ivory Slide", it just has to be the same thing. I'm quite certain "Slide" is Lyman speak, and the only thing it could possibly refer to is the fact the blade slides from side to side in the groove in the latch to adjust windage.
The "Bar" is most certainly the bar of ivory (white stuff) in the sight blade on either side of the notch (more like a gap) in the center of the blade. This sight just must be the granddaddy of the "three dot" sights we have today----center the ivory bead on the front sight blade between the two ivory bars on the rear blade, and BANG!!
Ralph Tremaine
As an aside, I went back to the book which contains a cut from Lyman's catalog of the time, and the rear sight blade is referred to as "No. 19"----cost $1.00------no mention of Bar or Slide in sight.
Last edited by rct269; 09-12-2021 at 12:46 PM.
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09-12-2021, 12:39 PM
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I’m not quite sure why ivory came into the conversation as this sight contains no ivory but has a Gold bead.
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09-12-2021, 01:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrcvs
I’m not quite sure why ivory came into the conversation as this sight contains no ivory but has a Gold bead.
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Well, it ain't like I've seen every Lyman sight ever made, but all I have seen were ivory beads. I suppose we could make allowance for the possibility your gold bead is a replacement-----and there's always the possibility Lyman made them both ways-----like S&W----and King----and Sheard------and Marble------and ??.
And as another aside, there's an illustration of the Lyman Slide in Neal's sight article (last item in rear sights)----the article The Big Gorilla placed in the Notable Thread Index of whichever forum it was.
Ralph Tremaine
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09-12-2021, 07:40 PM
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Here are pictures of revolver with the Lyman Ivory Bar rear sights. The first picture is the left side of the gun. It has a pair of ivory stocks.
The next picture is the right side of the revolver.
The next picture is the left grip, showing the initials ever-so-lightly engraved.
The next picture is a rear view of the ivory bar adjustable rear sight. The factory letter refers to these sights as Lyman Ivory Bar.
The next picture is a top view of the rear sights.
The last picture is the Lyman ivory bead front sight blade.
Regards, Mike Priwer
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09-13-2021, 07:52 PM
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Here is the sketch that was referred to, earlier. The real sight, shown in my thread above, looks like the sketch! I think the word 'slide' refers to a sight blade that slides back and forth, for windage adjustment.
Mike Priwer
Last edited by mikepriwer; 09-13-2021 at 07:54 PM.
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