Peep Sight for Shoulder Stock

[Boulder350]

I have a shoulder stock for a New Model No 3 Single Action revolver that I bought a few years ago in the cardboard box with the short tang. Also have a rear peep sight for a 320 Revolving Rifle that I found a few years ago too in the center picture.

The first picture and last picture are of a shoulder stock on the revolving rifle and a revolver that was grabbed from the internet. One day I would like to own a 320 Revolving Rifle

Can anyone tell me if the rear peep sight was only available on the 320 Revolving Rifle or was it available for other guns too. Don't think they ever installed one on Australian model with the shoulder stock. Was it only available on the long barreled versions? Was it available on both the long tang and short tang stocks? Just want to learn more about these unique items.

Thanks

 

[Aussie Collector]

Good questions. And I'm very interested in other comments.
Yes the peep sight was on shoulder stocks for the NM#3 and also reports on a few Australian shipped stocks. I'm yet to see an Australian model marked stock with peep sights and looking forward to someone posting pictures.

 

[Club Gun Fan]

I have serial number 1 Revolving Rifle. It has the short tang. I'm way from my pictures right now, so I can't post pictures. It has the peep sight. If you have an early catalog or a box of .320 ammo, Number 1 is pictured on the box and in the catalog.

 

[Boulder350]

The Neal and Jinks book says the 320 Revolving Rifle was made from 1879 to 1887. If serial number 1 was made in 1879 that would mean the peep sight was available that early.

Looking at pictures in Neal and Jinks it looks like a flat spot was cast on the metal piece attachment piece of the shoulder stock for the rear peep sight to mount.

 

[Boulder350]

It took me a while to find the info on my shoulder stock. It has serial number 961 on it. The late Ed Cornett had logs on when the stocks were made. He told me mine was made in October of 1883. I had to remove the wood from the metal to see the serial number. He said in his email "I don't think shoulder stocks were ever "mated" to any gun, although some stocks (Australians maybe) have the stock with the same serial # as the gun."

Does anyone know what happened to the logs that Ed had?

 

[rct269]

Don, you need to tell the new folks about #1's ignominious duty when you came along to rescue it.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[BMur]

Scope option

The Revolving Rifle is found (when found) with many different sights. Many of them look to me to be original but are different in many ways. Most that I’ve seen are easily removable and slide onto the barrel. Some are permanently mounted so it’s difficult to tell which ones were actually factory installed.
It also came with a very early scope option.

Also a copy of a newspaper article from 1880 sort of tells it all about original accuracy.

Murph

 

[BMur]

Different sights

The most common sights are those that slide on the top of the ribbed barrel. However, there are also sights that are machine fit into a slot. So with the variables found it’s difficult to determine which sights are actually factory original and which are not. That includes the rear peep sight mounted on the stock. I’ve seen several of those also.

Murph

 

[BMur]

Another example

This is an excellent example where the rear flip sight is placed on the topstrap just forward of the standard factory sight. Notice there is no evidence that it was moved from above the fore stock where it is normally found and “machined” to reside permanently.
Looks original to me.

The last photo clearly shows where the rear sight resides “slotted” and screwed above the fore stock.

This info and photos I posted just supports that there were several sight options available to the customer and I believe a lot of them were factory.

Murph

 

[BMur]

Design Specs

I looked through my Distributor catalogs and found a few early ads for the “NEW” Smith and Wesson Rifle. Early ads date to 1880 and included the optional Globe & Peep sights for $2.50- $3.50 extra. Standard factory sights were called Hunting sights.

Also you can see if you actually look closely different designs are found to the threaded peep sight which could represent a later reproduction/ replacement.

Research proves also that “All” of the Revolving rifle shoulder stocks came from the factory already threaded for the peep sight. So any distributor could have installed them along with any other sights that were available at that time. All Distributor catalogs show a variety of peep and globe sights available during that period.

Murph

 

[Boulder350]

Thanks for the pictures Murph. It looks like the base where the peep sight mounts to the metal part of the stock has a recessed flat spot. I have not held a 32 RR or seen a close up picture before. Looks like all shoulder stocks can be machined to accept the peep sight.

 

[BMur]

RR Stocks

Yeah,
It wouldn’t take much to machine the stock but there are a few features to the RR stocks that are unique.

See photos of Factory RR stock with a factory blank.

Murph