Adjusting the fore-aft angle on the Lyman #1A sight?

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Ki6vsm
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Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:28 am

Adjusting the fore-aft angle on the Lyman #1A sight?

Post by Ki6vsm »

I believe mine's a #1A anyway. Does anyone know how to adjust the angle on the tang sight? Mine's set to lock in place at a slight rearward tilt. I would prefer it be set to lock with more vertical (i.e. at 90° to the barrel axis).

FYI, My Model 8's tang sight pivot screw has the head on it with two tiny holes; it's not the type for use with a big flat-blade screwdriver. In case this helps.
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Wildgoose
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Location: Nebraska

Re: Adjusting the fore-aft angle on the Lyman #1A sight?

Post by Wildgoose »

Being a very long time Guzzi rider I tend to take the fix it with out taking it apart if you can due to the "not being able to get another one" and "they don't make those any more" often encountered.
So, when I obtained a tang sight for my early production M8 and fit it up I had the same issue you are looking at. Not being sure that number one I could take it apart with out damaging it or not again being sure that some adjustment was even possible I just shimmed it into place by placing thin strips of copper shim under the base until the angle I wanted was set when the sight was tightened down. Worked fine and has stayed in place. No change to gun or sight so at some time if I want to sell the sight it is in original condition. I believe that the same thing could be done by stoning the sight base but like I noted I am not willing to make that type of permanent mod to the sight.

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Ki6vsm
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:28 am

Re: Adjusting the fore-aft angle on the Lyman #1A sight?

Post by Ki6vsm »

Thanks. So far I'm not even successful at loosening the screw that holds it on, so I won't be removing it anyway. I wish I could find an online copy of an original owner's manual or similar that explains how to install and adjust a #1A sight. Haven't found one yet. I'm curious about the detent and if it can be rotated somehow, or if these sights are just machined so that the detent is where it is. The pivot point of the sight sure seems to have a lot of hardware in it, so I'm thinking that there's a possibility that the piece with the detent could be separate from the metal base and be rotatable to adjust the angle.

BTW, yours is different than mine, looks like. Below is a pic of my sight. (And ugh,sorry about the unsightly thumb print. Been working on this receiver and hadn't wiped it down.)

The pivot point has two tabs, called out. They can't just be there for decoration. They must be used for some kind of adjustment. I don't know what kind though. It's either to set the detent or perhaps just the tension. And of course that bigger knob is the lock lever.
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LymanSight1.jpg
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Wildgoose
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Location: Nebraska

Re: Adjusting the fore-aft angle on the Lyman #1A sight?

Post by Wildgoose »

Got it. I do also have one of the sights like yours. Different rifle, M81 in 300 Savage. On this rifle I didnt have to do anything to set the proper angle. When installed on the rifle it came out ok. I did notice that the two widely spaced holes align in a different clocking than the location on your sight. I included two shots of my sight to note that the location of the two spaced holes does not change when the locking nob is moved from lock to unlock. This seems to me to indicate that there is some kind of way to reset the angle of alignment as you have noted. Sorry I cant be of more help but like you I havent had one of these sights apart. In my case I just got lucky with this set up.
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Ki6vsm
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Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:28 am

Re: Adjusting the fore-aft angle on the Lyman #1A sight?

Post by Ki6vsm »

Thanks again. I assume that the holes there are just some special "snake eyes" screw head they used for a while, for assembly and setting movement resistance. I've seen what I believe are the same #1A sights, possibly from different years, that have just a slot head there but are otherwise the same. Maybe Lyman was trying to get away from customers mucking up their sights by taking them apart, so they made disassembly more difficult.

However it adjusts, I'm not planning to pull it all apart. I'm hoping it can be done with just some temporary loosening. At any rate, I don't have the correct tools for messing around with the main screw. I was hoping that those two tabs would provide the key. It looks like though that those two tab dealies are in exactly the same clock position mine are. In fact, about the same position as all the #1A sights I've found pictures of.

So my search goes on. I might ask on a few other forums, some that are not so firearm specific. Somebody out there must know their way around these old Lyman sights.
Ki6vsm
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:28 am

Re: Adjusting the fore-aft angle on the Lyman #1A sight?

Post by Ki6vsm »

I have the answer finally. Found in here where a guy shows how to tear down and reassemble a Lyman 1A. I may as well share it here on this sight:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthrea ... ost2406770

For me, the critical piece of information is this:

"For the stems that are not properly aligned, you only have to loosen off the lock nut, adjust stem and retighten."

This is because the piece that indexes on the base is not indexed to the stem part. So loosening the nut/screw should be all that's necessary to re-position the stem angle.

I just need to grab my 1/4" Craftsman wrench and probably my snap-rig pliers.
Ki6vsm
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:28 am

Re: Adjusting the fore-aft angle on the Lyman #1A sight?

Post by Ki6vsm »

Reporting back: Well that worked like a charm. Didn't need to mess with the snake-eyes side either. I just put my 1/4" open-end on the lock nut and backed it off about 1/8 of a turn. This is while holding the stem immobile with my other hand of course. At that point the stem was free to pivot front and back. Once oriented more vertical, I tightened the nut again.

Odd thing is, the lock lever does seem to have a different feel now. I guess it's more free to move fore and aft, and hits those ruffled tabs more easily. When that happens I feel the lever ratchet across them. So I will just learn to avoid extra movement with the lever.
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