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1906 winchester expert
cornbean
Member Posts: 172 ✭✭✭
Does anyone know how the sights differ on the expert compared to a regular 1906?
Comments
According to the book by George Madis the sights were different. I believe the front sight may have had some silver on the front edge. I would like to hear from someone who has an expert with true original sights for confirmation. I don't know about rear sight as I have seen all different sights there.
Wundudnee nailed it for you. Can you provide the Madis reference you are referring to?
Edit: Thanks, Mark. Simply put the 06 Expert rifle used the same sights as the standard 1906 and the model 1890. However, I believe the confusion is coming in due to the "tin bead" on the front sight used on the Expert 06. According to Madis' book regarding Winchester sights, he notes that the model 1906 used Sight 21E, (among others), this would include the Expert model when it made its debut according to your Madis' reference, should we drop the letter "E" designation. Madis also makes note that on 2/13/14 there is a provision to abandon the tinned tip and patent date, however, this note is used with Sight 77A, which was used on the model 1890. My point in bringing this up is two fold: One, model 1906 sights closely paralleled those used on the 1890, and; Two, "if" Winchester did stop providing a "tinned bead" front sight as a standard feature for the 1890 and 1906, it would stand to reason why your Madis reference reads as it does, because Schwing notes that the 06 Expert grade was first offered in 1919, hence the possibility that at this point in time, the "tinned tip" might have been a special order/optional feature. I could be all wet on this whole issue, but given this information, I'm tempted to believe that the Madis reference you note simply dictates that the Expert model come standard with the Tin Tipped 21E Sight.
Maybe Bert will weigh in on this issue as well.
"For model 06 rifle plain sights were fitted: for the Expert style rifle the series 21 with the tinned tip were standard
On page 496 0f Geo Madis's first edition of "The Winchester Book" (large book}
"For model 06 rifle plain sights were fitted: for the Expert style rifle the series 21 with the tinned tip were standard
I also see this statement in my later edition Madis book on page 576, where it talks about the 21 series front sights, but I agree with Wundudnee. I pulled out my 1906 Expert, and my Standard 1906. the sights look identical, other than age and condition.
Gary
WACA Historian & Life Member
I am in complete agreement with wundudnee's erudite comments. Madis was very frequently in error in his written prose.
Madis' notes and my agreement are also in alignment with Wundudnee's comments, Bert. Additionally, Madis' book on Winchester Sights represents Winchester original drawings and the notes that appear with them as they appear in Winchester records, i.e. exact copies with the drawings being the exact same size as the sights. I simply thought you might be able to add some expert detail such as when Winchester used the tinned tip sights on the model 1906.
EDIT:
Bert: [:I] You're right, Madis' big-book reference as noted by cornbean is wrong, despite his book on sights correcting this point.
Wundudnee: Thanks for the note about "special sights" on the 1906. It appears to me now that Madis big-book reference might have come from an Expert Model that had a special order tinned tip front sight, and he made the assumption that it was a standard feature...not that it matters, but curiosity does make it fun.