There's been much discussion about iron sights on the forum lately, so a few notes about tunnel front sights may be of interest.
This photo shows two familiar vintage German front sights. They have three basic parts:
+ tunnel housing that clamps to grooves at the muzzle
+ sighting elements in the form of flat metal inserts with side tabs for alignment
+ threaded sleeve that clamps the insert into the tunnel
This simple design permits inserts having different sighting elements - tapered or straight posts, sidebar or lollipop rings, etc. - to be easily interchanged.
Over the years, German sights used three different standard thread sizes for the sleeves. These will interchange between makes, and enabled the development of aftermarket accessories that likewise fit any sight tunnel with the same sleeve thread.
The earliest sleeve size used an M17 thread (17.0 x 0.5mm), which Diana and Weihrauch still use on sporting rifle sights. Anschutz later developed the slightly larger M18 thread (18.0 x 0.5mm), which remains very common. Most new top-of-the-line 10-meter guns use a yet larger M22 thread (22.0 x 0.5mm). Aftermarket accessories are no longer made for M17 sights, but there is a world of interesting goodies available for M18 and M22.
Now here is where some confusion comes: THE SLEEVE THREAD AND THE METAL INSERT SIZES ARE DIFFERENT THINGS! The tunnels have an internal "shoulder" - slightly SMALLER in diameter than the sleeve thread - into which the insert nests:
Therefore, SLEEVES of the same size DO interchange between different manufacturers' sights, and take the same accessories. But with a few exceptions, the INSERTS are proprietary and DO NOT interchange between makes, since their diameters and side tabs differ. Here's a random selection of what I have on hand:
Note in the photo two interesting exceptions to the proprietary rule:
+ Walther: they pioneered flat metal inserts in the 1950's, and Diana and FWB copied their M17 insert pattern verbatim - even though FWB has an M18 tunnel and sleeve! But the three made different types and sizes of posts and rings, making them fun to interchange (Diana's beaded post is a personal plinking fave).
+ Anschutz: their M18 inserts, with their distinctive asymmetrical tab pattern, are almost an informal industry standard, used by other manufacturers. They offer many different post and ring elements, and there are many aftermarket inserts and other accessories. Their older tunnels fit perfectly centered on Weihrauch barrels, too.
As far as I know, the Weihrauch insert pattern remains strictly proprietary. Shooters are limited to the six element shapes they have offered for many years; you can't use them in any other brand of sight; and no other brand of inserts fits.
This photo shows two familiar vintage German front sights. They have three basic parts:
+ tunnel housing that clamps to grooves at the muzzle
+ sighting elements in the form of flat metal inserts with side tabs for alignment
+ threaded sleeve that clamps the insert into the tunnel
This simple design permits inserts having different sighting elements - tapered or straight posts, sidebar or lollipop rings, etc. - to be easily interchanged.
Over the years, German sights used three different standard thread sizes for the sleeves. These will interchange between makes, and enabled the development of aftermarket accessories that likewise fit any sight tunnel with the same sleeve thread.
The earliest sleeve size used an M17 thread (17.0 x 0.5mm), which Diana and Weihrauch still use on sporting rifle sights. Anschutz later developed the slightly larger M18 thread (18.0 x 0.5mm), which remains very common. Most new top-of-the-line 10-meter guns use a yet larger M22 thread (22.0 x 0.5mm). Aftermarket accessories are no longer made for M17 sights, but there is a world of interesting goodies available for M18 and M22.
Now here is where some confusion comes: THE SLEEVE THREAD AND THE METAL INSERT SIZES ARE DIFFERENT THINGS! The tunnels have an internal "shoulder" - slightly SMALLER in diameter than the sleeve thread - into which the insert nests:
Therefore, SLEEVES of the same size DO interchange between different manufacturers' sights, and take the same accessories. But with a few exceptions, the INSERTS are proprietary and DO NOT interchange between makes, since their diameters and side tabs differ. Here's a random selection of what I have on hand:
Note in the photo two interesting exceptions to the proprietary rule:
+ Walther: they pioneered flat metal inserts in the 1950's, and Diana and FWB copied their M17 insert pattern verbatim - even though FWB has an M18 tunnel and sleeve! But the three made different types and sizes of posts and rings, making them fun to interchange (Diana's beaded post is a personal plinking fave).
+ Anschutz: their M18 inserts, with their distinctive asymmetrical tab pattern, are almost an informal industry standard, used by other manufacturers. They offer many different post and ring elements, and there are many aftermarket inserts and other accessories. Their older tunnels fit perfectly centered on Weihrauch barrels, too.
As far as I know, the Weihrauch insert pattern remains strictly proprietary. Shooters are limited to the six element shapes they have offered for many years; you can't use them in any other brand of sight; and no other brand of inserts fits.
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