Need Lyman 48s help & parts

[SyLord]

I have a 1903a3 with the Lyman 48s that goes from 0-105.
Somehow the horizontal knob got hit and the 2 small screws that hold the horizontal adjustment sheared off, but not lay, slightly inside the holes. I only found this out when I stepped on the horizontal knob and bent the long screw the peep sight rides on. (I have found replacement knob screw)

Anyone have any ideas on how I can get the broken screws out of the base? I don't have any easy outs that small.
I would also need two replacement screws.

It was my fathers rifle and he used it for long distance matches, and I am nowhere near as accurate as him, but I'm really wanting to be able to shoot it again.

Thank you,
Darrell in Southern Ohio

[Herschel]

These sights come up on ebay and gunbroker. The sellers don't usually know exactly what they are and some are misdescribed. I don't know of any source of parts. The complete sights go for $150 or so. You might do searches and find a rough one you could buy for parts. The early Lytman 48s that were used on the 1922 Series Springfields and 1903 NRA Sporters had slides that were numbered to 125. Some parts from these might interchange with the damaged parts on your sight.

[EriCal]

I had a fairly similar problem with a Lyman 48. The elevation pointer screw was broken off in the body. I drilled the screw out with a very small `.040" drill, then tapped the hole. Tap size is 0-80. Turned out quite well. It would be worthwhile to try a counter-clockwise drill if you can find one small enough.
There are a few places where you will be able to buy the screws. I bought some earlier this year but don't remember where.

(You STEPPED on the sight!!???)

Eric

[SyLord]

I stepped on the horizontal knob and its long peep adjustment screw because the sight got knocked off while the rifle was in a rack.

Had I not stepped on it, I probably would have missed it and left it, and lost it.

I just bought a stripped (bubba'd) sight on eBay for parts, and come to find the two screws I needed, the heads were stripped out. I'm waiting on the sellers reply.

I don't have any tiny easy out's to get the screw bodies out.

EriCal, you a gunsmith, or be willing to try and get mine out, or drill and tap it for me?

[EriCal]

Do you desire to keep the numbers matched on the sight? If not, you will see slides offered for sale on E-Bay, often incomplete but may have good screw holes.

Give it some time and see what appears there. If, after all else fails and you still need those two little screws I may be able to help. But try Bob Fellers for parts first. There are others that have them as well. And, 0-80 screws are available from Brownells and McMasters. Of course there are complete sights often offered on E-Bay. I have bought several. Expect to pay $150 -$225

I am not a smith, but if all else fails I will try to get the stubs out for you. In the meantime, soak them well with penetrating oil, heat the slides and try unscrewing them with a dental pick.

Eric

[Jim in Salt Lake]

In the meantime, soak them well with penetrating oil, heat the slides and try unscrewing them with a dental pick.
Eric

I serviced IBM typewriters for the first 10 years of my career and ran into this problem frequently. Drilling out a screw was my LAST option. Soaking with Kroil or similar and then trying to pick the screw loose usually worked because the head of the screw was gone and pressure was off the threads. My tools of choice were a small, straight bladed jeweler's screw driver or a scratch awl. If you're lucky, the top of the broken screw is uneven with some nubs that let you work the screw loose with your tool of choice. Just be patient and I'll bet you get them out. Sometimes, on an old, dirty typewriter, it would need to soak over night.

If you do have to drill it out, I had a small jeweler's punch that I'd use to put a dimple in the EXACT center of the screw. This would help keep the drill bit from wandering. From my drill index, I'd select a bit that was the same or very slightly smaller size of the shaft of the screw. Then, using a drill press or hand held drill, I'd drill out the screw. You need to keep the drill bit totally centered and square to the screw, you can't have too much patience. If you do this right, you'll need to pick what remains of the screw threads and shaft out of the sight body threads. I was pretty good at this but never used it without exhausting other techniques first. If you have to drill, find something to practice with first. If you get off center or use too big of a bit, you'll trash the threads you need to save.