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DFW, Texas: M37 miracle trigger, iron sights, parts, and more!

4K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  rapidfire10ring 
#1 · (Edited)
A few weeks ago I purchased a box lot at a local DFW estate sale (offsite, not at the owner's house), and got a bit more than I expected.

Among the items in the box were the following:

1. A Model 37 rear peep sight, everything functioning and generally in very good condition.

2. A Model 37 "miracle trigger", condition same as above (as best I can tell without installing it into a gun).

3. A Vaver-marked front sight with a full set of 7 Wittek-marked apertures (size .070 to .136) and one yellow and one black annular insert, along with a "B" mount, 2 screws, and what looks like a home-made shim. Came in a Wittek box marked "35-EBB Detachable Barrel Band 7/8".

4. A Model 37 Front Guard Bow Screw, and a Front Guard Bow Nut.

5. An enormous front aperture sight, possibly homemade, 8" long x 1.25" OD, with two 1.0" diameter inserts. The dovetail mount has the radius cut on the left side (a hook), and is marked "Pat. 2,007,019", which is a Remington patent for a front globe sight. I'm guessing the prior owner cut off the original Rem 37 globe sight from its base, and welded this monster on top.

6. Two very vintage target cuff slings. The handmade cuffs seem to be the same manufacturer, but differ slightly from each other. The other end, with the hook which attaches at the rifle handstop swivel, includes leather covered (very stiff!) springs, and is marked "S.T.E. Co. 3500 W. Third St. Dayton, Ohio". For one, the strap which connects the cuff to the spring looks like part of an 1907-style sling, and is marked "HOYT 1918 J.J.M.". For the other, the connecting strap looks a lot like an old belt, with an unmarked silvery metal keeper and an Art-Deco style buckle marked "Giant Grip" and "French Silver Plate".

7. A homemade shooting box containing 8 rounds of .22LR ammo, with diamond headstamp (Winchester Western?).

8. An opened but full container of Hoppe's gun cleaning patches, with a label copyright 1937, marked 25 cents.

9. 3 pennies, one dated 1937, two dated 1944.

10. A copy of the 1946 NRA Rifle Classification, a booklet which lists names and average scores for people who qualified as Marksman and above in calendar year 1945 NRA smallbore tournaments.

So pretty obviously the prior owner had a Remington Model 37, probably took the sights off for a scope, and probably swapped out the trigger. I asked the estate sale guy to ask the family to contact me (he wouldn't give me their contact info), thinking that if they were willing to sell this lot, perhaps the associated gun might also be for sale. I'm more of a Win 52 guy, but I suppose I could try a Rem 37.:)

Anyway, I've been waiting for a couple weeks. There can't be that many Model 37's in DFW, so if somebody knows the one that this stuff belongs to, please PM me........

So while I'm waiting, a few questions:
1. If the rifle shows up, is there a way, without taking the action out of the stock, to tell what kind of aftermarket trigger might be installed? I.e., are there any telltale signs of Kenyon vs. Canjar vs. whatever?
2. Is there any way to test functioning of this miracle trigger without putting it in a gun?
3. Any thoughts on the ginormous front aperture sight? Compared to a Redfield Olympic front sight, this tube puts the aperture ~4 5/8" farther forward, which is a respectable lengthening of the sight radius.
4. Any thoughts on the cuff slings? I found one reference on RFC to an S.T.E. Co. sling on a Stevens rifle, but that's all. Today that address in Dayton is a small single family house!
5. According to a 1947 Vaver brochure, front sight model # W-11-AT is for the Win 52, whereas model # W-11-BT is for the Rem 37. My sight has no model number marking, however the base is marked "B", with a CtC hole spacing of 0.55". I have seen photos of the W-11-AT, and this looks different, so perhaps it's the W-11-BT? The other oddity is that the aperture holder is only marked Wittek, and has only 7 apertures, whereas all the others I've seen are marked Vaver, and have 8 apertures. I know that the rear sights had only 7 apertures, but I don't think these are for rear sights.

Thanks for any input!
 

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#6 · (Edited)
I really don't think these are rear apertures.

1. The apertures (and the annular inserts) fit the front sight perfectly.

2. The apertures don't have the screwdriver slot typical of rear apertures.

3. I have measured the aperture diameter as best I can with my digital caliper, and the readings are consistent with the diameters marked on the base plate.

4. On the Wittek-marked base plate, the 7 aperture diameters are given as .070, .080, .093, .101, .111, .120, and .136. The Vaver-marked 8 aperture front sight sets I have seen have all the same diameters, plus .146.

5. Here's a previous discussion describing the front & rear Vaver inserts, indicating that the rear had a different thread diameter, and that the rear aperture diameters are .031, .040, .046, .060, .070, .080, and .093:
https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums//showthread.php?p=9966802&&styleid=21

I don't have a copy of Stroebel's "Old Gunsights" book, but I understand that "The Vaver sight company was purchased by the Wittek Manufacturing Company of Chicago in the late 20's or early 30's and continued in business until the early 50's."
See: https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96407

So it seems that the apertures I have are indeed front apertures, and on the proper base plate, but that they were either issued as a separate Wittek brand, although largely identical to the Vaver-branded apertures (seems less likely), or perhaps they pre-date the merger (seems more likely).

As I said, it's an oddity.

EDIT: Perhaps not odd, but just less common. Here's a recent example from Ebay which looks identical (albeit in need of cleaning!):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-Wittek-peep-sight-aperture-assortment-7-on-orig-bar-/254000688888
 
#7 ·
I really don't think these are rear apertures.

1. The apertures (and the annular inserts) fit the front sight perfectly.

2. The apertures don't have the screwdriver slot typical of rear apertures.

3. I have measured the aperture diameter as best I can with my digital caliper, and the readings are consistent with the diameters marked on the base plate.

4. On the Wittek-marked base plate, the 7 aperture diameters are given as .070, .080, .093, .101, .111, .120, and .136. The Vaver-marked 8 aperture front sight sets I have seen have all the same diameters, plus .146.

5. Here's a previous discussion describing the front & rear Vaver inserts, indicating that the rear had a different thread diameter, and that the rear aperture diameters are .031, .040, .046, .060, .070, .080, and .093:
https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums//showthread.php?p=9966802&&styleid=21

I don't have a copy of Stroebel's "Old Gunsights" book, but I understand that "The Vaver sight company was purchased by the Wittek Manufacturing Company of Chicago in the late 20's or early 30's and continued in business until the early 50's."
See: https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96407

So it seems that the apertures I have are indeed front apertures, and on the proper base plate, but that they were either issued as a separate Wittek brand (although largely identical) from the Vaver-branded apertures, or perhaps they pre-date the merger.

As I said, it's an oddity.
I think you're correct - I checked my front and rear sets and there is no way to thread a front aperture into the holes on a rear base plate. Too big.
 
#9 ·
Parts

So I'm new here and I don't mean to hijack the thread. I recently purchased a pristine M37 barreled action thinking I would piece a 37 together. Well........ it's not as easy as I thought it would be. After 4 months of searching I found a great stock that was set up to be a single shot only model. Now I am looking for the trigger guard and mounting hardware as well as the front swivel guide and a single shot mag adapter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
#10 ·
So I'm new here and I don't mean to hijack the thread. I recently purchased a pristine M37 barreled action thinking I would piece a 37 together. Well........ it's not as easy as I thought it would be. After 4 months of searching I found a great stock that was set up to be a single shot only model. Now I am looking for the trigger guard and mounting hardware as well as the front swivel guide and a single shot mag adapter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Steve Earle makes the single shot loading platform. $95 as opposed to $300 for the ones that pop up on ebay.

http://www.steveearleproducts.com/assorted things.htm
 
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