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I have the best little brush gun ever, a Handi Rifle in .45/70. I love it, but my 50+ year old eyes aren't as accommodating with those leaf/bead combination anymore! I'm trying to figure out what alternative sights would keep it lightweight, low profile, and shock-proof (that cartridge likes to buck a little in that short barrel). I thought about Skinner sights, but that's kinda the same problem then. A red-dot? A holo? Maybe someone makes a fiber optic that can take the recoil? Paint the sights with tritium? Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

Peep sights are a marked improvement over leaf rear sights provided the peep is mounted correctly. I had the same issues with a couple of lever actions and found peeps to be a very good alternative. I even changed from a 1-4x scope to a receiver sight on a Marlin 336 rifle (not carbine) as the peep was so much handier.

A reciever sight would also be pretty unobtrusive compared to a red dot or even a holo-sight. I suspect a receiver sight would also be more rugged unless one hit at least a couple hundred bucks. Compared to a red dot, I would go with a lower powered scope when replacing leaf sights as I find a scope to be brighter that a red dot in low light.

The negative I had with peep sights has been the need to often change out the front sight with a taller one. I have rarely had an original front sight match up with a peep. There have been some but they have been the minority.

Thanks Smurfman!
I'm only familiar with the older Williams ones (didn't Lyman make some?) I think Williams had the rear ghost ring and the front globe with inserts. I assume that's what you're talking about, in which case that's a great idea (unobtrusive, somewhat low profile, accurate) Am I right in thinking you were talking Williams? Or is there another manufacturer I'm not aware of?

I was thinking of the receiver sights that use the standard front sight rather than the globe. Redfield, Lyman, Williams, Skinner, and Marble are just a few manufacturers I can think of at the moment. I have used all the above other than Skinner which is actually a remake/improvement of a model by an earlier company.

I see that NoDakSpud has rear sights for Handi Rifles. I've been pleased with the NDS sights on a 10/22.

While a peep is better than buckhorn or leaf sights as far as speed and aging eyes, it still does require focusing at 2 distances (instead of 3). A fiber optic is not delicate to recoil- but they can be delicate to the environment around them, if you have a hood or ears for the sight, it's pretty tough.

The peep sight does have similar delicacy issues to a reflex type red dot.

It really depends on what your goal is. A gun you use pretty regularly or is a range gun, I'd be inclined to put a reflex red dot on it. They are light and about as fast as you can get. They are as accurate as any iron sight set up for general purpose use. If it's potentially used in low light or night, in critical applications, I'd get the trijicon RMR with the tritium source. No battery to worry about. That's what I ended up putting on my .470 NE for big stuff up close.

If it's a truck gun that will sit a lot, a set of protected peep irons that are not adjustable (target) sights are a great option in that they always are "on" and as long as they are not in direct contact with the environment, will stay where you set them.

The price for good ghost ring irons isn't that much less than a cheap reflex red dot sight now days, and even the cheap reflex (not tube type) sights are pretty recoil resistant due to their very light weight. A NEF isn't likely to have a wide selection of mounting hardware, so that would be what I check first if I was in your position.

I am looking at the back side of 68 and am blind as a bat without my glasses (tri-focals). Have moved from open sites to Red Dots and Scopes on everything except my handguns.

I like the Burris FastFire 3. It is light, has variable settings (one which automatically adjusts to the surrounding light). You can get by with a short scope mount, it comes with a protective cover that you don't have to remove to use the sight. I don't believe you will have an issue with the 45-70 recoil effecting the site. Has good battery life & batteries easy to replace without removing the site from the gun, just carry a spare battery or two in your hunting pack or range bag.

Just one old guys opinion...
DonT