Model 1901 Krag rear sight adjustments was not so precise until civilian riflemen created a device which could raise or lower the sight elevation in half minute increments.

There were three popular types for the Krag. Sold by P J O'Hare a well know shooter and vendor. 100 years after there invention, vintage rifle shooters still know them as "O'Hare Sight Micrometers".

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I bought two of these way back in the day.

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Thanks 'Cat Man' for starting this thread and sharing your neat photo.

The late Joe DeChristopher use to list some of the O'Hare sight devices (mainly for the 1903 Springfield) in his catalog.

Pictured item #5 is for the U.S. Krag rifle.

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[quote author=02342D3124312433410 link=1588016683/1#1 date=1588083011]I bought two of these way back in the day.

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I bought mine from Ray-Vin, I see he is retired and selling out what little he has left in stock.  Glad I got mine back in the day...

I bought mine from Ray-Vin too.  Those were to only two places I could find pics of the micrometer.

I think he has been retired for five or so years.

Now to get one of the fancy smokers just in case I get a rifle that I need to blacken the sights.

The micrometers will also work on a Krag as well as a Buffington trapdoor sight

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'HeyJoe' - Beautiful items & photo!

The British had similar precision sight adjusters:

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Here are two more views of the rear sight micrometers for more detail.

The one in the center is imported from England as seen in the lower corner. PJ O'Hare imported a number of target shooting items that were identified with his logo. Bill Brophy referred to that micrometer as a "Convoy" Micrometer in this Krag book?

The Ideal Model cost less but was a bit more difficult to use. They all require about three hands to use them effectively when shooting prone with a good tight sling while the clock is running on the firing line.

The other O'Hare micrometer in the collection is vintage ex military rifle team property. It has been twice marked and numbered "USCG #24". 

As a long time target shooter, I like collecting these crazy little marksmanship items.

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P.J. O'Hare catalog NO.8 ,no date, lists the micrometer for $5.00,  the sight cover for $1.00.  If in a "special hurry" your payment and order could be sent by telegraph.  We're not that much quicker today.

Some wonderful stuff!

I have to ask. Were these simply precision/adjustable gauges that helped finesse a sight-setting and return to a 'recorded' setting ... or ... do some models remain attached to a sight to add micro-adjustment for elevation?

butlersrangers wrote on Apr 29^th, 2020 at 11:55pm:

Some wonderful stuff! I have to ask. Were these simply precision/adjustable gauges that helped finesse a sight-setting and return to a 'recorded' setting ... or ... do some models remain attached to a sight to add micro-adjustment for elevation?

The micrometer is placed on the sight and used as a precision gauge to make small elevation changes between shots. After making the sight change the binding screw on the elevation slide is tightened and the micrometer is removed and set aside.

The earlier square imported version has no click adjustments but has a vernier scale on the side. The later O'Hare features click adjustment detents which is the "easiest" to use and became "the standard" for riflemen shooting the M1903 on the range.

The micrometers were easily lost on the firing line.  [smiley=sad.gif] The standard remedy was to tie a spare GI boot lace to the knob on the micrometer and secure the other end of the cord or lace through a button hole on shirt or jacket. Sometimes seen in vintage range photos if you look close.

Culpeper wrote on Apr 29^th, 2020 at 6:05am:

I bought mine from Ray-Vin too.  Those were to only two places I could find pics of the micrometer. I think he has been retired for five or so years. Now to get one of the fancy smokers just in case I get a rifle that I need to blacken the sights.

Looks like some guy blacked those front sights for you guys last time. Maybe we need a small arms firing school just for the Krag shooters before the next  Roosevelt match?

Paul could organize that.

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There ya go confusin' everyone with facts!   Fer Shame.  naughty naughty.

It was the other guy!  Really!  HE needed to blacken my rifle.  Not I needed to blacken my rifle.  Well , I just had to let him do it for me since I was an innocent and pure and modest first time CP shooter.  And... And..

Anyone buying this?   > crickets chirping <  Hello?  Anybody there?

::)  :D

Comments by Dr. Hudson (1903) regarding sight verniers/micrometers:

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Townsend Whelen views, circa 1909:

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Whelen's text regarding sight-micrometers:

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Whelen pointed out a further advantage of sight-micrometers.

He also gave Dr. Hudson's volatile recipe for dirty soldiers, like Culpeper, who 'blacken' their sights.

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Here is a source for Suggestions to Military Riflemen and other classics


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O'Hare also offered parts to add to '03 windage adjustment screw and wheel that give 1 MOA detent clicks.  Cost was $2.00.  That would be nice to have

I saw this over on CMP.

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Culpeper wrote on Apr 30^th, 2020 at 8:12pm:

There ya go confusin' everyone with facts!   Fer Shame.  naughty naughty. It was the other guy!  Really!  HE needed to blacken my rifle.  Not I needed to blacken my rifle.  Well , I just had to let him do it for me since I was an innocent and pure and modest first time CP shooter.  And... And.. Anyone buying this?   > crickets chirping <  Hello?  Anybody there? ::)  :D

The "Other Guy" just ordered a fresh can of Calcium Carbide. Just about ran out from being asked by other vintage shooters to blacken their sights on their vintage rifles.

Helping target shooters new and old for 50 years! Our junior shooters firing fancy scoped AR15's tell me my shooting kit is a Vintage Collectible. Ya that's a younger me at Camp Perry in 1974.

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[quote author=1D2B322E3B2E3B2C5E0 link=1588016683/19#19 date=1588398461]I saw this over on CMP.

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I guess the days of picking them out of the Miscellaneous junk box at a gun show for $5 are over :(

Cat Man wrote on May 2^nd, 2020 at 2:18pm:

The "Other Guy" just ordered a fresh can of Calcium Carbide. Just about ran out from being asked by other vintage shooters to blacken their sights on their vintage rifles. Helping target shooters new and old for 50 years! Our junior shooters firing fancy scoped AR15's tell me my shooting kit is a Vintage Collectible. Ya that's a younger me at Camp Perry in 1974.

Hey, hey, hey!  I wasn't naming names here.  You should have said something I have a whole can of calcium carbide from Lehmans just waiting to be put in water.  However being stuck in Africa for next couple of months precludes me from using any of it. 

And in case I didn't say it too often or at all thank you for helping out a new guy at Camp Perry.

Yeah.  I agree about cheap things.  Everybody, thanks to the internet, is chasing after finite resources of which shooting items are part.

So is there any way to make a D2 street legal?  I want to get a used one for grocery shopping.  Just short trips back on forth.

My parents were from a Northern Michigan Mining Town. My Grand-fathers were Copper Miners.

Although, Battery Lamps had been in use since the 1930's, the local hardware stores in the Keweenaw Peninsula still had old inventory Miner's Lamps into the 1960's.

I've had this stuff for a long time.

My 'Grampa' showed me how to check the 'drip' from the top water tank and clean the 'jet' with a wire. Once assembled with carbide in the bottom tank and the water valve 'ON', you could smell the acetylene gas start.

Cup your hand over the reflector and trap some gas. Quickly swipe the meaty part of your palm across the 'flint-wheel' and 'POP' .... blinding light! Regulate the flame with the water flow valve.

BTW - If you don't use one of these every day, the working parts get very corroded from the caustic slurry in the bottom tank. It is easy to understand why they went out of fashion in 'shooting kits'.
If you want to buy a used one, take off the bottom tank and check the rubber-seal, function of the valve-parts, check for tank cracks and corrosion.

The lamp soot is the ultimate sight-blacking!

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