The Winchester Model 1894 and the Lyman No. 2 tang sight make one of the all-time great iron-sighted rifle combinations.

The Model 35, for example, was made for the original Mauser 98 and fastened to the bolt stop on the left side using the bolt stop’s own screw. It’s as if Lyman’s engineers took every good idea they ever had and incorporated them all into one sight.

There is a vernier adjustment with movable elevation marker, a quick-release lever to allow the sight stem to be removed, and a setting pin that ensures it returns to zero when you reinstall it. Instead of screw-in apertures, it has a flip-up aperture with a smaller opening for long range.

The sight dispenses with a knurled knob for windage adjustments and uses a discreet folding key. I’ve tried to estimate what such a sight would cost today. If you could have it made at all, it would probably approach $500.

On my hunt, I loaded the Uberti High Wall with 500-grain lead bullets. We crawled, crept and bluffed our way to within 75 yards of the bison, holding spare rounds between the fingers and cradling the rifle in the rawhide sling of our homemade shooting sticks. A wind from the high mesa whipped the grass and swirled the snow.

The bull stood his ground and dared us to come closer. With the sticks and the open sights, I was just able to make out where I wanted the bullet to go and put it there. He staggered and dropped. Except for Cape buffalo, it was the first big game animal I had taken with open sights in many years. It probably won’t be the last.