Three years ago, I inherited my Dad's win 94(30-30) and M-1 Garand before he passed. The old 94 is a beauty with the nickel plated receiver(dad had that done).
My question is, I would like to hunt with it again, but I need something better then open sights. My eyes are not young anymore. The opens sights are fine for paper punching but not much else. I'm looking for opinions? I do not like the look of a side mount scope. Thanks for your help. Sarge

Side mount scope works on them!

I would first say not to alter the 94 and keep it as your father upgraded it. In the options you gave I would recommend either a peep site, as the Finn Aagaard Ghost Ring with the center disc removed, worked for close work and the 30 30 is for close work.

Williams FP-94/36 Receiver Peep Sight Winchester Top Eject ...
The sight is marked with white tick marks for easy adjustments of both windage and elevation. Includes 1 aperture, which has an outside diameter of 3/8" and an inside diameter (peep size) of .093". The aperture is knurled for easy installation/removal.
[Search domain www.midwayusa.com] https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1005986748/williams


The next suggestion would be a barrel mount. This would be like a Scout rifle mount, and it would open things up for electronic sites and small older optics. I picked up a variable Tasco built for shotguns, that I mounted on a Remington 7600 carbine and it is simply sweet in how pretty it looks with that small front tube.

Pearson's No-Drill Winchester Rail Mount
Winchester 94 rail mount, lever action rifles, cowboy rifles, tactical cowboy rifles, Winchester 94, Winchester model 94, Winchester 30/30, Winchester 30-30 ...
[Search domain mod94scoperail.com] mod94scoperail.com/QA-FAQ.html

So much is lost on the 94 in side mounts and other obtrusive furniture that takes away from the beauty of John Browning's sleek design. I hope the suggestions give you something to think about, as I love my horrid looking 94 that I picked up for 90 bucks. It is one of my favorite hunting rifles.

Look at Skinner peep sights. Someone on TM recommended one to me. I still mean to order one though.

I installed a Lyman tang peep sight on mine years ago and love it. As star flakes said, its a close work gun and a peep sight works great for me in that situation. It also almost looks like it was meant to be that way, kinda old school look. JMO.

Yep, Lyman peep sight the way to go. Might have to replace the front sight with a higher blade.

Raised scope rings will also work. I believe I use a see thru mount and can choose between iron sights or the scope.

I have a mod 94 angle eject. I was pretty sure the older ones were not angle eject. I had a scope on mine with high see through rings that allowed the williams peep to be used, plus the scope if need be. The 94 needed to be drilled for the rings.

The casings cleared easily with the high rings, but is yours the ae? It may not be as I recall only the later ones were, but I could be wrong. I was told the non ae ones would not clear the casing, even with high rings.

That said, that scope is on another rifle, and it is very accurate, unlike the 94 which was minute of desert plate at 100. The 94 was new condition, and was chambered in .307.

Peep sight. Remove the disk aperture and it's a wicked setup for 100 yard gun.

If you don't mind a couple holes XS has a great "Ghost ring" setup that has a large easy to see front blade.
http://outfittersworld.com/xs-sight-syst...lack-wi-0012-5/

before you drill anything , look at the Marbles peep https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/si...1=MARBLE%2bARMS

it's worth the 20 dollars to try it , I have one and if my 30-30 wan't a Marlin and got the 5D williams peep it would have gotten one of these.

your eye looks through the sight and focuses on the front much better than the notch rear sight and it doesn't obscure the target

You don't mention exactly how old your father's Winchester 94 is, however - if it's old enough to be made prior to 1964, it is of better quality than post 64' Winchester 94's. Assuming it is a pre-64, I understand your dilemma of your eyes don't work so well with open (iron) sights, but I personally would not recommend you drill or tap this rifle in any form or fashion. Any mods will significantly reduce the value of this rifle.
That said, it's a family heirloom and you want to shoot it....and set it up to accommodate your eye sight anyway, there are some good recommendations already mentioned. Best wishes to you as you decide what is best for you to do.

Good ideas so far....cept no one mentioned a LER (long eye relief) scope, that goes in a mount that replaces the rear sight, ahead of the receiver.
They are no drill/tap mounts, and all you do is drift out the rear sight with your nylon or brass punch.

Personally, I'm a peep/ghost sight shooter.

What is the deal with your old eyes near-sighted or far-sighted?
Your focus should be on the front sight. The target should be somewhat blurred, as well as the rear sight.
If the stock rear sight is too blurry, a peep sight will work wonders for you. Your pupil, as weak as it may be, will automatically center itself in the rear peep no matter how blurry it may appear. You can play with aperture sizes until you get the best picture for you and your gun.
John Wayne never used a scope on his. Neither should anyone else IMHO.

As a lever shooter (Win 1895) glass on a lever is just plain unnatural. If aging eyes are the issue a good Lyman peep does wonders.

Thanks for all the replies. I have elected to go with the Pearson's No drill rail mount and a long relief scope. The rifle may be old, but it will never leave my cabinet, maybe to my brothers cabinet when I pass. Dad would want me to use it for what he intended for. Freezer stocker! Thanks again, Sarge

The nickel job messed up the value of this rifle technically, so that's a non issue at this point.

As good a plan as any Sarge! Now git-r-dialed in.