Hello All! I bought this model 19-3 a couple of months ago and I have this concern thats been nagging me. The gun is otherwise in good condition EXCEPT that to me it looks like the front sight may have been filed down. The top of the sight has what looks like file marks on it and the blueing looks like a cold blue. I've added some pics to show you what I mean...Also the height of the sight blade to the flat step is .146in.If it has been altered my first question is why would someone do that and second can I send this gun back to Smith and Wesson to have it refurbed back to original condition? Thanks for your help!

Rick

Attached Images

	model 19.jpg (96.1 KB, 194 views)
	model 19-2.jpg (149.1 KB, 216 views)
	model 19-1.jpg (197.9 KB, 177 views)

Maybe I'm missing something, but it looks as it should to me. Just the normal patridge front sight.

I would not be concerned.

Nice M-19 by the way...........just shoot it and enjoy.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

Thanks Don, I'm definitly going to be shooting this one!...I wondered if the color difference on the top of the front sight was just the blueing rubbed off...I wish I had another model 19 to measure the hight of the front sight and see if they matched.. Thanks!

Rick

I have a 19-3 with 6" barrel. I measured the front blade by eyeballing a measureing tape and the rear of the blade is about 3/16s from the top of the ramp. It slopes just a little to the front. Do not see any kind of marks on top of the blade. Hope this helps.

I just measured the height of my Model 19-3, made in 1976. It measured approximately .2", base to top. Mine is smooth, and flat black in color.

Thanks guys!...its sounding like this may have been filed down then....the measurement you guys got is alot higher than the .146 that I got on mine....so the next question is would S&W replace the sight with the correct one?

Rick

Rick, it does appear to have been filed a bit, but it may have been necessary to bring the gun to zero. Have you fired it?

If it works with the loads you use, you could re-shape it slightly to make it appear more similar to the factory profile. If it is too low, it is a simple matter to replace it. The factory can send you a new blade and pin (hopefully they have still them), and you should just be able to tap the old one out and install the new one. A little care must be used in drilling. Most do it from both sides, just to be safe.

If you use a dome-headed pin, you can leave it that way and avoid any need to re-blue the barrel. (That is, if you are satisfied with the looks of a dome-headed pin, as opposed to the flush-finished one the gun came with originally.)

I think this front sight may be all of one piece with the barrel and rib. If so, changing this one would probably involve milling off the old blade, cutting a slot in the sight base and pinning a new blade in place, if the factory would even tackle the job.

I'd agree with Don, shoot it and see if it prints too high with the loads you'd like to use. If not, but the look still really bothers you, personally I'd sell this one and buy another 6" 19 instead of paying for the gunsmithing job.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I would suggest a session of bench shooting before thinking about sending it in. It's quite possible that you may find the rear sight has enough adjustment that it won't matter. As for why someone would file it down, my best guess is that it was once owned by a long distance shooter who wanted to be able to shoot at 100 yards without any holdover.

Thanks again guys! I havent shot it yet, but tomorrow I will head down to my range and see where it shoots...its really hard to tell if it has a pinned front sight or not as I havent been able to see any evidence of the pin...are they usually real hard to see?....at the front of the sight there is a crease between the sight blade and the base....so maybe it is a pinned sight...either way if it shoots alright I may just keep it and shoot it and buy another 19-3 for a collection gun..

Rick

Rick, this should be a pinned front sight. Yes, the pins can be very hard to see because they are sometimes polished completely even with the sight ramp (this happens while the blueing is being polished to the beautiful blue luster it has). You may need to place the barrel/sight under a bright light and use a magnifiying glass to see the pins.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

I believe the front sight was filed down a bit to zero the revolver. The front sight blade should be pinned to the ramp with a single pin although it may be hard to see. You could have the blade replaced with a red ramp or a new Patridge blade.

Bill

Thanks a bunch Doc..it looks like from alot of the comments here that the sight has been altered...I would at some time like to restore the sight back to original configuration since the rest of the gun is in pretty good condition...the question is should I send it back to S&W for this or have someone else do it..I am a custom knifemaker so I have all the metal working tools and machines to do it but I dont have the knowledge (which is the most important to have) so I'm more inclined to send it to experts ie S&W ....what do you think would be the best course of action? or should I just leave it as is? Thanks for everyones help!!

Rick

what do you think would be the best course of action? or should I just leave it as is? Thanks for everyones help!!

If that gun hits where you aim , you will be glad somebody did the file work for you . I'll bet it shoots as good a it looks , I think you are just going to get happier everytime you shoot it .

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Idaho , Elmer and Milt

Well, I finally went down to my range and fired this gun and it consistantly shot about 6 inches high at 25 yards...so it looks like I will need to get a new partridge blade for it or just send it in to get changed out...Thanks again everyone!

Rick

What ammo are you using? It should regulate at that distance with full house 158 gr. loads. Lighter loads will print lower.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Rhind64: That front blade has been altered. S&W Patridge sights are cut with the top being parallel to the barrel. As I see it from your photo, the top surface slopes slightly to the rear. That is undesirable since the shooter will then see that sloping surface. Glare could be picked up under certain conditions. When I replaced blades like that I slightly sloped the top towards the front of the gun. The presentation is then very sharp and clean to the eye.

If you replace with a ramped front sight blade make sure that the serrations are as fine as possible; again to combat the possibility of picking up 'glare' at the wrong time. ........... Big Cholla