Hello,

I have inherited this model 28-2 6" highway patrol several years ago and now i want to put a rail on it to install a halo sight for hunting. I really dont want to put holes in the gun if i do i will send to SW. I spent hours reading here about mounts.

Its my understanding that be square makes a mount the attaches to the rear sights T sloght and the rearsight forward screw hole, I am not sure which one i need i think it is p/n 42405.B-Square Weaver-Style Scope Base S&W Post 93 K, L, N Frame Matte - MidwayUSA

I read both good and bad about them here.
M-29-4 and no gunsmith mount
Red Dot Site

what are your experience also im unsure of date of mfg on this gun is s/n is m2965XX

I have a 28-2 that is tapped under the rear sight, with the sight on you can only see the holes by looking up at the topstrap from the cylinder window, although I can see not drilling if you do not want to modify your 28. I also have one of the Aimtech mounts that were mentioned in the thread you linked. It seems well made, but I never used it I bought it for a cut barrel pre 29 that I had, but sold the gun. If you are interested in it pm me.

IMO, your best option is to have the frame drilled and tapped to the new mounting scheme. See the following link, it should provide some answers to your question.

Should I put a Pro-Point red dot on my 629 Classic?

Thanks for the link.
I have to say if my gun gets drilled and tapped it will be for JP system, unfortanitly i hadnt thought of spending that much.

I seen the aimtech do they cause any finish damage?

I come from missouri rifle hunting state, in ohio this will be my first year hunting here. alway wanted to hunt with pistol, looking to scope this gun rather than getting a slug gun, can get nice 870 for $450

So if theres a cheaper option than the JP that will likely be my route.

any Bsquare rail user out there?

I use the Weaver (#307, IIRC) mount on my older Smiths. They work great, no loosening over time, POI stays right-on 100%.

Pic of the setup on one of my model 14's:

Black_Talon

thanks for the info I looked it up on midwayusa it looks like the are for K&L frame and I have and N to best of my knowledge,

I way to much of a novice to know what frame type you have in that picture is it by chance an N

thanks Michael

If you go to Weaver's website and look under Mount Charts it shows a listing for N frames, 401 and 401S. Black Talon's M14 is a K frame.

If it were me, I would have the frame drilled and tapped on any gun which will be used with magnum ammo and I would pass on the no gunsmithing mount. I had an early M29-2 on which the portion of the frame where the barrel passes thru into the cylinder window was "chewed up" by a no gunsmith mount.

Just $0.02 worth of opinion.



Bruce

When I purchased my 617 used it came equipped with an Aimtech mount and a Laseraim Red Dot scope. That sideplate mount did leave some marks. It was also a package that weighed in a bit over 50 ounces.

After a bit I got tired of fighting the weight and took my gun into work where I used a vertical milling machine to drill and tap it to the new mounting system. At the same time I did the same operation to my 67-1. Now every single one of my Smiths are ready for a J Point when I can save up the scratch. While they aren't cheap, I don't think that there is a better sighting system available for our revolvers.

Not only do you lose a good bit of weight, you also get the offset from the barrel down to about 0.8 inch, which means that there isn't nearly as much sensitivty to distance due to the convergence between the barrel and the sight line. My 610 will hit within one inch of the dot from 25 feet out to 130 feet, which is as far as my old eyes can make out the 3/4 inch bullseye on a Shoot-n-c. On my 617 I currently have a somewhat tall Sightmark Reflex rail mounted and the result is a 2.4 inch offset from the barrel. With the 617 sighted in at 100 feet, it shoots 4 inches low at 25 feet. While part of that divergence in POI is due to the ballistics of the 22LR from a 6 inch barrel, about 2 inches of it is due to the offset alone. Once I get another J Point for the 617 I'll take the time to determine the optimum sighting distance for that one and hopefully get the POI within about 1.5 inches at a reasonable range of distances.

One other plus is that to get a holster for the 610 all I had to do was purchase a 60 dollar "off the rack" Galco OWB retention holster and spend about 5 minutes whittling on it with an Exacto knife to provide clearance for the sight. When I was poking around the net for a scope ready holster for the 617 the prices seemed to start at around 175 dollars and went up from there.

Scooter123

I like the Jp mount and sight I think Im going to order the JP base and a $7 weaver base check out hole location and drill and tap if the holes will work out for both, currently I cant afford/justifie that jp sight though.

I happen to have access to a machinist and a bridgeport. and have scoped somr mausers before. so it no big deal I dont have a gunsmith that i trust yet or i would let him do it.

thanks Michael

If you're going to do this operation you're going to need to purchase a #6-48 tap because that is the thread that S&W now uses and it's what will be supplied with any mount you purchase. It's not a standard thread pitch, it's in the Extra Fine series and the taps aren't cheap or easy to find in a harware store. Best and least expensive source will be Brownell's, where they run about 23 dollars. I would also suggest purchasing a 0.119 diameter ream to insure that the hole size and condition is perfect prior to tapping the frame because taps this small are VERY EASY to break off in the hole.

Now for the dimensions for the pattern used on the newer guns. BTW, these dimension were determined by measuring my 610 using gage pins and a height gage, so they are spot on for being workable but may deviate by as much as 0.010 inch from what S&W's blueprints for these guns may list. All dimensions are from the vertical face of the notch cut into the top strap that the adjustable sight nests into. The dimension for the front hole is 1.775 inch from that face to center. The dimension for the middle hole is 1.175 inch from that face to center. The dimension for the rear hole is 0.510 inch from that face to center.

When I did my 617 and 67, I split a soft pine 2 x 4, milled the 2 halves to equal thickness, then used a 3/4 inch ball end mill to groove the pine about 1/8 inch deep. These became my soft jaws and allowed me to clamp the barrel level and square in a vise on the mill for the drilling and tapping operations. Having a DRO on the mill and zeroing it on the reference face made it real easy to place the holes perfectly.

BTW, I used the mill in neutral with the tap chucked up for the tapping operation and spun it by hand with lots of back and forth to break the chips. Break a tap this small off in a hole and it's about 100 dollars to have the remnants EDM machined out of the hole.