Help- Rear Sight Questions

sfcjcl · #1 08-14-2018, 09:29 AM

I posted earlier this year about my 629-6 Classic Deluxe that I purchased. I was showing it off to some other shooters at the range and one gentleman was amazed and excited that I had a V Notched Rear Sight for an N frame and a Bomar Rear Silhouette Rear Sight. I had assumed that these were aftermarket purchase made by the original owner. But, after reading the “bible”, Standard Catalog of S&W 4th edition, I not so sure. I am having trouble finding mention of a V notch micrometer adjustable rear sight and find the only mention of the Bomar on page 57.
So to the fellow members of this forum who were shooting Model 629’s around 2004, when my pistol shipped, was a V notch and the Bomar available accessories at that time????

sfcjcl · #2 08-14-2018, 09:33 AM

Here are some shots

k22fan · #3 08-14-2018, 10:15 AM

Since the mid 1990s S&W has been selling some models with the V notch combined with a large dot front as their standard sights. The V notch combined with a fiber optic front was standard on many models. The best known examples might be the Night Guard series of about a half dozen models that combined the V notch with a large tritium dot front sight.

The large V notch combined with a large bead is specialized for fast snap shooting. The set up was most famously used on large rifles for defense from charging large African animals. That's why S&W put them on short barreled revolvers and revolvers that were marketed for modern matches in which competitors draw from the holster and their time is a very important part of their score. In most of our local matches a competitor's score is their time in seconds plus bad points for shots outside the best scoring rings, penalty points etc. A second is a point. Lowest point total wins. While they are not the predominant style, some competitors use a V notch and fiber optic front.

However, V notch rear blades contradict the purpose 629 DXs were made for. Shooting fast and sloppy will not hit metallic silhouettes and only rarely will it be accurate enough for hunting. Consequently, V notch rear sights were not standard with Model 629 DXs.

I have never heard of S&W supplying Bo-Mar sights on revolvers. They were too expensive. However, as with all things S&W we've learned to never say S&W never did something.

sfcjcl · #4 08-14-2018, 10:45 AM

Great information on the V notch, though I wasn’t aware it was shipped on N Frame.
On the Bomar, that’s still a question, considering it’s mentioned in the “bible”.
Thank you for the info.

Kernel Crittenden · #5 08-14-2018, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfcjcl

Great information on the V notch, though I wasn’t aware it was shipped on N Frame.... .

Do you have the box for this revolver?

Kernel Crittenden · #6 08-14-2018, 02:20 PM

Underneath, does the top strap have the normal 4-hole layout? Are there extra, or missing, mounting holes?

sfcjcl · #7 08-14-2018, 06:47 PM

And there are no extra holes, tag picture attached

BLUEDOT37 · #8 08-15-2018, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k22fan

The best known examples might be the Night Guard series of about a half dozen models that combined the V notch with a large tritium dot front sight.

Actually the Night Gurads all had Cylinder & Slide Extreme Duty fixed rear sights, all with "U" notches. The round Trijicon front sight was aligned in the bottom of the U-notch for proper sighting.

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396NG, C&S U-notch rear sight
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k22fan · #9 08-15-2018, 12:13 PM

BLUEDOT37,
Thanks for the correction. I never did handle a Night Guard. I've long thought the 315NG would make a great adjustable sighted model 12 and might buy one but I've never seen one. I'd swap the sights. I settled for an aluminum/scandium titanium cylindered L frame .357 Model 386-something or other.

A couple of local competitors have factory installed v notch and fiber optic fronts on 8 shot 627s. I have them on a 3" 66-6 that I think was made in the first few years after 2000.

BLUEDOT37 · #10 08-16-2018, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k22fan

BLUEDOT37,
I never did handle a Night Guard. I've long thought the 315NG would make a great adjustable sighted model 12 and might buy one but I've never seen one. I'd swap the sights.

That was my thinking too. I never saw the sense in having a night sight on the front but none on the back.

(FYI: I the 3rd paragraph of the original news release for the 325NG stated that it'd have a fixed C&S rear sight with two Tritium dots. I'm guessing that really made them (more) expense & they didn't do it, only the front.)

I've been slowly converting my NGs to red ramp front sight (night sight is dead anyway) & adjustable rear sight with white outline. Got all the parts, just lacking some motivation.

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325NG News Release - 2008

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