It is a bit of a saga.

I need to put my Model 19 into carry duty until I find a Ruger GP100 3" to purchase.

I was told by a friend that the S&W adjustable rear sight on my 19 is not good for carry - too delicate. He recommends installing a Bowen Rough Country.

I have seen a lot of S&W revolvers thru the years with adjustable sights being carried. This make me question the delicate comment.

I looked at the Bowen on their website. It's hard for me to tell if it is a "more rugged" unit.

Now to the questions:

Are the S&W adjustable sights really delicate ? The unit will be in a Simply Rugged Holster which does rise above the sight on both sides and front.

Does anyone have experience with the Bowen Rough Country sight ? Do you consider it more rugged than the S&W ?

The S&W adjustable sight has worked fine for a hundred years or so. If the gun is dropped on a hard surface, it can bend or break the sight leaf. They are pretty rugged, but not indestructible. Fixed sights are toughest. The BRC is tougher than the S&W.

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I think the way the Bowen sight is designed the blade is more protected, but whack it hard enough it'll break too. I wouldn't worry about your rear sight during CCW, I never had an issue with any of mine.
That being said, I'm currently putting together my ultimate carry revolver and will be using the Cylinder & Slide fixed rear sight. They typically work fine with the S&W front sight, but mine will be getting a Novak dovetail front as well. I like the C&S fixed for durability, and it's easy enough to dial it in for your particular load.

Thanks for the info fellows. I think I'm going to stay with the S&W sight. This is my shooter 19 but I like to keep units as close to original as possible.

The holster is on it's way back from my son's. I remember it covers the sides and front of the sight pretty well.

Your friend is wrong. Just ask the tens of thousands of law enforcement officers that carried model 15s, 19s, 66s, and 686s.

As I mentioned earlier, I've seen many guys with revolvers. I think all the Smith's I remember specifically had adjustable sights.

The other thing I remember is the sights were always above the top of the holster. I like the Simply Rugged design which covers the sight.