The early -3 pinned guns used a pinned in front sight with a pin polished flush and bead blasted to conceal the pin.
Earlier guns used front sights forged with the barrel, and S&W wanted to ease the gun buyer into the idea of a separate sight blade.
Later in production, no attempt was made to conceal the pin.
If you look closely at the pinned-type sight blade, you can detect a gap between the blade and the barrel ramp.
If you see no gap at all anywhere around the blade, its forged with the barrel.
The concealed pin can be difficult to detect. You may need a magnifier to spot it.
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