S&W adjustable revolver rear sights - designed to cause insanity or coincidence?

[SWOH]

I removed the beat up rear blade of my 696 and that went fine until the plunger and spring went into orbit. That was unfortunate, but I came prepared with a number of plungers and springs pre-purchased for just this event. That said, I have a really fine tweezer that I have used to assemble and load these into the windage screw, but I see no good way to get the plunger to compress enough to be held by the blade assembly to facilitate sliding the whole shebang into the rear sight body and I lost another plunger as it bounced off my glasses. I just don't have the coordination to use a laminate insurance ID card as a shim to push this down while turning the screw so it advances to catch the plunger.

Any tips? I'm about to invent several new cuss words for the English language.

 

[arjay]

I haven't a clue,but I have several tiny springs waiting for my next feeble attempt to assemble that ridiculous sear in my old gold cup lol

 

[SWOH]

I just watched Larry Potterfield do it on a Midway video, but it seemlessly skipped past this step after getting the screw aligned and the spring/plunger assembly inserted into the screw - like it just magically goes in. I think the suggestion of a large clear plastic bag over the pistol in the comments section for the video may help - this is the most obvious difficulty most posters had.

 

[schutz5]

Plus have a bunch of magnetic plates around the floor of that plastic tent!

 

[SWOH]

I just bought a magnetic sweeper for those - I have five more before I'm SOL. I just knew this was going to be a bitch seeing how tiny the parts were.

 

[squidsix]

This is why the entire rear sight assembly is available and more costly.
I hang my head in shame, but I have handed that job to a pro each time.

 

[VictorLouis]

Your post is a solid reminder why the $20 I paid the gunsmith to do the blade replacement was A STEAL-of-a-DEAL.

 

[Greyman50]

Using a Large Clear plastic storage container with soft cloth taped to insides works.

 

[AzShooter]

I do all the work were parts can fly away in a large plastic bag like you get from the laundry.

It fits my vice and gun and I can see what I'm doing. It's saved me a number of plungers and springs for my 1911. It's also great when taking apart a new gun for those surprise small parts that want to jump out.

 

[black1970]

The rear adjustable sights on Smith and Wesson's need re-engineering. Have for years. JM2CW

 

[KAC]

My method: First, I install the windage screw into the sight slide until the hole for the spring and detent is beside the sight slide. Second, I place the spring and detent into the windage screw. Third, I rotate the screw until the detent is against the sight slide. Fourth, using my thumbnail, I depress the detent and rotate the screw to place the detent under the sight slide. Fifth, slide the assembled pieces into the sight body.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I've done a lot of them. I take the sight off the gun and clamp it in a small bench vise. It's a lot easier (for me) to deal with like that. I unscrew the nut and re use the same screw and nut. It comes off fairly easy if not staked on too hard. Then turn the screw so the plunger is captured under the sight blade. Slide the blade/screw assy. out, take it apart, then reassemble like KAC said above. The trick is to use the sight blade to capture the plunger and spring going in and out, and get your hands with the sight blade in a clear plastic bag when releasing or capturing the plunger.

 

[SWOH]

This is why the entire rear sight assembly is available and more costly.
I hang my head in shame, but I have handed that job to a pro each time.

Out of stock everywhere I've seen and I'm sure one with a .126 W/O blade is going to be harder to find. Otherwise, I would've bought one.

 

[SWOH]

My method: First, I install the windage screw into the sight slide until the hole for the spring and detent is beside the sight slide. Second, I place the spring and detent into the windage screw. Third, I rotate the screw until the detent is against the sight slide. Fourth, using my thumbnail, I depress the detent and rotate the screw to place the detent under the sight slide. Fifth, slide the assembled pieces into the sight body.

I eventually got to that basic concept, but just not coordinated enough at this point to make it happen. In any case, I bought some large clear bags that will fit an entire Tipton vise inside.

 

[GypsmJim]

Plus have a bunch of magnetic plates around the floor of that plastic tent!

I have a magnet, but its always my luck that the parts I lose are SS.

 

[Laketime]

Do it in a plastic grocery bag so everything flies in there.

 

[ken158]

Get the plunger under the sight blade and let the blade hold it in place… No need for tools, plastic bags, magnets, etc…

 

[madmikeb]

I use an unsharpened pencil to compress the plunger then you can slide it right in. Saw this tip many years ago and it works! Put the plunger and spring into the screw, slide it to the edge of the sight body, compress it with the pencil and slide it the rest of the way.

 

[Green Frog]

Thirty five or forty years ago I had good vision and eye-hand coordination and stuck them in without thinking about it. Three or four decades later, after shooting a couple of springs and plungers across the room, I still haven't gotten one installed now that I need to again.

Froggie

 

[SWOH]

Get the plunger under the sight blade and let the blade hold it in place… No need for tools, plastic bags, magnets, etc…

That makes it sounds like it just magically happens - it hasn't, for me at least.