Front sight red insert benefit?

[jschmidt]

Since we're talking color choices, consider the terrain you live. If it is largely broadleaf trees, don't pick a green. Even blue might not be distinct enough. Out here in the desert no brown or close to brown, like dark red

 

[chief38]

I've gravitated away from cutting a dovetail into the front sight in favor for Testor's brand of model paint. The paint allows you to choose a plethora of colors, shades and blends and is easily removable should you want to do so. Under normal use, the Testor's lasts pretty much forever.

I'd highly recommend 3 light coats versus one heavy coat. Apply it with a wooden toothpick after cleaning the front sight with Alcohol or Acetone and only do the same exact area that would normally have a dovetailed in insert. Let each coat dry at least 24 hours before applying the next one. Do not fret any extra paint on the sides - remove it with a new sharp razor blade when dry. IMHO, this is a much better option to cutting the front sight blade which is obviously permanent.

 

[rosewood]

Thanks guys. You have answered my question. Was wondering the purpose/value and seems it was likely one person at S&W many moons ago that thought it was a good idea. They have since moved on to other options.

Rosewood

 

[mikerjf]

I’ll add one comment to chief38’s post above… putting Scotch tape on each side of the sight makes cleanup a snap. Just trim close to the sight profile with nail scissors or similar.

 

[rosewood]

Does any one know where i can purchase a red or orange insert for a s&w 65 the sight is milled already just want to change the inset already on the gun. I want to BUY one not do it myself thanks

I don't think they are for sale. They are cast in the sight. I bought some casting resin from Hobby Lobby and some dye but didn't like how it hardened. I ended up using some quik setting clear epoxy and used the dye to color it. Dammed around the sight with masking tape, then filled the slot with the colored epoxy using toothpicks to drop it. Let it set, trimmed off excess and let it dry for a couple of days, turned out just like factory.

Rosewood

 

[Roscoe P]

Painting the front sight if carefully done works great on prewar guns where you dont want to make permanent modifications and can be easily scraped off with a fingernail.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

The S&W plastic red ramp insert is an aesthetic disaster. The sighting aid function could have easily be replicated by a painted, rear-facing, recessed trough (like seen on some more recent Custom Shop guns) that didn't look like a project from Bubba's X-Acto Knife and Septic Pumping Services. Any guns I have acquired with the plastic insert have been replaced with night sights.

Said one man with one opinion.........Lots of us like and use RR/WO sights.

 

[Retired W4]

Old school mod to a HFT. Works pretty good.

 

[chief38]

BTW, the red plastic inserts are known to shrink and fall out after a while. Avoid the hassle and just paint it.

 

[RetCapt]

Re: SGT ROCK 11B v .455 Hunter.

Going back a few decades, when LEOs could still purchase and carry their choice of revolver (within dept specs, which was usually blue .38/357 cal, S&W, Colt and then later, Ruger, 4-6" bbl) many of us who were into shooting wanted to carry the best looking revolver we could find/afford consistent with duty needs. The duty revolver, being in plain sight, was part of the uniform, and we wanted to look as sharp as possible (one could suffer a nasty cut from the sharpness of the military creases in my uniforms).

My last personally owned duty revolver was a S&W 27-2, which I still have. It came to me as a plain jane. I quickly remedied that by having a target hammer and ranger trigger installed. I also put on target grips. Except for no RR/WO sights, since I preferred black, I was set. My preference for all black sights was due to my competitive background. For department qualifications, I wanted as precise a sight picture as I could get, and black did it for me. For night shoots, black served me well too because the sights were in silhouette. I also learned to raise the front sight, lower the aiming point, and sight just using the front sight. That was the secret to nailing the night shoots. Out of preference I worked nights until I promoted out of any rank that worked nights, so I had to be familiar with low light shooting.

That 27-2 was/is a beautiful revolver. It drew a lot of compliments just by its visibility in the holster.

The 27-2 was supplanted by the department issued mandatory carry S&W 4" (2 1/2" for detectives) 66. I still preferred my 27-2, but that era had ended.

During that early all blue era, the hot set ups were S&W 19 or 27, and the Colt Python. If one also wore the distinguished master qualification pin, that helped with status.

Much later my last duty handgun was a .40 cal Glock. Besides the benefits of greater payload, faster shooting, faster reloading, it is also supremely reliable and durable, and lighter in weight. It may not quite be ugly, more so just purposeful and efficient looking, but by no means attractive.

Despite my appreciation for aesthetics, my retirement EDC is a Glock 26.

Could it be an ultimate plain jane?

 

[gmborkovic]

I was told by my Physics professor, who was a shooter, that if you used a translucent red insert. the sides gathered light and illuminated the top?
I dont know, but he went to Hopkins. And the best pool player I have ever seen.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Never had a problem with nail polish. Have to renew it every once in a while, but it hardly breaks the bank. I happen to prefer a reddish pink, but it's pretty easy to change colors. It probably works best with serrated ramps.

An undercut Patridge still works best for targets, but malignant targets are rare in my neighborhood. The hot pink works best in most of nature, and even on targets if there is not a lot of direct sunlight on the sights. Again, it costs very little to find out which color YOU like best.

If you're into Tylers (or Pachmayrs) and four or five screws, the nail polish is also period correct, at least for police.

 

[PeteC]

If the paint was placed in a correctly recessed trough, holster rub would not be a problem.

S&W did that at least once, on the Model 19-P, in 1987. It was a special order for export to Peru, with the overrun going to Europe. It probably did not catch on, since only a couple hundred guns stayed in the US. It is basically a groove filled with yellow paint. And because the paint still wears off, even in the groove, as you can see below.

 

[xfarfuldog]

Does any one know where i can purchase a red or orange insert for a s&w 65 the sight is milled already just want to change the inset already on the gun. I want to BUY one not do it myself thanks

One of my 66's I bought a few years ago had a loose insert. The seller warned me about it but I lost it somehow. I checked around and finally had a local gun shop fix it. He later told me he used and old tootbrush plastic to fill in. I works perfect and looks great. But that 66 (with its 5 brothers) just sits in the safe.

 

[xfarfuldog]

My father would have been surprised to find I am a traditionalist. I much prefer to have revolvers with W/O and red ramps. But today I would simply paint the front sight red,. Many of my semis have night sights but I would never do that to a revolover.

 

[Dvus]

My all time favorite is orange fingernail polish. The kind I have (I forget the brand, but the color is "Traffic Cone Orange") lasts way better than paint, and you can have dull or bright gloss depending on how many coats you apply - 1 for dull, 2 for bright and 3 for glossy.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

IMHO it was simply a matter of fashion. My 4" nickel M-27 has the insert.
Perhaps it's because I started out as a Bullseye shooter but black sights have always worked for me even in combat shooting. I tried the various colored front sight inserts on my DW M-15, found no real advantage.

 

[S&W Fan]

While I like the red ramp front sight (helps me get a better sight picture) it's never stopped me from buying a nice S&W that didn't have it. Like many of you I would just use nail polish or paint to make a plain front sight more visible.

 

[kraynky]

I’ll add one comment to chief38’s post above… putting Scotch tape on each side of the sight makes cleanup a snap. Just trim close to the sight profile with nail scissors or similar.

Here's another tip if painting a front sight red, green or orange. (or whatever color)

Paint it white first and allow that to dry, then use your chosen color. The color will be much brighter over white than color alone.

I tend to see the green better myself, but do have some red ones too. Both attract my old eyes better than anything other than fiber optic.

 

[old bear]

Front sight red insert benefit?
What are the advantages of cutting the front sight and adding a red/orange insert over just painting the sight?

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None.
In 50 years of fussing with revolvers both work related and for fun. I've never notice much difference between the two. If you don't like the paint option you can always remove it and try a different color to match your needs. That option may be a little hard with a true insert. I like a deep green on S/S revolvers and the classic red on blued guns.