There exists an article on "The Evolution of Smith & Wesson Target Sights" by Robert Neal. It is missing the very first front sight that was installed on the New Model 3 Target gun made in 32-44. It is the Paine Brass Bead sight. It was installed on very early NM3 target guns along with the first non adjustable rear target sight.

The Paine Black Bead front sight is listed in the article along with the Low Paine sight. The article mentions these were installed from 1878 to 1905. There is a Paine Silver Bead mentioned with the article stating it was installed from 1905 to the 1920's.

Has anyone done a study on when the Paine Brass Bead sights on the 32-44 were discontinued? Does anyone have one installed on a 38-44? The non adjustable rear sights were discontinued by the time the 38-44 came along. The non-adjustable rear sight was occasionally installed on later guns that were shipped to Europe to meet their target sight rules.

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Mark

The explanation for the missing front sight goes like this: The article was researched by observation---Neal's, and more than a few helpers. Bottom Line on this laborious task is the factory kept no records on sights---save for three which were patented---and only one of those was ever used.

Observation translates to if any given sight was not observed on a gun, there is no mention of it in the article. It was believed all the missing sights were fronts---right up until I stumbled upon the "Large Screw Spring Up" rear some 20 odd years ago.

So here we are, believing there are other sights, such as the one here-----but we don't KNOW it until someone tells us about it----so keep looking!

Ralph Tremaine

Correction to original post. After researching this sight it tuns out to be a SILVER bead. The SILVER bead is listed in the above mentioned article, but it notes that it was not avaiable until 1905 when it actually came out in 1887 and was applied to the NM3 Target.

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Mark

Well, if we're now into corrections, here's mine: I said "if any given sight was not observed on a gun". The rule laid down at the time was to the effect a sight had to be observed on X number of guns. It's been 20 some-odd years since I was told what that X number was, and I don't remember what it was. The number 3 comes to mind, but that's as far as it goes.

Neal's mind had A BUNCH of different compartments---not necessarily related one to another. At the time I made his acquaintance, he was off guns, and into some sort of either marine or aircraft engines, near as I recall---and when I say "into", he became a walking encyclopedia, and then proceeded to put everything he knew about whatever down on paper for an article.

Ralph Tremaine

Bob was deeply into Packard automobiles.

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Mike Maher #283

Yep---that too!

I forget now which aspects of N&J were credited to which author, but after becoming acquainted with Bob, it all made sense. All I do remember was marveling at the mind that could assimilate all such data, and then turn around and present it in a manner mere mortals would understand.

Ralph Tremaine