Info on Kings reflector sights please...? My pics added

Sprefix · Jul 10, 2011

I'm looking for pictures and information on the Kings reflector sight. I have one and am trying to decide what to do with it. I'll sniff around the albums of forum members for now. I'm curious as to what models they were used on and when. I'd like close-up pics for comparison if you have them. I hope I'm in the correct area for my query. If not, feel free to direct me. Thanks.....Sprefix

handejector · Jul 10, 2011

Look in the albums for merlindrb
You should find some there.
They were often seen on Reg Mags, but you could find them on any gun.

DCWilson · Jul 10, 2011

"Any gun" is right.

Here's one on a postwar transitional .38/44 Outdoorsman...

And another one on a highly modified prewar .22/32 Kit Gun, where the sight seems comically huge...

I think King reflector sights look best on N-frames with 6.5" barrels, but I could see putting one on a K-frame revolver like a 1905/Fourth target, or a K-22 First Model (Outdoorsman).

pace40 · Jul 10, 2011

digi-shots · Jul 11, 2011

Here are some pics.. the "reflector" looks a bit scratched and may be missing the "bead"...? I'm not sure. I was going to replace it but might just leave it as found.

Gatorbaiter · Jul 11, 2011

S&W King Target 32WCF:

29aholic · Jul 11, 2011

digi-shots said:
Here are some pics.. the "reflector" looks a bit scratched and may be missing the "bead"...? I'm not sure. I was going to replace it but might just leave it as found.

Linda,
I wish you would quit showing that thing off

DHENRY · Jul 11, 2011

Don

BAM-BAM · Jul 11, 2011

Not to highjack a thread; but.......

I've been looking for a King front sight blade, like the 105-M shown in pace40's post, to restore my Dad's pre war .357 Colt New Service...(sorry about the Colt thing)....

According to my Dad, in 1939 buying a Colt New Service in .357 and sending it to Kings for a trigger job and sights was still cheaper (for a new patrolman) than buying a S&W .357 mag. for $64-65 ....... I think he saved about $5-10. He carried it on duty and shot that Colt in the police pistol league untill about the mid 1960s.

After an accident/incident in the 60s, the blade got damaged and he lost the red bead it was converted to a red ramp.

Anyone know of a source for a blade...... or suggestions.

Thanks this has been a 7 year project

bananaman · Jul 11, 2011

Gaitorbaiter, and Dhenry, I have never seen Smiths with that rib configuration, but they look fantastic!!!!! Thanks for posting those pics! Bob

bettis1 · Jul 11, 2011

Sprefix,

As you can see, the King Mirror sight bases came in different lengths depending upon just what sight was to be mounted in them. They also came with a flat base and a concave base depending upon whether they were to be mounted on a ribbed or non-ribbed barrel.

The mirror is frequently corroded or missing. When that occurs, I have seen replacements made from a piece of silver plastic cut from a CD.

Linda,

I have never seen a mirror used without a silver, gold, or red insert and those are usually pinned in with either a horizontal or vertical pin. Your sight blade doesn't appear to have that so perhaps the blade is a replacement by the user who just wanted a simple Patridge without the extra element. The fact that it is slightly raised at the rear would tend to support that.

Bob

Sprefix · Jul 11, 2011

Nice......

Some great info and pics!! digi-shots..., Wow, What a gun!! That is incredible!! I should have done this at the start. I'll post my pics. I still haven't seen what I have. The blade is narrow and the base is concave on the bottom with a very wide opening for the blade to sit down in. I have a small pin with it and it appears to have a screw hole in the side as it is a rather large hole. Please review and tell me what it is I have. Thanks again..........Sprefix

Hammerdown · Jul 12, 2011

Sprefix said:
I'm looking for pictures and information on the Kings reflector sight. I have one and am trying to decide what to do with it. I'll sniff around the albums of forum members for now. I'm curious as to what models they were used on and when. I'd like close-up pics for comparison if you have them. I hope I'm in the correct area for my query. If not, feel free to direct me. Thanks.....Sprefix

Hello sprefix
Here is a complete King Gun sight catalog Link. Regards, Hammerdown

HSCA - No Title

DCWilson · Jul 12, 2011

Sprefix, I think that is a front sight for a Colt target handgun, maybe a Woodsman. The blade insert can pivot on the front pin, allowing height adjustments -- this is a classic Colt adjustable sight feature when the rear leaf on a gun is drift adjustable but vertically fixed.

This King reflector base slides down over the sight base on the pistol and is pinned to it. The large screw holes in the King appliance allow access to the original screws that would be reused to adjust and tension the new sight blade within the original sight base, which would still be in place inside the King appliance.

I've never seen one either, but comparing your sight to the catalog and other sights and a Woodsman that I have, this seems likely. I suppose this approach could also be used to put a King reflector sight on an Officer's Model Target or Police Positive Target. Maybe if you could determine the diameter of the barrel from the concave underside of your sight blade we could figure out which gun this one would have been mounted on.

Edited to add: That little hole in the bottom surface of the blade must have housed a tiny coil spring that would raise the blade as the front adjustment screw was backed out.

DCWilson · Jul 12, 2011

King Reflectors for a 27 or Pre-27

These are in my parts box...

We know they are for a .357 Magnum because the ramp face is cross-hatched to match the rib.

Note the different blade heights. Could the red post sight be for a Registered Magnum? The taller McGivern bead blade would be more appropriate for a gun with a postwar micro-adjustable click rear sight body.

Interesting, but this is the second McGivern bead blade I have seen where the bead is not centered in the blade face, but slightly offset to the left. The other blade like this is mounted on a prewar .38/44 Outdoorsman in my safe.

EDITED TO ADD: I just noticed that King's own Super Target Rib was checked rather than ribbed, so I guess the checked-ramp reflector bases could have been used in a variety of conditions. (And I just noticed that the base on the Transitional OD I posted above has a checked rather than ribbed face.)

RKmesa · Jul 12, 2011

bettis1 said:
Linda,

I have never seen a mirror used without a silver, gold, or red insert and those are usually pinned in with either a horizontal or vertical pin. Your sight blade doesn't appear to have that so perhaps the blade is a replacement by the user who just wanted a simple Patridge without the extra element. The fact that it is slightly raised at the rear would tend to support that.

Bob

Bob:

Most of my king reflector f/s also have some kind of a red post (a couple of examples):

BUT:

I have a couple that have a serrated back-slanting front replacement blade (they both letter as being shipped with a red post f/s). The long tube gun was shipped directly to Kings, so I'm not sure how it left Kings, but it does sport a cockeyed hammer and has had a trigger job:

Close-up

Sprefix · Jul 12, 2011

Awesome info....

Well...., you guy's and girls are incredible! I got out one of my Woodsmans and the sight base pins are slightly closer than the holes on the sight I have. The barrel contour seems to be right on the money with my 6" Colt Woodsman. I guess I may sell it here on the forum. I'll check the full listing from Hammerdown and see exactly what I have. Anyone got a solid idea of a fair price to the buyer and the seller? I paid $50 for what I have. Thanks again.

DCWilson · Jul 15, 2011

Sprefix said:
Well...., you guy's and girls are incredible! I got out one of my Woodsmans and the sight base pins are slightly closer than the holes on the sight I have. The barrel contour seems to be right on the money with my 6" Colt Woodsman. I guess I may sell it here on the forum. I'll check the full listing from Hammerdown and see exactly what I have. Anyone got a solid idea of a fair price to the buyer and the seller? I paid $50 for what I have. Thanks again.

I think the only page in the King catalog that you need to pay attention to is the one reproduced in Post no. 4 above. As for fair pricing, I'd guess $60-75 would be about right, but that's a shot in the dark. It could be the Woodsman reflectors are rare rare rare and should bring higher prices; I don't know. I'm just kind of approximating from its condition (needs a spring and maybe pins to be installed properly) and the item price pasted on the two loose S&W sights I showed. When I picked those up, they had been marked for separate sale at $105 each, but they went into a big batch of sight and latch parts that had a good take-'em-all price attached. So I don't really know what I paid for them. Feels like maybe $60-70 apiece.

rlee1976 · Mar 7, 2012

DC Wilson, I have a Colt New Service that I need a King front sight for. I think the one on the right in your pics might be it. Would you sell that? Ryan

DCWilson · Mar 7, 2012

Ryan, I'm pretty sure both of the loose sights I show are for S&W revolvers. They have flat bases and were meant to be installed on a ribbed barrel. Further, the story that came to me with the sights is that they were waste stock slated for disposal by the S&W factory many years ago; that also suggests they are not for Colts.

Can you post a close-up photo of the end of your NS barrel so we can see what the current sight base looks like? I may be able to offer some ideas. Or just email a photo to me at dcw1000(AT)verizon(DOT)net.

Info on Kings reflector sights please...? My pics added

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