sites for j-frame

[4896worker]

Does anyone know of any after market sites for a 642 ?
The one I have the front site blade is integral with the barrel .
I have checked out the big dot site but it requires machining the front blade . My 54 year old eyes have a hard time with the small stock site picture of my 642.
Also any advice on glasses I only require reading glasses and I find if I use them while shooting the site Picture is clear but the target is not . If I don't use them the sites are out of focus and the target is clear . sucks getting old

[Naples22]

Originally Posted by 4896worker

Does anyone know of any after market sites for a 642 ?
The one I have the front site blade is integral with the barrel .
I have checked out the big dot site but it requires machining the front blade . My 54 year old eyes have a hard time with the small stock site picture of my 642.
Also any advice on glasses I only require reading glasses and I find if I use them while shooting the site Picture is clear but the target is not . If I don't use them the sites are out of focus and the target is clear . sucks getting old

At 54 you're far from being old. The 642 isn't a target gun, its a personal protection firearm. In general its meant for short distances. If you want a target gun in .38 look at many of the K, L and N frame guns. They may suit your needs much better.

[3rdRRU_PhuBai]

I had safety glasses made that had the sharpest focus at the tip of my finger with arm extended. The lens makes the front sight crystal clear, rear sight just a little fuzzy, and target very fuzzy. It works for me.
I also have progressive lens safety glasses which require some up-down movement of my head to get a good sight picture. That also works, all shots in the black.
I prefer the tip-of-finger focus glasses.

[Smoke52]

Check out this item for the "old eyes" syndrome. I use one and it makes a HUGE difference.

VIA for AR-15/A2

Paint the front sight fluorescent green or orange. Makes it pop.

[629shooter]

You would have to have a the barrel milled/sight removed. I would try orange model or sight paint, and see if that works for you.

A more expensive way to go would be to trade up to a M&P 340. they already have the XS front sight on them, along with a wider u-notch rear.(fantastic sight picture) If you wouldn't mind more weight, the 640 Pro has Trijicon Night Sights (dovetailed) that would give you a three dot sight picture.

The newer stainless steel models(60, 640, and 649 all have pinned front
sights So you could have a fiber optic or XS Big Dot installed on them as well.

I was taught to shoot with a clear sight picture and a "blurry" target so I would use your glasses when shooting. The next time you go to you optometrist, tell him that you are a shooter and he most likely will have a solution.

[colt_saa]

As we get older our eyes naturally lose depth of field. The target, front sight and rear sight are in three different plains of view. That is three things to focus on. When only one thing can be in focus, it should be the front sight. The target can be a fuzzy image behind it.

Additionally all people have less depth of field in low light than in bright light. I bet you have more of a problem at indoor ranges than outdoor ranges.

Time for you to try some Crimson Trace lasergrips. This puts the sight (red or green dot) and the target in the same plain of view so there is only one point for your eyes to be focused on. It even allows you to shoot well if your glasses are lost or damaged

[mauiblue]

I use contact lenses - in my dominant eye I have a distance prescription contact and in the other eye I have a reading prescription contact. It's been working out well for me for years now.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

[Goldstar225]

My optometrist had me go to progressive lenses. You have to tilt your head to get the sight in focus but it works for me.

[claudel]

FWIW, here's what the Big Dot looks like to me without glasses on my 649-3.

Blurry but visible...

I have poor close vision due to aging eyes and I doubt if I could grab my revolver and
my glasses in the middle of the night so I installed the Big Dot.

I'd probably have had the gun cut for it if the front sight wasn't already pinned & slotted.

[MikeyB]

This is one of the reasons I upgraded to the M&P 360 a few years ago for the XS tritium front sight. Sure does help with the aging eyes.

For my wife's 642 I painted the front sight bright red using nail polish. Works for her.

[Old cop]

I paint the front sight on both my Model 38 & 442 using white appliance touch-up paint. At 68 I wear progressive lenses that work great at the range.

[cherrypointmarine]

Do you wear bi-focals? I found that when wearing them ,the sights were ok, but the target was all blurry. As stated above, I went to progressives and all is good.

[4896worker]

First thank you all for your input. Here are some of the things I have tried already. Painted front site bright red helped some . I only need reading glasses so I had my optometrist make me some progressive lens glasses . They helped but made me sea sick just walking around .(I know take my man card away). So it look like buy a new pistol or CT grips or have mine mild for a big dot . Sense this pistol is going to be used as a carry piece contacts or other add on's wont work . Again thank you all for the input

[skrazo]

I painted the ramp of the front sight on my 642 with fluorescent orange fingernail polish. Painted the rear sight with black fingernail polish. Gives me a good sight picture when I wear 1.75 magnification reading (safety) glasses.

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Milling the front sight and getting a Big Dot sounds like what you need. I'm seriously thinking about it for my 642 and maybe my model 10.

[4011]

Maybe try shooting with both eyes open. I still try to point and shoot that way. Bifocals help see the sight picture if you are using the sights. Defensive shooting you have to hurry up and get on target. No time to adjust your head so your eyes can see the H. I only practice at about 16 feet. Why 16? Because that's how far it is from the back of the garage door to my tool box where the phone book is secured to an alumnium backstop. J frame 22 with shorts.

[JohnSW]

Originally Posted by colt_saa

Time for you to try some Crimson Trace lasergrips.

BTW, they estimate/hope that a green model for J-frame will be available around March 2015. That model was supposed to ship in 2012, so they must have had major design problems.

[skrazo]

Originally Posted by 4011

Maybe try shooting with both eyes open.

I keep both eyes open. Seems to give me a better picture of what's going on around me. It doesn't take long to get used to doing it.

[JohnSW]

Originally Posted by cherrypointmarine

Do you wear bi-focals? I found that when wearing them ,the sights were ok, but the target was all blurry. As stated above, I went to progressives and all is good.

I have progressives, and at a target range of 30 feet, all is bad. If I look through the bottom lens, the sights are in focus but the target is a blur. If I look though the top lens, the target is in focus, and the sights are a blur. I haven't figured out how to get both in focus at the same time. Maybe I could figure it out with additional practice. I don't know.

I plan on getting a laser sight in the future. I can read without glasses, so my next glasses will probably be non-bifocals too.

Apparently, I am not the only one that has problems with progressive bifocals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QsWClnWFVo

[Zoner]

years ago i took a pistol course at local Police dept. Instructors were all retired LE and most had credentials as Copetition shooters, and they told us about sights and your eyes. Focus on the front sight. Your eyes will focus on what you look at, but if you look at the front sight,then the target, then the rear sight,your eyes won;t really focus on anything cuz of the looking back and forth. So focus on the front sight. Yes when you do this the target will be fuzzy, and the rear sight will be a little fuzzy because instead of going back and forth you a properly focused on the front sight. When you do this and squeeeeze the trigger,it should surprise you a bit when it goes bang. Do it 50 rnds at a time,slow fire,once a week by the time you've fired 400-450 rnds your handgun shooting will improve

[kaaskop49]

Originally Posted by skrazo

I keep both eyes open. Seems to give me a better picture of what's going on around me. It doesn't take long to get used to doing it.

Absolutely! My instructor, a retired FBI instructor and trainer, coaxed me to do this and I like the results.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

[snowman.45]

Originally Posted by Shorty 45 MK2

Milling the front sight and getting a Big Dot sounds like what you need. I'm seriously thinking about it for my 642 and maybe my model 10.

I agree with this completely. Don't let anyone tell you that the J-frames are only good at shorter distances. They are quite capable of hitting a target at distances further than across the room. Having the front ramp blade sight removed and a dovetail put in the rib for an XS Big Dot sight (probably the smaller one) would likely cure your problems for front sight acquisition. Several friends who have J-frames have had me cut the front sight blade down to a nub and then epoxy the Big Dot front sight on over the nub. That has worked very well, also.

[federali]

You have a front sight, rear sight and the target. The eye can only focus on one thing and that should be the front sight. I've cheated a bit by using a weak over the counter (CVS Pharmacy) reading prescription that brings the front sight into sharp focus. It gives me an excellent sight picture. The target is fuzzy but defined enough for me to drill out the center of a typical silhouette target.

Using my existing reading and distance bifocals, I can still hit the target but everything is fuzzy.

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Snowman.45, how we'll have they held up over time with the epoxy?

[snowman.45]

Originally Posted by Shorty 45 MK2

Snowman.45, how we'll have they held up over time with the epoxy?

No problem, Shorty 45 MK2. I use JB Weld and trim the sight blade down to where it is a secure fit. I haven't tried the dovetail method, yet, but I think it would be preferable.

[oneminute]

If you want replacement J frame sights then you are pretty much stuck with having mill work done.

http://www.dlsports.com/dl_jframe_sw_sights.html

Hamilton Bowen used to have some really nice J frame sights but I don't see them listed any longer. I bet if you called them they would tell you if they still have them.


Sent from the Bushwood Country Club