Adjustable rear sight for Model 10?

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hanover67

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I have a Model 10, fixed sight, 4" heavy barrel revolver that shoots to the left in my hands. It appeared that the rear sight notch was cut off-center to the left so I sent it to S & W to have the notch re-cut. They test fired it and said it shot to the right???

Has anyone had an adjustable sight installed on a fixed sight J-Frame gun? That would enable me to compensate for the lef point of impact. I would need a gunsmith to mill the topstrap, and maybe a Millet sight would work?
 
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Hi, and welcome. A few thoughts - does your model 10 print left with several different loads and off a benchrest, single action and slow fire? Have you had someone else shoot it with the same results? If not, you may want to try this.

Second, the expense of installing an adjustable rear sight and the necessary taller front sight will probably be more than the gun is worth. If the gun really doesn't work for you but you like the basic setup, it may be cheaper to sell your (K frame) gun and buy an adjustable-sight version, like a model 15. Hope this is helpful.
 
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You are probably right. I've had this gun for a long time - it was the first revolver I acquired. I love the way it looks, but the way it shoots drives me crazy. Maybe its time to augment my collection with an adjustable sight model. Or, have it converted to a 5-shot .44 Special...
 
I don't think a K-frame's cylinder is large enough to safely accommodate 5 rounds of .44 Special; IIRC, the only non-N-frame .44 Specials are L-frames, which have larger cylinders.

You could get something like the WonderSight installed (if you have a 5-screw frame, then you should be good to go; otherwise you'd need to have a hole drilled and tapped in the frame to mount the sight).

Alternatively, you could have the existing sights filed to adjust your POA/POI.

But I agree with murphydog: get a Model 15, and save your Model 10.

How much to the left does it shoot? an inch at 10 yards? two inches?
 
murphydog said:
Second, the expense of installing an adjustable rear sight and the necessary taller front sight will probably be more than the gun is worth.
Click to expand...
True. I have a nice little nickle model 10 which also shot about 3" left and I fixed it by shaving the edge of the rear sight notch and the edge of the front sight.
 
Model 10s are going up in value but so are most S&W revelovers - trading it for a model 15, 19 or 66 is not a bad idea. Heavy barrel model 10 they shoot sweetly and are good for CCW because they draw so nicely from concealment. You might consider having the front sight removed and a dovetail milled for a replacement front sight. The disadvantage is expense - between the milling and a replacement you would wind up with around $150 in costs. The advantages are you can have whatever you want like fiber optic or tritrium and it can be drifted to give you a perfect point of impact. Plus you can now say that you have a "custom" model 10!!
 
The barrel needs turned slightly to put it on target. My 638 shot a foot to the right at 20 yds. Sent it bask to Smith now its dead nuts on. Any gunsmith with a barrel and frame clamp should be able to do this. Shoot a group off the bench and take the target with you. This is not an unusual problem.

Jim
 
hanover67 said:
I have a Model 10, fixed sight, 4" heavy barrel revolver that shoots to the left in my hands. It appeared that the rear sight notch was cut off-center to the left so I sent it to S & W to have the notch re-cut. They test fired it and said it shot to the right???

Has anyone had an adjustable sight installed on a fixed sight J-Frame gun? That would enable me to compensate for the lef point of impact. I would need a gunsmith to mill the topstrap, and maybe a Millet sight would work?
Click to expand...
Before adjusting I would have one of the range masters shoot it from rest. A left pull is very common for a shooter pulling the trigger too hard or squeezing his hand when he pulls. Best to know before you start adjusting things if SW fired it and got different results.

FYI: the short sight radius on a 4" gun gives you a lot of movement of POI for small changes in sight width. SW guns have a pretty wide front blade and I have shaved the edges on them to move POI. That is an option that doesn't cost a lot of $$.
 
JMusic said:
The barrel needs turned slightly to put it on target. My 638 shot a foot to the right at 20 yds. Sent it bask to Smith now its dead nuts on. Any gunsmith with a barrel and frame clamp should be able to do this. Shoot a group off the bench and take the target with you. This is not an unusual problem.

Jim
Click to expand...

Turn the barrel towards the poi
 
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