625JM front sight

[stevieboy]

I have a 625JM with a gold bead front sight. I'm having a lot of trouble seeing it (my vision doesn't correct well at arm's length) and I'm thinking of replacing it. I note that Smith offers a variety of fiber optic front sights on their web page. Which is the right one? Have any of you explored other possibilities -- such as, for example, a big dot front sight?

Finally, how does one go about removing the original sight and installing the replacement?

 

[johngalt]

I have the same gun, and I replaced the front sight with a taller patridge w/ gold bead sight because it was shooting high and beyond what I could adjust with the rear sight.

It was supposed to be easy to swap them, but the new sight didn't fit. I had to take it to a smith and have him grind a bit on the new sight.

My preferred sight is a plain black patridge, but that wasn't available.

You want a sight with the triangular base, not the circle. The triangular base goes on the interchangeable sight models like the 625JM. The sights with the semi-circle base goes on models with a pinned front sight and requires a smith to drill a hole for the pin in the correct spot.

 

[Stainz]

You want the 'Classic/DX' style for a spring-loaded front mount - not the roll pin secured sight. You want a .250" height - available from HiViz and SDM via Brownell's or S&W Accessories. The same size fits the 627 Pro, too.

Removal is simple - make sure the revolver is unloaded and the ammo is elsewhere. Then, push the front of the sight blade towards the rear - you'll feel the spring tension increase. Past the front cross pin, roll the front of the sight upwards - and the sight should roll out. Compare it's base to the replacement - they should look identical. Test the fit of the new blade - if it's too thick, a pass on each side with a super fine nail board should fix it... be even and consistent - and check the fit often. Clean out the base slot of crud, if present.

The spring is captive - make sure you engage it as you push the rear of the sight down into the blade base - continue pushing and compressing the spring until the front of the new sight's base will clear that cross pin. Then push the front of the sight down and release - the sight is mounted. Actually, the few 625JMs I've seen - and my 627 Pro - fit perfectly without any 'fitting' - even interchange easily. Pin mounted HiViz replacements have needed some minor fitting, in my experience.

Stainz

 

[S&W WHEELNUT]

625 Front Sight

I know ........... about that eye sight. Call Scoot over at SDM he is awesome. Check out there rear sight also...I love it. Here's some pics. of mine and SDM website.

SDM Fabricating Home
​

 

[stevieboy]

Wow, those fiber optic sights look to be just the ticket.

I do ok with a plain Patridge sight if I'm firing from relative low light into a brightly lit area. In that circumstance the front sights become a silhouette and I can see them well enough to aim even though they are blurry. But, when lighting is even, everything just grays out. A fiber optic sight ought to give me a bright spot to put on the target.

Thanks all for the advice!

 

[cjcutter1]

+1 on the SDM front sight I have the red version that Smith installed on my 629 when I had the master action package done, only problem I have had was the sight was over crimped and the light pipe was cracked after the second time out shooting so Scott at SDM sent me a new light pipe and instructions how to replace it, now my issue is that after a few full house mag loads in the 629 the light pipe tends to wants to back out and come loose.

 

[rrockefe]

Just remember that your vision problem will not be corrected by the sight change. If your current front sight is blurry, any other sight will be also. I'm experiencing the same problem at age 72. I now use special glasses focused at my arm's length. Not a perfect solution, but better than a blur and seeing multiples.

 

[stevieboy]

Yeah, I understand. I'm 64 and my vision problems make me crazy. My problem is this: without glasses I can focus on the front sight. But, without glasses the target simply disappears into a blurred background. With correction, I can see the target but then, the front sight is blurred. I've tried bifocals. That made the problem worse. I've tried shooting without corrective lenses. That enabled me to see the front sight clearly but I couldn't find the target to save my life. Lately, I've been using progressive lenses. Better than bifocals but, still, no real solution.

I'm interested in using a fiber optic front sight because, at least, it will contrast with the blurred images that I see with my glasses on. I've fired a friend's revolver with a fiber optic sight and have been able to put the front sight consistently on the target. So, I know this is a solution for me.

 

[james56]

They make all the difference in the world.
S&W 625JM
S&W 617