Enlarging Front Sight Pins

[curioushooter2]

I have a model 19-3 that came to me with a loose front sight that moves for and aft. It is probably from jamming it hard in a holster or something. In any case I drifted out the pin in there and found it is bent slightly. I replaced it with the stainless roll pin that is used in the stainless S&W revolvers. It mics .054 or so.

Why did S&W use this weird size pin? Why not just 1/16ths?

Anyway, there seems to be plenty of steel around the pin and I was thinking of drilling out the hole to a few thousands under 1/16 with a .060" drill bit and then pushing a 1/16ths roll pin in there, filing it down and reblue.

What say yee? I really want my front sight to stay put and I'd imagine this is common problem.

 

[Protocall_Design]

Just use a 1/16 drill bit and a 1/16 x 1/4 roll pin, or better yet, a Spirol pin. The roll pin is made a few thou. oversize so it's compressed when pushed into an on size hole. It works fine. I've done some that way.

 

[series guy]

A roll pin is actually hollow and the difference would be apparent. The reason the original pin was bent was to keep it in place. Just buy the next size larger wire gauge drill bit and use a piece of that for your pin.

 

[Hawg Rider]

Red Loctite

I've had good luck with using a little red threadlocker under the base of the sight blade, and then re-installing the old bent pin, also with a little red Loctite. It's been holding up to .44 Magnum loads, no problem. I originally talked with S&W, and they sent me a roll pin (no charge)- but I just didn't like the look, so I put the old pin back in.

 

[curioushooter2]

I guess I'll try the loctite first and escalate if necessary.

Absolutely love that revolver.

 

[S.B.]

I have a model 19-3 that came to me with a loose front sight that moves for and aft. It is probably from jamming it hard in a holster or something. In any case I drifted out the pin in there and found it is bent slightly. I replaced it with the stainless roll pin that is used in the stainless S&W revolvers. It mics .054 or so.

Why did S&W use this weird size pin? Why not just 1/16ths?

Anyway, there seems to be plenty of steel around the pin and I was thinking of drilling out the hole to a few thousands under 1/16 with a .060" drill bit and then pushing a 1/16ths roll pin in there, filing it down and reblue.

What say yee? I really want my front sight to stay put and I'd imagine this is common problem.

If I'm not mistaken, roll pins are made to press in then expand slightly to make a tight fit?
Steve

 

[colt_saa]

I've had good luck with using a little red threadlocker under the base of the sight blade, and then re-installing the old bent pin, also with a little red Loctite. It's been holding up to .44 Magnum loads, no problem. I originally talked with S&W, and they sent me a roll pin (no charge)- but I just didn't like the look, so I put the old pin back in.

That is a pretty good idea

Instead of Red Loctite thread locker, I would use the Green Loctite sleeve retainer.

I have used the Green Loctite sleeve retainer with watch pins for years. It is designed for press fit assemblies

 

[curioushooter2]

Permatex (product 64000) also makes a high-temp sleeve retainer; it cheaper and available at most autoparts stores.

 

[Muley Gil]

I would use a solid pin myself. IMNSO, roll pins don't look good installed in firearms.

 

[2152hq]

The hole thru the blade itself may be pushed out of shape from a blow to the blade. That can leave the blade loose on the ramp.
Hitting the blade front on, or dropping the gun on it's muzzle can do it easily.
There's not a lot of metal around the hole itself on many of the blade stems.

Putting a roll pin may help. But if the hole in the blade is bigger and/or out of round than the hole on the ramp, the roll pin will most likely just expand to the size of the undamaged hole in the ramp and might not secure the blade anyway.

Take a good look at the blade and the lower stem with the hole through it.
See if the stem is straight and not canted or bent one way or the other.
Straighten it if it is.
Then look at the hole itself carefully and see if it's the same size as the hole(s) in the ramp and a light press fit for the pin.
An over size hole, oval shaped, or otherwise out of round and too large a dia hole will just let the blade slide around, limited only by the now too small dia pin thru it.

You can carefully peen the hole down in dia if that's the probl. It doesn't need to be perfect. Just a couple stake marks on either side to close it up a bit where needed.
A small center punch works or a tiny chisel shaped punch. Don't over do it.

Clamp the blade back in place in the ramp and run a proper size drill back thru the blade guided by the hole in ramp. Go thru the blade from both sides part way to break through the sight stem again.

Put a slight bend back in the sight pin,,very slight. That will give it extra hold.
Drive the pin back into place carefully so as not to damage the finish on the gun.

You can add a drop of Loctite in there when you assemble if you want to and feel better about the whole thing. I'd use Green.
But it's not really necessary.

 

[Frank46]

The firearms industry was always using their own threads instead of using the industry ones like the various ones in use today. Different threads,sizes of the screw body and lengths. Winchester also did the same on their lever actions. Think the 94 Winchester went through 3-4 versions of the screw that closed off the hole on the left hand side where the connecting pin for the lever could be pushed out. Gunsmith I knew back in the day had a huge assortment of screws for not only Winchester rifles but for many U.S. made revolvers. Frank

 

[curioushooter2]

I will add that my idea of using a 1/16s roll pin worked great. I used sleeve retainer but doubt it does anything. I don't mind the look of the roll pin either. You can barely notice the hole in it. It certainly works better than the solid pin it came with.

 

[stykshooter]

I was putting a XS sight on the front of a newer model 60 and buggered up the hole some getting the original pin out. I clamped the new sight in place and used a little larger drill bit... maybe 3/32", and through drilled the base and blade. I then cut the drill bit itself to length, dressed up the ends and drove it in as a new pin. I lock tited it first and it has held up to over 1,000 rounds.