Front sight conversion on 686?

[snowman]

Moderator: This one might belong in Smithing; it was a toss-up to me.

I have a 686-3, 8-3/8" barrel, which serves as my long-range target/hunting 686(my others are HD guns). It has a red ramp front sight as I believe all those particular models had. I much prefer a patridge sight for this kind of shooting, and am kicking around the idea of converting this one. I'm wondering if anyone here has done this or had it done by a smith. I'm not sure if the ramp is integral to the barrel or is pinned on; maybe someone knows how those were made. There is no trace/outline of any pin in the sight base, but I'm aware that those aren't always visible. If it's integral, the ramp will have to be ground off, a slot cut in the base, and a hole drilled through the slot and sight for the pin. I could grind off the ramp, but I don't have the tools to do the other procedures and would have to get a smith.

If any of you have had this done, may I ask what it cost, and how it worked out for you? Does S&W have patridges at a reasonable cost? Do they come in different heights?

Thanks again, friends, for taking the time to reply.

Andy


P.S. Some may feel the gun should be left original, and I understand that. I'm more interested in a clearer sight picture when shooting it.

 

[ptpalpha]

There is always the option of having the Weigand front sight body installed. This entails milling a groove/slot into the top of the barrel (where your original front sight is now), and then you can choose from a variety of front sight inserts of different styles and heights. The sight body costs around $35, the inserts go for around $20, and the 'smithing runs around $100+ depending on who you use. Midway carries the parts, and a quick search on the net should reveal gunsmiths who offer the service to give you a better idea of what it is, and what it costs.

 

[snowman]

Thank you for the suggestion, sir. I took a look at their website earlier and may pursue that route -we'll see.

Andy

 

[Engineer1911]

Can you just change the front sight blade?

 

[minconrevo]

You might check to see what S&W would charge to cut a sight keyway and install a sight for you. They have the tooling and do that sort of thing all the time. Once the keyway is cut, you would have the option to try other sights with modest fitting.

 

[5-Shot]

Interesting. I have a 686 no dash with the 8 3/8 barrel and it's front sight is pinned and already changed to a patridge sight. Anyone know if and when Smith stopped pinning the front sight on this model?

Ed