Hidden Polished Pins or Soldered Front sight? Model 14-3

[kilov]

I just picked up a shooter grade (bluing missing, scratches, not original grips, no box, etc) Model 14-3 and Model 17-4 as winter projects. Both guns were well under $500 and I plan sprucing them up and using them to punch paper till they give out. Part of said sprucing will be new front sights. I understand the arguments for and against square outlined black sights and I'm still interested in something different.

I've searched and found competing threads on here about pins that have been polished and blued vs. soldered front sights. One thread even had the OP mill what appeared to be a soldered front end only to find sight pins underneath!

I was wondering if any of you can shed some light onto my particular Model 14-3 (SN 1K1XX, made 1970). I've checked with flash light and I can not find any pins or even small circles near the front sight that would lead me to believe it has pins.

Does anyone here have an idea if it has secret pins front sight or the sight soldered to the rib?

 

[Protocall_Design]

It looks like that one has the front sight and ramp as one piece pinned to the rib of the barrel. In pic 1 I think I can see the outline of a pin on the side of the rib. Sometimes there are 2 pins.

 

[bigggbbruce]

In pic 1 I think I can see the outline of a pin on the side of the rib. Sometimes there are 2 pins.

I can see it in both pictures. If you look close at pic 2 the scrape on the barrel shows a distinct line from the pin.

 

[Dave.357]

Be careful don't make it so nice
That you can not shove it in
A holster and enjoy shooting
It.

 

[kilov]

I can see it in both pictures. If you look close at pic 2 the scrape on the barrel shows a distinct line from the pin.

Thats encouraging to hear, I was worried about having to have it milled. I still can't see it, even with the pictures blown up on my desktop. bigggbbruce, do you think you'd able to highlight or circle the outline in the picture and repost it?

Be careful don't make it so nice
That you can not shove it in
A holster and enjoy shooting
It.

There is no risk of that happening Dave! I'm interested in range time for sure

 

[flagman1776]

I was convinced that changing the front sight on my 25-2 would require milling. I wanted a ramp so I could holster the gun without getting fuzz on my front sight. I dropped the gun off at the Springfield Service Center (back when officers were allowed to do so). When I picked the gun up that afternoon, it had the ramp sight. The original sight was returned to me with the sheared pin. The skilled gunsmith had hit it just so, to shear the pin. The original pin was invisible to my eye but the pin on the replacement sight was very slightly proud of the base. I was told the original pin was installed before the final polishing.

 

[cmansguns]

I checked my M 14-3 (1977) with 6 " Target barrel (serrated rib in sight area) and it has one pin, very hard to spot, but a slight circle in the rib approx. 25% of the length of the ramp down from rear of blade.

Kilov: check your first photo of the sight blade (left side of gun), look where the ramp descends from the rear of the sight blade, track down the ramp about 25% of the way to the bottom, then drop straight down to the ramp and what may look like a circular dent is in the exact same spot as my Model 14-3's have the highly polished pin.

I also checked my photos of a M14-3 (1967) with 8-3/8" Target barrel that I sold a while back to another Forum Member and if I blow them up multiple times I can spot the same hint of a circle at exactly the same spot on the rib.

With both guns having 98% deep original blue overall, I would say that they were never proud. Again...I see only 1 pin, not 2.

Sorry for the crappy pics and I don't know how to blow up for posting, or to add circles or arrows.

 

[one eye joe]

Thats encouraging to hear, I was worried about having to have it milled. I still can't see it, even with the pictures blown up on my desktop. bigggbbruce, do you think you'd able to highlight or circle the outline in the picture and repost it?



There is no risk of that happening Dave! I'm interested in range time for sure

THAT BEING SAID, THE PARTRIDGE FRONT SIGHT SUGGESTS THAT YOUR REVOLVER WAS BUILT FOR THAT PURPOSE......

HAVE YOU TRIED SHOOTING IT AS IS ? ? ? I CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND IF YOU SIMPLY PREFER A RAMP SIGHT.....

I PURCHASED A NEW, CURRENT PRODUCTION, 10 SHOT, 4" M617---HARDLY WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE A DEDICATED TARGET GUN. I INTENDED IT FOR ALL AROUND USE---IN THE FIELD, AND ON THE RANGE. IT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A PARTRIDGE FRONT SIGHT.......

I FOUND IT QUITE DIFFICULT TO QUICKLY ACQUIRE A PROPER SIGHT PICTURE. PAINTING THE FACE OF THE PARTRIDGE HELPED A BIT, BUT THE REAR SIGHT NOTCH WAS TOO NARROW. IT MIGHT HAVE WORKED OUT FINE WITH A LONGER BARREL'S SIGHTING RADIUS......

IN ANY EVENT, I REPLACED THE SIGHTS WITH A S&W RED RAMP, AND A .125 NOTCH REAR, FROM WEIGAND COMBAT. THAT SOLVED MY PROBLEM, BOTH ON THE RANGE AND IN THE FIELD.....

 

[bigggbbruce]

highlight or circle the outline in the picture and repost it?

I've looked at a couple of my guns and this is where mine are as well.

Here is my 17..

 

[kilov]

Thanks to everyone! I'll run and check it as soon as I get a chance.

 

[kilov]

THAT BEING SAID, THE PARTRIDGE FRONT SIGHT SUGGESTS THAT YOUR REVOLVER WAS BUILT FOR THAT PURPOSE......

HAVE YOU TRIED SHOOTING IT AS IS ? ? ? I CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND IF YOU SIMPLY PREFER A RAMP SIGHT.....

I PURCHASED A NEW, CURRENT PRODUCTION, 10 SHOT, 4" M617---HARDLY WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE A DEDICATED TARGET GUN. I INTENDED IT FOR ALL AROUND USE---IN THE FIELD, AND ON THE RANGE. IT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A PARTRIDGE FRONT SIGHT.......

I FOUND IT QUITE DIFFICULT TO QUICKLY ACQUIRE A PROPER SIGHT PICTURE. PAINTING THE FACE OF THE PARTRIDGE HELPED A BIT, BUT THE REAR SIGHT NOTCH WAS TOO NARROW. IT MIGHT HAVE WORKED OUT FINE WITH A LONGER BARREL'S SIGHTING RADIUS......

IN ANY EVENT, I REPLACED THE SIGHTS WITH A S&W RED RAMP, AND A .125 NOTCH REAR, FROM WEIGAND COMBAT. THAT SOLVED MY PROBLEM, BOTH ON THE RANGE AND IN THE FIELD.....

I haven't shot it yet but I will try it stock before I do anything to the sights. That being said, I don't love my 617 partridge sights. So much so that I'm putting a green fiber optic into it (Hi Viz specifically made for 617) and I'll see what I think.

My cut down 629 has a gold bead that I love it. I love the look, I love the sight picture and I love that it's understated yet functional. I love it sooo much that I'm putting gold beads on my 66-8 4.25", 66-8 2.75" and model Model 57 (Modern classic reproduction gun) very soon maybe even this weekend.

But I got these (the 14-3 and 17-4) with the intent of some sort of gold bead going into them.

 

[cmansguns]

front sight blades are not "partridge".....mo betta is patridge

 

[pharmer]

Top is a 14-3 #1K23xx, not far from yours. You can see the polished flat base pin. The 18-3 is 1K63xx and I also have a 15-3 that's1k100xx. S&W was busy during my junior year of High School. Joe

 

[153]

Please leave the sights on that nice revolver alone!!!

 

[Hondo44]

Just for future reference, S&W did not/does not solder any of its revolver sights in place.

About the time the sight and base were bead blasted, the sight blade became one piece with the base. Those models with the longer sight base have two pins.

 

[kilov]

I’ve located the pins, thanks everyone for your help and advice.