Lighted sights

[DWFAN]

Another posting that I did not want to highjack mentioned Lighted sights on early N frames. I posted this gun a few years ago but got very little on it.
It's an early 4 inch five screw. The work is so seamless you have to look hard to find how it was accomplished.





The wiring extends from the butt stock cavity to the front sight.





On/off button.




Look under the rear sight and there is a wire there.



You can barely see where the wire goes from the rear to the front.



I think it's pretty cool considering the time frame of the gun. This gun is in really nice shooter condition. I confess to not shooting it just because of the oddity.



DW

 

[JP@AK]

That is one interesting Highway Patrolman. Someone went to a lot of trouble to modify it without tearing it up. A fascinating innovation! Probably done long before Tritium sights were available, I would think.

 

[Hondo44]

It's unique! May be a home made light system but no collector interest except maybe to a niche group. So shoot and enjoy it!!

 

[DWFAN]

I failed to note a couple of things.
The serial number. S115719. May very well make it a first year gun.
I call it shooter grade. Kind of misleading. I use that term because of the alterations. In reality the gun shows as ANIB. Except for a barely visible turn line there are no imperfections at all. Sometimes I feel like I have some kind of prototype.

DW

 

[jebstuart]

I'm trying not to be really stupid here, but I see a pressure switch on the right grip panel that pushes only a fine wire/solder point to the assumed, stored battery in its compartment. Then I see two conductors travel up and through the frame, on the side plate side, under the adjustable rear sight and then to a "channel" from the front of the rear sight, to the front sight? So does one conductor drop off some place? What's lighted, the front sight only & if so, why exit the grip frame with a second conductor instead of grounding it locally at the grip frame? Is the rear sight lighted too? My head hurts.

 

[dkonrai]

That is the coolest. O my better than night sights.
And no I'm not gonna try and figure out the electrical. Plumbers hate electrical...

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk

 

[BUFF]

One of my first area partners (1981) had a Model 66 with this system. He had bought the gun from his brother-in-law, a deputy with the same agency. Even then, there were no batteries available, but with the internet and custom electronics now, I bet something could be done. He had switched out the grips for Pachmyrs. The fellow who installed them was a craftsman, I could not see where the wire to the front sight was hidden in the barrel rib striations.

I would imagine that tritium night sights pretty well nailed the coffin shut on these battery powered sights.

 

[JP@AK]

The serial number. S115719. May very well make it a first year gun.

I agree that is possible.

I'm sure you already know this, but for the sake of others who may read this thread, here are some details:

The first postwar .357 Magnum (later named the Model 27) was serial number S75514, assembled on December 5, 1946. It was not, however, the lowest serial number on the postwar .357 Magnum. I believe the lowest numbers were in the S71,000 range. Production was slow at the beginning and by December 31, 1949, only 142 copies had been made.

As for the Highway Patrolman (a less fancy variation of the same gun), the first one was serialized at S103500 and it shipped in April, 1954. That would allow plenty of room for S115719 to have shipped in 1954, especially considering the fact that other models were sharing the S prefix numbers on the N frame guns.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Probably done by Cap Cresap, out in CA, IIRC. Excellent work. I seem to recall very early seventies as when he started doing that.

 

[Jim Watson]

I recall an article on the system in a 1970s Gun Digest Annual.
I think the ferrule in the butt is really a plug for a battery charger.

 

[Troystat]

Neat, I would consider removing the old battery as those old batteries can leak nasty chemicals and could damage the finish on your very cool revolver.

 

[clang444]

I'm trying not to be really stupid here, but I see a pressure switch on the right grip panel that pushes only a fine wire/solder point to the assumed, stored battery in its compartment. Then I see two conductors travel up and through the frame, on the side plate side, under the adjustable rear sight and then to a "channel" from the front of the rear sight, to the front sight? So does one conductor drop off some place? What's lighted, the front sight only & if so, why exit the grip frame with a second conductor instead of grounding it locally at the grip frame? Is the rear sight lighted too? My head hurts.

It looks like the gun is negative ground.

 

[elpac3]

I remember seeing those "back in the day", early '70's when I was on the streets. It was about the same time Julio Santiago came out with the tritium night sight. Night sight was an easier install.

 

[BigBill]

Funny with the high tech stuff we have today I'm surprised no one offered battery powered micro mini sights yet. There's lazer dot sights.

 

[DWFAN]

I'm trying not to be really stupid here, but I see a pressure switch on the right grip panel that pushes only a fine wire/solder point to the assumed, stored battery in its compartment. Then I see two conductors travel up and through the frame, on the side plate side, under the adjustable rear sight and then to a "channel" from the front of the rear sight, to the front sight? So does one conductor drop off some place? What's lighted, the front sight only & if so, why exit the grip frame with a second conductor instead of grounding it locally at the grip frame? Is the rear sight lighted too? My head hurts.

Both front and rear are lighted. The frame is actually drilled out to accept the wiring. I've toyed with the idea of finding a battery to replace the old one and see if it works

DW