Loose 19-3 front sight

[GraMott]

Hi.


I have a 19-3 which has a loose front sight base. The blade is tight in the base (if it is in fact two pieces, although it looks like a one-piece blade/base), but the base is loose on the top rib. It appears to be held in place with two pins through the rib, but that's just a guess based on appearance. Does anyone know of a gunsmith who can replace a front sight base? I see a lot of recommendations for gunsmiths who work on actions, but this seems like a little different kind of job.


Thanks for any help.

 

[Engine49guy]

Can you post some pics?
IIRC the 19-3 appears around 67ish, at that time they still cross drilled through the ramp base then drove two pins through the barrel rib and ramp base.
Sometime in late 69 to early 70 the ramp became integral with the barrel but the blade was pinned to the ramp and polished flush.
From your description it sounds like you have an early (pre 69) Model 19-3.

Ive never heard of the two cross pins loosening but suppose anythings possible , without seeing the problem not 100% sure .

Could be it just needs two new pins, worse would be if it needed to be redrilled with larger pins In the worst case scenario you may need the barrel replaced if it is either cost prohibitive or beyond reasonable repair.
If that's the case and you wanted to proceed and it's a 6" barrel ( you don't mention length) I'd be very tempted to make it a 5".
If it's a 4" I'd be leaning towards a barrel replacement.
Just my random thoughts.
You might reach out to SW customer service and inquire if they would give you a repair estimate but I doubt they will without having the gun in hand, not sure they even do that work anymore but it's worth a call.

Ps the majority of pinned ramp 19-3's have the cross pins polished flush, the exception is nickel guns which had "proud" pins, once driven out the polished pins will not be as invisible, If they are replaced I'd go with the "Proud" style which would look better IMO.

 

[GraMott]

The gun is a blued 4" model.



I can't post pictures right now, but the sight is of the pre-69 construction based on your description. There are very clearly two pins going through the rib below the sight base (flush, but not so polished as to be invisible) and the base is also very clearly sitting on top of the grooves in the rib. (You can see the rib grooves when looking at the sight from the muzzle).



I will reach out to S&W, but I am concerned that they no longer work on these guns.


Thanks.

 

[Alk8944]

Buy some grade of "wicking" Loc-Tite and apply it to the gap between the sight base and rib, works well every time! This is different from the normal Loc-Tite which has to be applied before the parts are assembled. Ask at a real auto parts store.

You should see the grooves on the top rib under the front sight base, that is normal.

 

[GraMott]

Buy some grade of "wicking" Loc-Tite and apply it to the gap between the sight base and rib, works well every time! This is different from the normal Loc-Tite which has to be applied before the parts are assembled. Ask at a real auto parts store.

You should see the grooves on the top rib under the front sight base, that is normal.

That's a good idea, thanks! I was just looking for barrels and they appear to be somewhat scarce and/or in questionable shape, so I may have to make-due with what I have. Numrich has basically nothing.

 

[dant]

front sight repair.......

you can even use some thinner Super glue not the Gel type, push it in as you wiggle the sight itself so it works itself into and under the sight body, wipe off the excess, and let it sit ,,,should harden in place....take your time ,neatness counts....

 

[ggibson511960]

This is strictly a guess on my part, but I think Bubba had a go at removing that sight base by driving out the pins, then changed his mind and drove them back in. If I remember correctly those pins are very slightly tapered so as to drive tight. They were never intended to be removed, let alone removed and replaced in the wrong direction. I'll bet the pins are very visible and not polished flush. If you can get them out without doing too much damage to the rib's finish, Loctite makes a bearing retainer compound for holding bearing shells in the I.D. of a bore, probably cyanoacrylate adhesive of some sort. It just might hold the ramp centered on the pins.

 

[series guy]

Posting your location really aids in recommending a gunsmith.

 

[GraMott]

Here's images from the side and muzzle. The pins are flush, I'm not sure they've been driven out, but maybe I'm being fooled. I can't tell if they are so obvious because of bluing wear or because of Bubba. The sight isn't super loose, but it definitely wiggles and can probably affect accuracy.

I am in Southeast Idaho as far as gunsmith recommendations are concerned.

 

[D Brown]

Buy some grade of "wicking" Loc-Tite and apply it to the gap between the sight base and rib, works well every time! This is different from the normal Loc-Tite which has to be applied before the parts are assembled. Ask at a real auto parts store.

You should see the grooves on the top rib under the front sight base, that is normal.

I purchased a first year Highway Patrolman (August 1954) about a year ago and discovered the sight base was loose on the barrel. Just as you suggested, I dribbled Blue Loc-Tite onto the pins and the gap between the base and barrel. Perfect fix!

 

[Protocall_Design]

The wicking grade is #290. That's what I would use. Clean well in Acetone or Brake Parts Cleaner (Non-Chlorinated), blow that out good with compressed air, then put on enough #290 to fill up all the voids. It takes a little time for it to get all through the parts. Wipe off the excess, let it sit overnight, and you're done.

 

[steelslaver]

Most likely it was hit on front of base once and bend the section of pins in base tab. I bought a 15 that you could see the base had moved back on barrel from such a strike. I made new pins from nickel tig rod as it was a nickel gun. Right and tight now with domed pins.
Position of front sight when I got the gun. The pins were still in it. I clamped the base in a vise ith bras jaws used brass hammer to tap barrel to line everything back up tapped out pins. The blade had a swollen spot from the strike, but placing it on a piece of polished stainless and using a piece of stainless round stock for a punch moved that metal back where it belonged. The only evidence of the whole thing is a spot where someone made a nit of a mark trying to get pins out while the sight base was still out of alignment.

I bought it planing to uses a nickle model 19 cylinder and nickel Python barrel on it to make a Smolt but it ended up being to nice to mess with. I found another K frame for the barrel and cylinder.

 

[GraMott]

Resurrecting this post just to give the story an ending for anyone who may find it in the future.


I sent the revolver to Smith and Wesson to have them replace the loose front sight. The revolver was purchased used several years ago, so I had them evaluate the gun to see if it needed anything fixed/tuned inside of it. I also had them replaced the rear sight assembly (which was pretty dinged up) and the frame/yoke screws (which had been marred). They charged me $190 for the combination of services and I just received the revolver from FedEx today. There was no mention of doing anything drastic to the action. So it took about six months door-to-door. I had requested a patridge front sight, with a secondary choice of a black ramp, and last choice, red ramp. I received a black ramp, which is fine with me.



I am pleased with the service and glad that they continue to service revolvers of this vintage. I didn't have much invested in the initial purchase of the revolver, so the $190 seems fair to me for the labor/parts.

 

[stansdds]

Thank you for posting what turned out to be a happy ending.

 

[M29since14]

Your $190 was probably money well spent, especially if you’re happy. Fixing that sight properly would not be an easy job. The wicking Loctite would have been my choice, lacking proper tools and equipment. I’m a little surprised your gun got away without a cylinder replacement. That used to be pretty common with Model 19s, in my admittedly limited experience. Anyway, glad to know you bit the bullet and got your gun repaired properly.