model 28 top strap hole?

[Sierra Kilo]

I am trying to repair/replace the rear sight on my Model 28. The screw head at the front of the leaf was badly damaged when I acquired the gun. I managed to drill it out enough to remove the entire leaf with the rear sight intact. At this point, I am trying to remove the rest of the front screw, which remains are pretty much flush with the frame surface area. I think I can see a hole on the bottom of the frame topstrap, just above the forcing cone of the barrel, which would appear to be where the leaf screw comes into the top of the topstrap. I am asking all this because I am considering drilling through the screw remnants, IF THERE IS AN OPENING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TOPSTRAP...if there isn't, I don't want to drill through the topstrap...

I would appreciate any help on this, and any ideas you might have for getting the rest of that screw out. My goal is to buy another leaf and sight from Numrich, or some other source and replace the whole thing.

Thanks!

 

[Sierra Kilo]

I am trying to repair/replace the rear sight on my Model 28. The screw head at the front of the leaf was badly damaged when I acquired the gun. I managed to drill it out enough to remove the entire leaf with the rear sight intact. At this point, I am trying to remove the rest of the front screw, which remains are pretty much flush with the frame surface area. I think I can see a hole on the bottom of the frame topstrap, just above the forcing cone of the barrel, which would appear to be where the leaf screw comes into the top of the topstrap. I am asking all this because I am considering drilling through the screw remnants, IF THERE IS AN OPENING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TOPSTRAP...if there isn't, I don't want to drill through the topstrap...

I would appreciate any help on this, and any ideas you might have for getting the rest of that screw out. My goal is to buy another leaf and sight from Numrich, or some other source and replace the whole thing.

Thanks!

 

[snubchump]

There shouldn't be a hole completely through the top strap of the gun. Later N frames were drilled and tapped for scope mounts but I believe that the M28 was discontinued before that engineering change. Hopefully someone with more experience will come along shortly that can give you a better answer.

 

[Doc44]

44 Magnums and Combat Magnums made in 1956 all have a hole in the top strap that is filled by the screw you are trying to remove. In 1956, the location of the screw was moved forward on N-frame revolvers so the "hole" would not be fouled with powder residue, etc. For K-frames, this change was made about 10 years later and resulted in the -3 model variation.

Later Model 29-2s (1970s) do not have a hole in the top strap (I only checked a couple), but if you were to drill all the way through, it would not affect the overall stability of the frame. I would not worry about it.

Bill

 

[Alk8944]

Originally posted by snubchump:
There shouldn't be a hole completely through the top strap of the gun. Later N frames were drilled and tapped for scope mounts but I believe that the M28 was discontinued before that engineering change. Hopefully someone with more experience will come along shortly that can give you a better answer.

The hole for the screw that retains the adjustable rear sight is drilled through on all S&W models, period. The later guns with the new style (round front) sight have three 6x48 tapped holes, one of which is used to mount the factory sight. If anyone claims to have a gun that came from the factory with a blind hole I'd really like to see pictures. When the sight screw hole was moved it was only from over the B-C gap about 1 diameter forward so it falls over the barrel shank instead of the B-C gap, but it was still drilled through. Sometimes one of the guns with the revised screw position, and with a screw that is just the right length and have a little fouling will appear to not have a hole, but it is there. There are firm production reasons why tapped holes are usually drilled through or are significantly deeper than necessary, unless the application requires a blind hole, like a front sight ramp on a rifle barrel or ejector rod housing screw on a single action revolver.

 

[Hoptob]

Checked on my M28-2 The hole is drilled through top strap.

Mike