N-Frame sight upgrade

[Mr.Lee]

I have wanting to get new front and rear sights on my 327 Trr8. Problems I have is all the black around the gold dot blending into the black of the rear sight, low light conditions like sunset, and losing the gold dot alignment against a black or dark target. At first I was thinking about a rear sight with the white lines around the square cutout. Eventually google lead me to Meprolight's S&W revolver sights. I was just about to order them and I thought I should slow down and ask some questions first.

Bad Request

Amazon has them for cheaper
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002INGME/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687502&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0002INGM4&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0EFN4JJAGP0QWB50X6MN"]Amazon.com: Meprolight Smith & Wesson Tru-Dot Night Sight for K,L & N revolvers. Adjustable set: Sports & Outdoors@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41snQD%2BwCbL.@@AMEPARAM@@41snQD%2BwCbL[/ame]

Does anyone have experience with these?
Is this what I am looking for?
Is there a better or comparable product I should be researching?
Or should I just stop dreaming of greener grass and learn how to shoot better?

Thanks for taking the time to read through my post.

 

[Mr.Lee]

I don't know why my links are showing up all weird.

 

[davetnitro]

you may find something nice here

Super Sights

i have an M&P R8 and replaced the front sight with the sight
for classic and DX revolvers, did the same with my 625 JM.

 

[Mr.Lee]

Yes I have heard of SDM before. Thank you for suggestion. When I googled the difference between night sights and fiber optic I felt that night sights was a better fit for me. I am here to learn. If you feel FO is better can you please explain why.

 

[davetnitro]

i like how bright the FO sight is, much easier to pick up than the gold bead.. if i need to do any shooting in the dark, i have other pistols that have night sights...

 

[Mr.Lee]

I was considering on replacing the rear sight too. What made you keep the factory one?

 

[snowman]

Mr. Lee:

I have the Meprolights on my home defense guns, both of them 686s. I have been completely satisfied with them. Now, a comment or two:

-They are designed only for low light conditions; they don't provide any special help otherwise. I'm not sure that they will assist in every situation you described in your original post.

-The tritium capsules in them will only last so long. I've had mine, as I recall, for between 11 and 12 years. They are dimmer than they used to be, but still easily visible in low light. This won't continue indefinitely; eventually they will have to be replaced if I want to continue to use night sights. I'm thinking 15 years will be about all I can expect.

-They aren't the best for carry, due to the sharp corners on them which can snag clothing, be hung up in the holster, and so on. I wouldn't recommend them for that purpose.


All that said, they are still a great accessory when used in the right conditions.

I hope this has been somewhat helpful. Let me know if you think I might be of additional assistance.

Best wishes in your search,
Andy

 

[colt_saa]

My 627 has had Tritium sights on it for 15+ years now. I used a Meprolight rear blade and an SDM front. The front sight you have pictured is not for your firearm. That pictured set replaces the plastic insert in a Red Ramp front sight.

Your TRR8 has the IFS just like both of mine pictured here and davetnitro's pictured above. Meprolight does not make a front sight for an IFS equipped Smith and Wesson.

Now I also have the LPS fiber optic front and rear on my 627 Pinto.

 

[Mr.Lee]

Mr. Lee:

I have the Meprolights on my home defense guns, both of them 686s. I have been completely satisfied with them. Now, a comment or two:

-They are designed only for low light conditions; they don't provide any special help otherwise. I'm not sure that they will assist in every situation you described in your original post.
Andy

Interesting. So you don't think they will help you aim or sight alignment under normal day time conditions. I thought the 3 dots would improve it.

 

[Mr.Lee]

My 627 has had Tritium sights on it for 15+ years now. I used a Meprolight rear blade and an SDM front. The front sight you have pictured is not for your firearm. That pictured set replaces the plastic insert in a Red Ramp front sight.

Your TRR8 has the IFS just like both of mine pictured here and davetnitro's pictured above. Meprolight does not make a front sight for an IFS equipped Smith and Wesson.

QUOTE]


Maybe I am looking at the wrong thing? You are saying this Meprolight will not my Trr8? I thought it had the pinned front sight. ML - 22771

http://www.meprolight.com/default.asp?catid={11F74E4D-232C-4F67-B4AA-8ADEC1853756}&details_type=1&itemid={D7C12EAA-DE12-4334-9960-730075D4F404}

 

[colt_saa]

My 627 has had Tritium sights on it for 15+ years now. I used a Meprolight rear blade and an SDM front. The front sight you have pictured is not for your firearm. That pictured set replaces the plastic insert in a Red Ramp front sight.

Your TRR8 has the IFS just like both of mine pictured here and davetnitro's pictured above. Meprolight does not make a front sight for an IFS equipped Smith and Wesson.

QUOTE]


Maybe I am looking at the wrong thing? You are saying this Meprolight will not my Trr8? I thought it had the pinned front sight. ML - 22771

http://www.meprolight.com/default.asp?catid={11F74E4D-232C-4F67-B4AA-8ADEC1853756}&details_type=1&itemid={D7C12EAA-DE12-4334-9960-730075D4F404}

1st issue, your gun does not have a pinned front sight. It has the IFS - Interchangable Front Sight

Your sight can be changed with your fingers in 15-20 seconds. Move your front sight towards the rear of the revolver (it is under spring pressure) while pulling up on the muzzle side of the sight. It will come right out. No need to worry, the spring can not fly away.

It's base will be similar to this one that SDM refers to as the "Classic & DX" sight

Image courtesy of SDM

2nd issue, the picture you posted is not the Meprolight sights for a pinned front sight Smith and Wesson revolver as you probably now realize after looking at the SDM picture. The picture you posted is for the Meprolight set that is used on a Smith and Wesson revolver with a red ramp. You knock out the red plastic insert and superglue in the front sight piece where the red insert used to be.

This is the set that is used for a pinned in front sight Smith and Wesson.

image courtesy of MidwayUSA

 

[Mr.Lee]

Well than I am glad I did not order it last night.

 

[jughed440]

here is a night sight that might suit you...


XS Express Night Sight Set S&W Revolver Interchangable Front Sight

 

[snowman]

Interesting. So you don't think they will help you aim or sight alignment under normal day time conditions. I thought the 3 dots would improve it.

Mr. Lee,

It's possible they would help some; I can't really say for sure, since I've not experienced the problems you've described. I just got my one 686 out of the drawer next to me and pointed it at a stained birch closet door, and the capsule faces did show up fairly well against that background. But it's after dark here right now and I'm under artificial light, so I don't know what it would be like during the daylight hours.

I see that others have indicated that your model won't work with these anyway -I don't know if Meprolight makes any for your model or not.

I trust that you will find a satisfactory solution.
Andy

 

[rickjones]

Mr. Lee I made that mistake the first week I owned my now coveted TRR8. The rear sight will work but the front will not unless you can find an interchangeable red ramp front and then replace the red ramp with the night sight. Its not even worth all that money so I did the rear sight and added the front insert to my ever growing oops pile of parts and holsters. I'm glad I clicked on this thread as Jughed440 just posted the answer. Unfortunately they are back ordered but I will still order a set and throw that rear sight into the oops pile!! I'm still shaking my head trying to figure out why my $1100.00 tactical revolver didn't come with night sights.

 

[9mmsubgun-m11]

I installed a set of the LPA sights from Revolver Supply Company on my M&P R8 and love them. Also have a set on my 929 JM and 625 JM. They work pretty good in low light conditions and are super bright during normal daylight.

 

[Harkrader]

My solution was to have Cylinder and Slide put tritium tubes with white outlines in their Extreme Duty rear sight, and the Ashley Outdoors Big Dot front sight. They scoop out the ExD to accommodate the size of the big dot, and will sight in the gun for whatever ammo you want.
I use the gun for backpacking and want to be able to accurately sight it no matter what the light level. Hence you see the Crimson Trace grips, too.

 

[jkhouw1]

Interesting. So you don't think they will help you aim or sight alignment under normal day time conditions. I thought the 3 dots would improve it.

Everyone sees things a little differently but for me, the 3 dots is not faster, especially if the three dots are the same color. In perfect outdoor sunny lighting, my preference is for a blacked out rear sight and a FO front sight. Having dots or other marks on the rear sight is distracting to me so on my glocks for example, before I got rid of the stock sights, I will either put electrical tape or black sharpie over the rear sights.

With dots in the rear (or that big 'U' of standard glock sights for example) I have a harder time focussing on the front sight and found my focus would jump between the front and rear - slowing my follow up shots.

And for ME, when the three dots were the same color, my little brain took a little longer to align them and the front sight focus was even harder (this was really bad for me whatever night sights my G23 had shipped with) . Further, when I practiced in very low light I found I would occasionally align them with the front sight to the left or right initially.

I don't anticipate shooting in complete darkness, as how would I know what I am shooting if I can't see the target? That said, I found a good balance was to have tritium 3 dot sights on firearms that I occasionally carry or have prepared for home defense but with a contrasting front sight color. These help in several ways for me -
1) I can quickly locate the weapon because I can see the sights if the weapon is on the nightstand or other dark place and
2) if I am in an unlit room but aiming into a adjacent lit room. In this scenario, if I just had FO i could see the sights, but they look black on black with no ambient light to help.
3) the sharply different contrasting color of the front sight means my eye always focus right on it.


So summary: on my defensive weapons i have 3 dot tritium with a different color front sight. on my range guns its either the same or black rear and FO front.

Its very hard to capture the true effect with a camera as it always wants to focus on the rear sight, and the front sight never pops as much as it does in person but here are a few comparison photos of some of the different sights. Note that all tritium sights below glow green regardless of daytime color.

FO front sight, black rear sight:

Tritium 3 dot, (Trijicon HD) with different color dots - orange front

Tritium 3 Dot vs stock Glock - the photo really doesn't do justice to how much more the orange dot jump out over the the white dot.

siglight night sights - 3 dot. These are tritium insert rear, with tritium AND fiber insert on front. white rear, green front.

 

[bronco45]

For any pistol/revolver shooting the bullet is going where the front sight is pointing. The gun doesn't know the difference between light or darkness. Concentrate on front sight!!! I hear that command in my head from my old Rangemaster from 45 years ago.

Rear sights that are not blacked out makes my eyes want to wander from focusing on the front sight. The front sight gets blurry for me, when there are two dots on the rear.

My fix for all my revolvers is: FO front sight in green and flat black rear. For my 1911s it is the Heinies' Straight eights with a tritium insert on the front sight and a tritium dot in the middle of the notch on the rear.

Also make sure you're breathing while shooting a string as lack of oxygen will make your sights do funny things!