Rare King's checkered micro-click rear sight on RMs?

cgt4570

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I've posted and discussed this NRM Frankengun a few times.
I was trying to find info on the rear sight. I've never seen one and have found nothing. I didn't realize how 'scarce' it is.
Logic says it would have only been correct for a pre-war RM or NRM.
It's stamped King's of course.
It's a 'micro-click' style and similar to post-war factory sights but using somewhat different mechanics from the S&W version.
For instance, the windage adjustment for the rear sight leaf uses a screw on one side and a spring on the other. The tip of the screw has a '+' cut in it, so the near-end of the sight leaf 'dovetail' clicks on the screw tip every 90 degrees. The sight leaf looks like a factory leaf. I needed a taller one to work with the pre-27 barrel and King's red front sight I installed, so I found a factory one that worked.

I assume it was only produced pre-war since there would have been zero market for it post-war. It would be redundant to and has no advantage over a standard post-war rear sight.

Anyone ever seen one or have any info?
(And yes, I know the rear hammer is incorrect. It's just a placekeeper. I have a probable King's wide spur hammer for it that needs to be cleaned up a bit).

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Have you lettered the gun?

I wouldn't say the sight is rare, maybe a bit scarce, but it looks like a pretty standard King sight, except for the checkering.

Smv8HVWh.jpg


They produced them up through the 50s, plenty of post war upgrades out there. Keep in mind that just because S&W was producing a better sight after the war doesn't mean they were super easy to get.

The leaf that King used was swappable between factory sights and theirs. They did that so that you could swap out your sights at home just by buying a front sight + blade. It's not uncommon at all to find King blades in all sorts of guns.

Cool gun, do you have a link to past threads?
 
I don't think the hammer is incorrect for an NRM unless it's notched for the sliding bar hammer safety, then it's a PW transition model hammer.
 
Links as requested.
Update: Scored a Non-RM with HP barrel wearing 'Cokes'.
My non-RM shooter project is alive.

Thanks for posting the King's flyer!
Yes, I've seen similar King's rear sights, just never came across another one with .357 checkering.

Have you lettered the gun?

I wouldn't say the sight is rare, maybe a bit scarce, but it looks like a pretty standard King sight, except for the checkering.

Smv8HVWh.jpg


They produced them up through the 50s, plenty of post war upgrades out there. Keep in mind that just because S&W was producing a better sight after the war doesn't mean they were super easy to get.

The leaf that King used was swappable between factory sights and theirs. They did that so that you could swap out your sights at home just by buying a front sight + blade. It's not uncommon at all to find King blades in all sorts of guns.

Cool gun, do you have a link to past threads?
 
Nailed it.

I think he's right, I don't see a patent on it, and the checkering pattern is wrong. Looks like a 1917 hammer?

Yes, it's an early 1917 concentric hammer I had in the bin. It fit the best without any fitting.
It looked better than my other options: a standard pre-war N or a post-war long action with safety cut.
I have a couple RM hammers (one with aftermarket wide spur), but both need a little tweaking. One had pushoff and the other just felt a little rough.
The wide spur will reside in this one when I have time to stone it.
 
Yes, I've seen similar King's rear sights, just never came across another one with .357 checkering.

If you ever need them I scanned in all my catalogs here: D.W. King Information Thread

Regarding the rear king sights with the checkering, I've seen 2 personally. Both on registered magnums. I don't know that they shipped that way however as both were not lettered.

Based on the observation, and what I know about King, I'm pretty well certain that's just what they would do when they put one on an RM, or (I assume) they provided one to S&W if it was special ordered that way.
 
The sight in Post 1 with the notch that encloses the blade is always grooved on the rear in my observation. I have seen a lot of them on guns of all types that are not Magnums. Dean King was very smart, and he liked for front sights to shine, and rear sights to not reflect light.

They changed the way they referred to it in different catalogs--

This is from a Blue catalog that is not numbered, 171-3 Second St, dated Dec 1, 1938 inside the front cover. Here, it is just the "Micrometered Click Adjusting"---
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Catalog # 21, Yellow Cover, 171-3 Second St, No Date but refers to material supply difficulties due to the defense program, so WW II era. Now, it is the "Super Target"---
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And the tri-fold brochure, 667 Howard St, rubber stamped "Received Oct 25, 1949". Now, it is the "Semi-Rib"---
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