replacing non-pinned from sight on model 19

[magnumb]

I have two model 19s (one nickel, one blue) where the front sight is integral to the barrel (not pinned). I am looking for options to improving my front sight by replacement. I have tried various colors of pint that help just a little, but still hard for aging eyes to see. In full daylight still tough, indoor range, a bit worse, and in a dark hallway they completely dissapear.
What are some good options? milling in a dovetail slot for a pinned sight? converting over to a system with sights held in by springs for easy changeout. I know machining would be involved, does S&W do these mods.
Some have suggested milling down and using JbWeld to attach a replacement. Hard to see this holding up to 357 blast?

All advice and better yet pics appreciated,
Magnumb

 

[chief38]

My advise would be to try iridescent paint by Testor. They sell it in hobby shops for a couple of bucks in small tiny bottles. That will do as good as anything else and you will not destroy the gun. Removing the integral front sight is a one way street and not the way to go imho. Your gun, your choice of course but I’d hate to see the gun ruined.

 

[magnumb]

have tried a couple of colors. orange, green, yellow. This helps a little and retains the integrity of some very nice model 19s. I did add laser grips (red) which helps at night. I tried some other firearms with fiberoptic sites and it was amazing even in an indoor range. Outdoors must be even more blazing. Whatever I do I want it to look like a class mod, not a hack job. I would use a gunsmith or send back to s&W

 

[stu1ritter]

Since you are up for some simple machining, the Bowen DX front sight base DX Front Sight Bases : +Parts Store+, Bowen Classic Arms takes all of the different DX front sight blades available from many sources. A simple push and lift changes the sight blade. I've used two of them so far and they work well. Here is a 629 with one installed showing the standard front sight and a dot front sight.
I had the work done by a local 1911 specialist who is a good machinist. Any good gunsmith can install this sight.

Stu

 

[Chuck Edwards]

Birchwood Casey makes a paint pen set that includes one each of white, fluorescent green, and fluorescent red. What you do is lay down two coats of white, letting them dry in between coats, then a coat of your preferred color. I use the red and have done this to almost all my S&W revolvers and it really helps. I even had my gunsmith serrate the front sight on my Detective Special 3rd Issue so I could do it to the Colt. It works so well that I can even pick up the 1/10" front sight of my M49 no-dash.

I've read that you can do the same thing using nail polish, using the same method - two coats of white and one of your preferred color. It would probably wear better too.

 

[glenwolde]

The DX front sight base is really the best option. There's going to be machining involved so it won't make much of a difference cost-wise between any of the options.

The problem is finding one. Weigand is gone. Bowen has been out-of-stock for a long, long, time. I have a Weigand on a 6" Model 66 and it's great. Fiber optic indoors, Patridge outdoors, gold bead, white dot, whatever you want when you want it.

Especially useful on .357's where you can get a huge swing in POI from 110gr .357 to 180gr .38 Special. You can buy different height front blades. Mine wears a Dawson Red for indoor ranges.


I think I saw them somewhere recently. Try eBay.

 

[cowboy4evr]

I have owned my 25-5 for over 10 yrs . I had filed down the rear sight blade to almost nothing trying to get it to shoot POA=POI . It needed a new front sight and like the OP's I wondered how to fix it . I took it to my local gunsmith and left it with instructions , " Mark , fix it like it was yours " . He milled off the red ramp portion , milled a slot in the base and installed a partridge style sight he made , pinned in place . It cost me about $250 and was worth every cent . Now the rear sight is NOT bottomed out and I have a new rear sight blade that I can actually see . Regards Paul

 

[Yendor357]

Put a Red Dot on one of your 19s.

Or buy a new gun.

I would do both.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I'm making a front sight base similar to the one in post #6. Mine is made of stainless steel and is 1.5" long and has a setcrew in the front hole rather than the spring loaded plunger. This makes it way easier to get the sights in and out and holds them more securely. You can order them by a PM to Protocall Design on the S&W forum or by contacting us via the contact form on our website. They are $45 + shipping. We also make the sights to go with them. Any brand of Classic style sight will fit.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I have two model 19s (one nickel, one blue) where the front sight is integral to the barrel (not pinned). I am looking for options to improving my front sight by replacement. I have tried various colors of paint that help just a little, but still hard for aging eyes to see. In full daylight still tough, indoor range, a bit worse, and in a dark hallway they completely disappear.

All advice and better yet pics appreciated,
Magnumb

If you are shooting at bullseyes I can see wanting to improve your sights to compensate for presbyopia. I'm in the same boat, I'm 70 and aiming with bifocals is an interesting exercise in neck contortion.

If you're shooting for self defense (I assume so from your comment about the dark hallway), you should practice instinctive shooting and be satisfied with hitting body mass, which at distances from 15 yards and less is pretty easy. Inside a house your longest shot will easily be only 5-7 yards, so just pointing and lining up the barrel is all you need. Inside a house, you also have less time to worry about hitting the x-ring, the perp isn't standing still for you and is most likely decreasing the distance between you. Fast target acquisition is twice as important as absolute accuracy. Having a small flashlight with your handgun is important, something as focused and bright as possible, as much to blind your opponent as to see where you're shooting. In addition to practicing instinctive shooting you also need to practice one-handed shooting.

 

[magnumb]

the DX sight base has a nice clean look, and being able to try different sights without having to push out a pin, re-drilling sounds good. I've had these 19s for a long time; they have excellent trigger jobs and really nice finish still. I hate to compromise original design, but over the years my ability to focus on the front sight has gone to ****. The other choice is to sell (gasp) these and buy replacement model 66 or 686 where I can change out the sights. That would be like losing old friends. A red dot would work too, but I can't see one on one of these old fine revos.

 

[magnumb]

true enough, these guns fill many roles. For a long while I just went to the range and tried for tight groups with slow fire. for this purpose a better front sight would help a great deal. With the world and culture condition deteriorating I have started working on faster self-defense shooting. Here the laser grips are the BOM, at least indoors. Outdoors or without the laser fast shooting for me is point shooting. No time to tilt me head back and find my front sight in the lowest point of my progressive lenses. Shooting one handed is something I never practice but need too with a flashlight in my support hand

 

[magnumb]

I would be interested to see picture of your sight base.

 

[ameridaddy]

I did what cowboy4evr did for my 25-9 to change from its cast-into-barrel off center red ramp to a taller Patridge sight.
I did this 8 years ago for $150 for machine work and about $45 to wire EDM a batch of sights from Starrett ground 1/8" stock.
The gun was shooting way high at 25 yds, and the front sight was .007" off center on the barrel. My higher Patridge gives me some rear sight elevation adjustment range and is also now dead center.

The DX machining option might be better, because it leaves DIY options for future changes, but I don't recall having that option back then.

 

[cowboy4evr]

Picture 4 in ameridaddy's post is exactly how mine looks now . Thx , regards Paul

 

[glenwolde]

I did what cowboy4evr did for my 25-9 to change from its cast-into-barrel off center red ramp to a taller Patridge sight.
I did this 8 years ago for $150 for machine work and about $45 to wire EDM a batch of sights from Starrett ground 1/8" stock.
The gun was shooting way high at 25 yds, and the front sight was .007" off center on the barrel. My higher Patridge gives me some rear sight elevation adjustment range and is also now dead center.

The DX machining option might be better, because it leaves DIY options for future changes, but I don't recall having that option back then.

My 66 was done in 2011, when Weigand was still in business. So they were around. I paid $100 to install it. Plus $40 for the base and $20 for one DX Patridge blade. I have one more base for my 657, I wonder what it's going to cost me today.....?

 

[magnumb]

any thoughts on fiber optic vs fiberoptic/tritium? If I was using a flashlight via FBI or Chin hold the flashlight would light up the fiber optic.
The tritium would glow all by itself in the dark (so I'm told). On a shady location a friend showed me his tritium sites outdoors could not see any glow and plain fiber optic,or heck even my birchwood paint would have been better.

I know I could just get a pistol with a red dot and light mounted, but so far I've been a revo and lever action man.

 

[Protocall_Design]

The combination tritium/fiber optic ones covers all the bases. The fiber optic works in bright down to low light, the tritium works in low light to dark. The tritium is in front of the fiber and shines through the fiber lengthwise.

For anything with some amount of ambient light the fiber works well. Red fiber is a popular color, but it is dim compared to orange, which shows up much better, or green, the brightest of all.

 

[colt_saa]

I have owned my 25-5 for over 10 yrs . I had filed down the rear sight blade to almost nothing trying to get it to shoot POA=POI . It needed a new front sight and like the OP's I wondered how to fix it . I took it to my local gunsmith and left it with instructions , " Mark , fix it like it was yours " . He milled off the red ramp portion , milled a slot in the base and installed a partridge style sight he made , pinned in place . It cost me about $250 and was worth every cent . Now the rear sight is NOT bottomed out and I have a new rear sight blade that I can actually see . Regards Paul

If changing out the rear blade does not resolve the issue things get more radical

Prior to the sight bases that take the Smith & Wesson IFS style blades being commercially available, that is exactly how I took care of one of mine

We milled off the front sight (I can do that) and my buddy cut the new slot (don't trust my skills on that one and I had a machinist at hand) and we installed a Factory blade

I can use tools, but I am not a "Machinist"