replacing the front sight on a S&W 617 4"

[AveragEd]

I applaud what Lou posted. There is a reason why just about every handgun that has target shooting as an intended purpose comes with a black Patridge front sight. If you need help seeing your sights, getting proper eyeglasses is the right avenue of attack, not a different sight.

If sight coloration is the best approach to better sight acquisition, why isn't the red ramp used on those guns? It has been proven that the sharp, repeatable sight picture afforded by the black Patridge yields the best accuracy. Attend a bullseye match at your gun club and look at the sights on the competitors' guns.

Ed

 

[fun2drive]

I think I would like the FO site as I have them on some Glocks. However at this time I have just painted the front site a dull white. Shooting in covered ranges with the targets in bright sun and black targets nothing stands out. Not Tru-Glo not FO or painted. That is the problem for me. If I concentrate on seeing the front site which you are supposed to do while target alignment you just can't see it clearly.
Out in the sun or with the same contrast as the target gets anything has worked for me...YMMV

 

[jnich]

one of the best marksmen in the world uses/replaces HIVIZ / from your "Patridge" sight - would not say much but you telling someone to get proper eyeglasses put me off

I applaud what Lou posted. There is a reason why just about every handgun that has target shooting as an intended purpose comes with a black Patridge front sight. If you need help seeing your sights, getting proper eyeglasses is the right avenue of attack, not a different sight.

If sight coloration is the best approach to better sight acquisition, why isn't the red ramp used on those guns? It has been proven that the sharp, repeatable sight picture afforded by the black Patridge yields the best accuracy. Attend a bullseye match at your gun club and look at the sights on the competitors' guns.

Ed

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

I picked up a Dawson precision FO for my 617. I can pick up and focus on that sight amazingly well and can castrate a mosquito with it.

 

[AveragEd]

one of the best marksmen in the world uses/replaces HIVIZ / from your "Patridge" sight - would not say much but you telling someone to get proper eyeglasses put me off

I'm sorry if I offended you but I was/am just trying to help. Like you, I could not see my handgun sights with any degree of clarity. The target was fine but you know how older eyes get and mine were no exception. I did find that my bifocal reading prescription allowed me to see my sights nicely but the black bullseye of an NRA 25-Yard Pistol Target looked like a blurry football standing on end.

I am a contributing editor for Shotgun Sports Magazine and mentioned this in a column. That generated an email response from Dr. Harold Morgan of Morgan Sports Optical in Olean, New York. Dr. Morgan told me he could make glasses for me that would allow me to see both my sights and the target with clarity if I would provide him with my distance prescription, whether I am right- or left-handed and the distance at which I most often shot. I was doubtful but complied and am very glad I did for he was right!

As myself and others have mentioned, the black Patridge front sight is by far the preferred sight for precision handgun shooting so I felt then and still feel that changing to another sight would not be addressing the true cause of your problem.

Ed

 

[Tom S.]

one of the best marksmen in the world uses/replaces HIVIZ / from your "Patridge" sight - would not say much but you telling someone to get proper eyeglasses put me off

It shouldn't put any one 'off' as it's sound advice. Trying to shoot a pistol with regular eyeglasses will only lead to moderate success. On the other hand, if your glasses give you a clear sight picture but leave the target slightly fuzzy, I guarantee you'll still hit it, consistently and close to center.

 

[RGVshooter]

I shoot my 6" 617 on a regular basis at outdoor steel plate rack competition's. On a good day I can put the plates down just as fast as the guys using a red dot on top of a Ruger or Browning autoloader.

But I wonder. the factory steel sights on the gun are they meant to be aimed dead center or at the 6 'o'clock position? I always line up the sights dead center of the target. However I noticed that if I aim at the base of the plates I know 'em down more consistently. I bought the revolver new several months ago & only had to adjust the windage a click or two.

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

I shoot my 6" 617 on a regular basis at outdoor steel plate rack competition's. On a good day I can put the plates down just as fast as the guys using a red dot on top of a Ruger or Browning autoloader.

But I wonder. the factory steel sights on the gun are they meant to be aimed dead center or at the 6 'o'clock position? I always line up the sights dead center of the target. However I noticed that if I aim at the base of the plates I know 'em down more consistently. I bought the revolver new several months ago & only had to adjust the windage a click or two.

Generally on handguns it should be dead center of target but I always adjust mine to 6

 

[johnnywitt]

On the Benos Forums there's a Guy that makes really good F.O. Front Sights for the 617: Toolguy is his username I think. Dawson also makes an excellent F.O. Front for the 617 in different sizes.
The Hi Viz are very pricey and the FO Rods can't be changed out on the drop in replacement for the 617 & the M63 because they are plastic coated units. They are also pretty wide which is going to be harder for shooters that need reading glasses.
I agree with posters that say to leave the black patridge sights on a Target Gun. In my mind the best of all worlds is a small red dot optic. They ruin the lines and aesthetics of a fine revolver for some folks, so the next best thing is a good thin F.O. Front that allows you to see a bit of light on both sides of the front sight. The Rear Notch on those Guns are usually .125, so a .115 wide front will still allow good accuracy.
The thing that I have found with the F.O. Fronts is that for precision accuracy, you are still doing what you would be doing with the Patridge sights and that is line up the top of the sight, but now you have a big distraction with the F.O. Rod. Maybe Ed McGivern had it right with just a small gold bead that didn't jump out at you like the Fiber does.
Fiber will also cause Folks just looking at the Fiber to shoot high IMO. For shooting at med. range and further, nothing beats a red dot for shootability.