Sight heights 4" vs 6" barrels

[sbrmike]

I just bought a beater grade 1951 vintage K-22 Target Masterpiece. I am most likely going to install a barrel from a model 18-3 Combat Masterpiece on it. The sight heights are the same on each barrel, different ramp styles and beads are the only differences.

Will the rear sight blade (height) need to be changed by going with a 2 inch shorter barrel? Thanks

 

[Alk8944]

On revolvers the front sight height will usually be the same for all barrel lengths. The down-angle of the barrels is what makes this work. The rear sight slide may have to be changed, but different revolvers of the same same model/caliber/barrel lengths may need different sight slide heights too. You will just have to wait until you make the changes and shoot it to know if the rear sight needs to be changed.

Yes, S&W publishes a list of nominal rear sight slide heights for all its revolvers, but often those nominal heights need to be changed, higher or lower, to accommodate specific ammunition the user will be shooting!

 

[armorer951]

S&W sight data .......










Carter

 

[WR Moore]

D&T frames???????????????????

 

[armorer951]

Drilled and tapped. (new sight base design)



Carter

 

[sbrmike]

Well my barrel went on perfectly. I never shot the 6 inch barrel to see where it hit, but the new 4 inch barrel hits exactly where I point it. I did not have to even adjust it one click! This is a great little gun.

 

[steelslaver]

Sight height vs barrel length is mostly the result of recoil. The heavier the recoil the more the barrel rotates up as bullet travels down the barrel.

Notice the difference on the charts, provided by armorer951, the difference between a 4 " and 6" 22 is just .010, but the a 6" and an 8 3/8" barrels use the same blade. So, probably because of your grips and how YOU grip your gun the blade height meant very little.

Now look at what happens with the 44 mag model 29s. The 4" and 6" remain the same because the rear sight can adjust enough or there is a difference in the front sight height, but the 8 3/8" takes a .014" increase.

Not just barrel length, but the ammo changes things, a light load will shoot lower than a heavy one and the same goes for bullets, light low, heavy high. Firm grip with heavy hands and arms, lower than lighter grip and small arms.

I am 6'3" and 300+# and wear XXL gloves and all my guns shoot lower for me than when most other people shoot them

My method when changing barrels is to shoot the gun and adjust the sights. If I bottom the rear sight out I get a shorter blade, and if the rear sight gets way up there get a longer one. I want my standard load for that caliber to be close to the middle of adjustment. Each gun, load and shooter is a law unto itself as far as the sights go

 

[chief38]

In general, 4-6" barrel S&W revolvers usually have the same rear sight height. 2" barrels have higher ones and I'd think 8 3/8" barrels would have the shortest ones.

That said, there have been times that on a given revolver, depending on who is shooting it of course, one size fits all may not be the best option. I've seen the rare example that the rear sight runs out of adjustment for a particular shooter because we all see things differently.

I brought my wife to the range last week and she shot both my M41 and a 3" Chief's Special (M36) and she shot very high and to the left with both guns. My M41 is sighted dead on for me and the M36's fixed sights will put all 5 shots in the X ring dead center (for me). My wife wears corrective lenses and has a somewhat strong Rx. So there you go If I had to try and adjust my M41 for her, I doubt the rear sight would adjust low enough for her to hit the X ring.

In answer to your question, I believe the 4 & 6 inch bbls. have the same height rear sight blade.