Sights:replacement for SW 1066, 4506

[mbliss57]

I have looked at 3rd gen sights from several makes and sellers for my 1066.
Novak sells 3rd gen sights and doesn't differentiate by model or frame. Others call out 1000 and 4500 series as opposed to 5900/4000 series.
I have looked at Trijacon and Meprolight for night sights. Trijacon sells a front sight and a rear sight separate but they direct me to gunsmiths 100 miles away. (Trijicon)
I am not that tied to having night sights.. just nice easy to see sights would be ok.
Can anyone show me the way? I have tried Trijacon. Meprolight, Novak, Midway and Brownells.
Help!
Maybe I am not looking fror the right thing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[cherrypointmarine]

Try Fusion Firearms . I bought some off there for my 4566TSW and 4006CHP . They have them for S&w's . I bought LPA adjustable rears and fiber optic fronts and had BMCM install them . He recommended that sight to see what they had . I picked them out and he ordered them and put them on . I couldn't be happier .

 

[18DAI]

The original Novak Low Mounts, with three white dots, can be found at Numrichs and on Ebay.

Sometimes on GB, but most of those are in rough shape. Hope this helps! Regards 18DAI

 

[mbliss57]

Guzzitaco found me a set of LPA on Ebay. Ordered.. Thanks Guzzitaco and other for info.

 

[BMCM]

I have looked at 3rd gen sights from several makes and sellers for my 1066.
Novak sells 3rd gen sights and doesn't differentiate by model or frame. Others call out 1000 and 4500 series as opposed to 5900/4000 series.
I have looked at Trijacon and Meprolight for night sights. Trijacon sells a front sight and a rear sight separate but they direct me to gunsmiths 100 miles away. (Trijicon)
I am not that tied to having night sights.. just nice easy to see sights would be ok.
Can anyone show me the way? I have tried Trijacon. Meprolight, Novak, Midway and Brownells.
Help!
Maybe I am not looking fror the right thing?

Thanks in advance.

What sights are on the gun now? What is your goal here?

Need something a little less busy/distracting and easier on the eye?

In my experience a plain black backsight (no dots or outlines) with a generous notch paired with a prominent front sight is best for aging eyes. Front sight can be tritium lamp or fiber optic or even a plain blade coated with a bright fluorescent paint, so long as it stands out well and is fast to find. I have always found three dot sights unnecessarily busy and distracting

Night sights are available from several suppliers and factory sets you can still find but may need to have re-lamped.

Shopping for aftermarket sights can be somewhat confusing as some list their sights by blade height and others list by overall height while still others don't provide any height details at all.

For a 1066, the factory front overall height is .245, and for the night sight .246

Dawson precision front sights for the S&W 1911 "E" series fit the large frame 3rd gens and can be had in fiber optic as well as plain blade. in a wide range of blade heights. Dawsons are listed by blade height so you want something around .145 tall unless you plan on an adjustable backsight in which case you have a lot of wiggle room in selecting a front.
Smith & Wesson Sights

Blacking out the factory Novak is easy if you find the dots a distraction. A drop of paint stripper containing methylene chloride will lift the dots in short order without affecting the non-glare finish. I don't much care for painting over or coloring the dots with a sharpie marker as those leave a glossy surface that introduces glare into your sight picture depending on where the ambient light is coming from. Even just blacking out the rear with nothing else is an improvement in my book.

For an adjustable rear, LPA adjustable backsights are quite nice. I like the plain black serrated target blade best...
S&W - 10mm & 45acp (3rd Gen) - Rear Adjustable Sight - Black Serrated

For general range time or woods walking I like a fiber optic front paired with plain black rear with a generous notch.

Here's what the sight picture looks like on my CS9...

I have a similar arrangement on my 5" 629 using a Bowen rear sight and a SDM front blade with a green element for when I'm out stalking about in the woods

Cheers
Bill

 

[mbliss57]

Thanks that is great info Bill. I am looking for an easy to pick up front sight with my older eyes. The rear being black or 2 dot or white outline is kind of irrelevant unless I am looking for night sights. I am also looking for a bargain snce this will not be an everyday carry gun. Just a range gun and possibly a woods gun.

BMCM here is what currently on the 1066
No name on the rear sight

 

[Oscar Zulu]

On a couple of guns I have a tritium front sight and a black rear. I really like that combo.
OZ

 

[Frank Black]

Adjustable rear sights on 3rd Gen Smiths are unnecessary, unless you're a IPSC/IDPA gun-gamer dude or a reloader looking to test handloads on a lazy Sunday afternoon at the range. ... Beyond that, most adj. sights still available for these guns are fragile and snaggy.

For serious use, meaning either L.E. duty use or concealed EDC use, you want a fixed rear sight, such as the Novak 3-dots or Trijicons.

You can thank me later.

 

[BMCM]

Thanks that is great info Bill. I am looking for an easy to pick up front sight with my older eyes. The rear being black or 2 dot or white outline is kind of irrelevant unless I am looking for night sights. I am also looking for a bargain snce this will not be an everyday carry gun. Just a range gun and possibly a woods gun.

BMCM here is what currently on the 1066
No name on the rear sight

I believe I see part of what's giving you trouble...

The paint has been removed from your front sight while the rear sight still has the dots. You want the front sight to stand out and your eye should be drawn to it.

I suggest blacking out the rear and filling in or coloring that pocket on the front sight. I use Model Master enamel paints for that kind of stuff... Insignia White semi gloss FS17875 or perhaps Florescent Red FS28915.

For the record...the red dots on the frame under the safety, Fire Red #2772 Auto enamel paint.

Anyway, I think if you add some pop to that front sight and de-emphasize the rear that will help greatly.

Clean out and degrease the pocket on the front with some acetone.

orient the slide muzzle down so the pocket in the front is facing up. Take a wood toothpick and gather a tiny tiny drop of paint and place it in the pocket. Might have to do this a few times until the paint is slightly domed or convex. Then let it dry for a day leaving the slide oriented muzzle down. The paint will shrink into a concave as the solvents evaporate during drying. Magnification helps a lot when you do this such as strong reading glasses.

If you don't want to mess with that... A quick fix would be to simply fit a new factory front sight, Midway has them.

Smith & Wesson Front Sight S&W 4563TSW 4566TSW 1006 1026 1066 1076

BTW, that rear sight you have there is the standard factory Novak low mount.

Cheers
Bill

 

[ElectroMotive]

Another brand that offer S&W 3rd Gen / E-Series sights is Warren Tactical