What’s the Best Way to Enhance M65 3-inch Sights?

[Nalapombu]

Hey all.

My eyes aren't nearly as good as they used to be. I have a m65 in 3-inch that has the standard fixed sights. The front sight only has a tiny bit of either orange or red paint and the rear is just stainless.

What's the most visible way of highlighting these sights? What do you all use?

Also, do you do anything to the rear or just leave it as it is now, plain stainless metal the same as the entire pistol.

Thanks all.

 

[waffles]

Unfortunately, short of permanent gunsmithing mods you're a bit out of luck. Paint on the front helps, but there's no making the K frame fixed sights comparable to options on modern autoloaders without modifications that are frowned upon. I have seen people mount pieces of rail to the topstrap for a dot, and I've seen some revolvers modified to add autoloader sights to them (usually Novak cuts). I believe Ruger also makes GP100s with standard Novak sights should you want another wheelgun.

 

[dscampbell]

I finally decided to add a set of crimson trace laser grips as I needed help with the 11 meter distance for my retired officer qualification


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[S&W Fan]

Again as in the grip thread this is my 64 NY-1, basically the same outside of chambering. I put white paint on first then after drying a layer of orange-though in the photo it looks more red. Works great for me, no need for any change to the rear.

 

[diyj98]

Sell it and buy a 66 I'm joking, but other than a little bright paint on the front and black pain in the rear, I don't know much you can do that's not permanent. I'm at the point in life where no front sights are clear for my eyes. If I wear glasses to get the sight clear, the target is a solid blur.

 

[biblethumpincop]

Use black paint on the rear sight and paint the front sight with white, followed by a bright color, then clear. Fingernail polish works great. The black rear fixed sight helped my model 64.

 

[Stephanie B]

Nail polish. Black on the rear sight. For the front, a couple of base coats of white, followed by "traffic cone orange". All are available at the Wal-Mart and most are 99 cents a bottle.

Crimson Trace laser grips help, too.

 

[Doug M.]

Same kind of problem. My fixed sight revolvers get much less use as a result. Most have painted up front sights. Consider the XS big dots.

 

[SmithNut]

You could always try new glasses......

Never know....

 

[Walter Rego]

My Model 65 3" barrel front sight has a layer of Testor's flat white under a layer of Testor's fluorescent orange. I experimented first with a piece of blue painters masking tape to see exactly where to stop painting between the ridges so that the correct sight picture is when the orange color fills up the rear notch.

I used a tiny artists brush and two thin coats, I didn't want to totally fill in the serrations. Excess on the sides of the blade was easily cleaned up with some acetone on a cotton swab once the paint dried.

And, I used one of those headbands with the magnifier lenses and a built in LED light to view the process. It sucks to get old but that device has proven itself invaluable when working on guns.

 

[Sistema1927]

Black Sharpie on the rear sight cut out.

A couple of coats of white nail polish, followed by a couple of coats of "Traffic Cone Orange" nail polish from Wally World on the front ramp. Really makes a difference.

 

[Nalapombu]

Thank you all! The pic is EXACTLY what I want.

Is Nail Polish the best choice or is the Testors model paint in the tiny bottles?
I'm not a model guy so I don't know if there are different types of that Testors model paint. Is there just one kind or which is best to use on these sights?

I've also heard the touch up paint in auto parts stores also works well, but I'd say it's prolly close to $8-10 per color.

Either way it looks like I'll be making a trip to Walmart tomorrow.

 

[gwpercle]

I use flat white laquer ... from a Bic White-Out Correction Pen .
Cheap , easy to find , the pen is the perfect applicator , you can do a stripe , dots , part of the blade or the whole blade ... it beats that pesky brush Seven ways to Sunday .

I was going to use it as a base for a "Day-Glow" color ... then I realized I like the flat white color the best ... try it .
The flat white base makes colors look brighter !
Gary

 

[lrrifleman]

OP, do you wear glasses?

Prior to my cataract surgery, my sight picture with handguns was blurry. After the eyes were worked on and distance implants put in both eyes, I had significant issues getting a sharp sight picture, which I felt was a necessity for when I exercised my CCW permit.

Almost a year after my second cataract surgery, my eye surgeon was comfortable enough to prescribe eye glasses. In the interim, I had been using dollar store cheaters for target practice, but was getting cramps in my neck. With the new prescription in hand, I had glasses made with my reading prescription at both the top and bottom of the lenses. With a slight tipping of my head, I can easily sight through the top lenses and see my sights perfectly.

Depending on the optical dispenser that you deal with, these glasses could be called "double R's" or electrician's glasses. I know that for me, these glasses have worked wonders for me in Glock and PPC matches. Waiting for a good bullseye match to give them the ultimate test!

 

[scout II]

I really like the orange up front, but I do have one gun with white up front and I can see that very well.
Can someone post a picture of the rear sight painted black on a fixed sight stainless gun? I have not tried that yet.

 

[Sistema1927]

I really like the orange up front, but I do have one gun with white up front and I can see that very well.
Can someone post a picture of the rear sight painted black on a fixed sight stainless gun? I have not tried that yet.

Here is a pic when all I could find was red nail polish for the front, before the wife found the "Traffic Cone Orange". Read sights blacked out with a Sharpie.

 

[jdlii]

This one was sent back to the "Mother Shop" by the previous owner for the "Master Gunsmith" job that included the addition of red ramp insert. The trigger is fantastic, the cylinder charge holes have been chamfered, a trigger stop added and there are the combat grips. It shoots to the point of aim and carries very nicely.

 

[smoothshooter]

Sell it and buy a 66 I'm joking, but other than a little bright paint on the front and black pain in the rear, I don't know much you can do that's not permanent. I'm at the point in life where no front sights are clear for my eyes. If I wear glasses to get the sight clear, the target is a solid blur.

Get thee to a good optometrist who will let you bring your unloaded gun in and explain your problem to him.
Get bifocals with the transition lenses, not the line bifocals.
Have them make the lenses with the transition area higher than normal; this will leave the upper area that is for longer distances pretty narrow but doing this will keep you from having to tilt your head so far back to see your pistol sights. You may have to go back to the optomotrist another time or two to have them make the lenses over again, but most will work with you on it and may even do it for free.
It is very worth checking out.

 

[gfors]

I use black sharpie on the rear sight and some orange paint on the front sight with a little bit of blue sharpie in the middle of the orange.