Adding a fiber sight to a smith 686 no dash

[greyling22]

I want to add a fiber front sight to my smith 686 no dash revolver. Currently the sight is integral to the barrel. It seems like it should be possible to mill off the front sight and machine in a groove for sight like this https://dawsonprecision.com/s-w-pinned-fiber-optic-front-sights/

Is that possible? Is it easy enough any decent smith could accomplish it? Would I do better to try and have smith and Wesson put a new barrel on it?

I don't really want to sell it and buy a new gun. I've had action work done, it has no lock, and I've had it long enough I have some small sentiment to it. Unless it's a 900 dollar gun as is and I could buy a new one for $600. I'd take that profit.

 

[BBBBill]

All of my adjustable sight S&W revos have pinned front sights. The pin is often hard to see.

 

[Jim Watson]

I had what appeared to be an integral blade M67.
It now has a cross dovetail and will take any Novak pattern .330" dovetail front. What it has now is a Dawson FO.

 

[greyling22]

well a dawson FO is what I want to install. I figured there wasn't a dovetail narrow enough to fit the ramp.

There is no pin. It's an early model gun with an integral front sight. (not my picture. my gun is in room with sleeping wife. My gun is a 6", but the front sight is the same)

 

[jmorris]

It can be done, I did it to one of my early 4”, 686’s.



I machined the sight from 1/8 cold rolled steel. Milled off the blade and milled a pocket in the barrel. Pressed the sight in, with red locktite and cross drilled it for a section of stainless TIG filler rod and it’s never moved. Not the quickest project I have done but certainly can be done.

A dovetail could be done too, likely quicker, just wouldn’t look as good to me.

 

[greyling22]

Yes, the pin looks better than the dovetail.
I got a quote for a local smith to install one of these for $80 labor. https://dawsonprecision.com/s-w-pinned-fiber-optic-front-sights/ that seems reasonable right?

 

[Jim Watson]

Here's what a dovetail in a S&W ramp looks like. The sight is tall to match a Weigand rear.

 

[jmorris]

Yes, the pin looks better than the dovetail.
I got a quote for a local smith to install one of these for $80 labor. https://dawsonprecision.com/s-w-pinned-fiber-optic-front-sights/ that seems reasonable right?

Does to me, I wouldn’t do it for that and I already did one.