New life for old M65 S&W

[earplug]

I have been having some fun shooting indoor bullseye with a fixed sight Model 65 that I mounted a red dot tube sight on.
My eye don't do iron sights and I figured why buy a adjustable sight gun if i'm going to shot a red dot.
Gun was a old prison or guard gun so no value is lost with the new holes in the top strap.
Hope it gives others some ideas. You don't need a M-14 to shoot Bullseye.

 

[RidgwayCO]

I've got a M65 that has such a great double action trigger, I splurged on a set of Crimson Trace laser grips for it. When you can adjust that little laser dot so easily, you don't have to worry about the fixed sights so much...

 

[robert garner]

This thread is useless without pics(of the pistol) So are ya gonna take it out and hunt squirrels? Good shootin'!
robert

 

[earplug]

Pictures of ugly M 65

This is with a Burris that is now used on a Model 41 S&W for Steel Challange.
Just a ugly duty weapon that can punch holes at fifty feet.
I shot the group pictured with a Ultra dot 4. off a sand bag rest. That might be why the group shown is kind of like two different five shot groups due to the reload.

 

[GrandmasterB]

I like it! How hard was it to put the rail on there? Is there a rail specifically for fixed sight S&W revos?

 

[kle]

Is there a rail specifically for fixed sight S&W revos?

I have an Aimtech mount on my S&W 32-20 Model of 1905, 3rd-change w/ fixed sights, which uses the sideplate screwholes (the one for the cylinder and the one right behind the trigger guard) to mount to the gun, and then a pair of screws above the top frame clamp the rail on top--no gunsmithing required:



It's a bit clunky, but avoids needing to drill and tap the frame. So far, it's the only mount that I know of that works on fixed-sight S&Ws, and then it only works on certain ones (it doesn't work on my S&W Model 10-6 with its heavy barrel and slight differences in the frame vs. the standard barrel, for instance). MidwayUSA sells it for $58:

You don't need a M-14 to shoot Bullseye.

The first time I shot Centerfire Bullseye (in practice) was with my Model 10-6:



And I did OK with it. Once I make Master, I might start shooting it again, just for grins. I do like the adjustable sight models, however, because they afford more places to mount scope rails...

 

[wlewisiii]

Where on the top are the holes drilled and tapped? At the front & rear of the frame or in the actual top strap itself?

Also, do you find there to be an advantage to something like this over, say, Crimson Trace laser grips?

William

 

[earplug]

Weigand mount

It the standard S&W Weigand mount for K-L-N frames.
After I mounted it, A long time revolver shooter told me they used to use standard Ruger 10-22 mounts.
I have several guns with differant mounts. Try to avoid that in the future as the cross slot spacing is different on various brands. This makes scope swapping harder.

 

[kle]

Also, do you find there to be an advantage to something like this over, say, Crimson Trace laser grips?

Well, if earplug is using the gun for Bullseye/Conventional Pistol, he can't use lasers:

NRA CONVENTIONAL PISTOL RULES:

3.2 Any Center Fire Pistol or Revolver - Center-fire pistols (single shot or semi-automatic) or revolvers of .32 caliber or larger (including 7.65 mm and .45 caliber pistols and revolvers); barrel length, including cylinder, not more than 10 inches; trigger pull not less than 2 1/2 pounds, except.45 caliber semi-automatic pistols not less than 3 1/2 pounds. Any Sights, including telescopic, are permitted with the exception of those sights that project an image on the target. Open sights may be adjustable but not over 10 inches apart measured from the apex of the rear sight to the apex of the front sight. Any sighting device programmed to activate the firing mechanism is prohibited. All standard safety features of the gun must operate properly. Programs may specify particular calibers of types of center-fire guns that will be permitted or not permitted in stated event.

 

[wlewisiii]

Ah, didn't know that about bullseye. I would have expected all non-irons to be disallowed. Thank you for the information.

My interest is in SD & hunting so I'm just curious about the various method's pros & cons.

William

 

[kle]

yup; red-dots are allowed (they don't project an image onto a target, but rather they superimpose an image onto a target, same as scopes with crosshairs).

If the gun were to be used for SD and I wanted to point and shoot, I'd use a grip laser (or the integrated laser on the new BODYGUARD 38)--they're much more robust and more compact than a red-dot sight. I'd be sure to practice with no laser, though, just so I don't get lazy.