Question about rear sight windage adjustment assembly on a S&W revolver

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gunsrfun1

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I am trying to determine if there may be a problem with the rear sight windage adjustment assembly on my S&W revolver. (Or if everything is ok.) When I got the revolver, the windage screw and nut were loose and the entire windage assembly (the shaft, the nut, and the screw) moved left and right as one. Then I called S&W, and he advised me to tighten the windage nut, which I did. He mentioned that it may not have been properly staked, but I didn't get into more detail with him. After I tightened the windage nut, the left-right looseness did go away.
The windage assembly seems to be working properly now. That is, I can adjust the blade left and right by turning the windage adjustment screw accordingly, and everything seems to stay in adjustment, no looseness.
I am wondering if I should try to stake (or re-stake) the windage nut, or if I should leave it alone. I don't want it loosening up while I am shooting, but by the same token, maybe I should not mess with it and risk damaging something.
What are your thoughts? And if I should re-stake the windage nut, how is that done? Do I need a special punch?
Thanks
 
Thanks, but how do I know whether it is already staked or not? What am I looking for?
 
The rear sight on my 625 JM was not staked. I had to do it myself. If the end of the screw appears to be a small hollow bolt shaft it is not staked. It should be flared like the bottom of a bell, or an upside down traffic cone, or the speaker on a victrola.:) Hope this helps. There are Youtube videos from Midway USA that show you how to do it.
 
Thanks, I had just looked at that Midway video! Based on that video, and having two other Smiths to look at, I believe this particular gun is NOT staked.
So I have two follow-up questions:

1) What is the actual reason for staking the nut? Is it simply to prevent it from loosening up and falling out?

2) Do I need to have the rear sight blade and the adjusting screw in any particular position when I stake the nut? In other words, the rear sight blade is now adjusted in the approximate center. Can I leave it there when I stake the nut, or do I need to have it adjusted all the way left or right when I stake the nut?

Sorry for all the questions, but I don't want to screw it up. Thanks
 
1. The sight will freely move from side to side and not stay in place.

2. Double check me on this, as I recall move the blade close to the nut (opposite of where you put the screwdriver), stake it, then move the blade to the center position. Make sure the nut and the slotted screw head are fully in the sight housing. I hope this isn't too confusing.
 
Bert - #1 is the problem I originally had before I tightened the nut. That is, the sight was moving freely left and right. Then I tightened the nut, and everything seems to be working fine now. (Except that the nut is not staked.)
Regarding #2, here is a video from Midway. Not sure if he is saying the same thing as you are, or not regarding where to position the blade. Start at around 1:50 and you will see how he does it. (Hope it's ok to post a video.)
 
Howdy

I have to tell you, I have owned Smith and Wesson revolvers for over 40 years, and this is the first time I have heard of this problem. Let me guess, is this a new Smith? I will refrain from making the obligatory disparaging remarks about the quality of current S&W revolvers.

This is what the staked nut in the rear sight should look like. The metal should have been disturbed by a conical punch. If you were able to tighten the nut, the nut was probably never staked, because the disturbed metal in the screw usually prevents a standard screw driver from entering the slot deep enough to turn the nut. At the assembly stage, the nut would have been tightened all the way, then it would be staked to fix it in place.

Staked%20Rear%20Sight%20Nut%2001_zpsxyfwlukw.jpg




The purpose of staking the nut should be obvious, since yours was not staked. If the nut is free to rotate, the sight can not be adjusted properly. Once the nut is staked in place, it is not going anywhere, so the adjustment screw can do its job of pulling or pushing the rear sight to one side or the other.

If I was you I would first be sure the nut was tightened all the way. Then I would locate a small, conical shaped hardened punch. I would carefully place the revolver onto a flat, hard surface so only the rear sight was contacting the flat surface. You can find small bench blocks at Brownells, I have had this hexagonal steel one for years. You might have to prop up the barrel and grip with something to get the rear sight to sit flat on the block. You should be able to hold the punch centered in the nut with one hand, while you use a small hammer to deliver a sharp blow to the punch to upset the metal at the center of the nut, thereby staking it in place.

Staked%20Rear%20Sight%20Nut%2002_zpsomylwi5t.jpg
 
Thanks Driftwood. I was having trouble explaining it. I can do it blind folded, but I'm not a word smith. Yes, it's a quality control problem with the new S&Ws
 
Roger that Driftwood, and yes, it's a relatively new Smith! (Three years old.) My other two are older and are properly staked. And yes, I was able to tighten the nut a bit, so I guess it is not staked.
Great photos, and I hear what you are saying. So just to be sure, and looking at your photo: Does the sight blade or the adjusting screw have to be in any particular position (e.g., all the way left or all the way right) before I stake the nut? I currently have the sight blade centered, and was going to simply follow your procedure and stake the nut with the sight blade centered. Is that ok? Thanks
 
I would center the blade. On most of my Smiths, the sight blade is a tad less wide than the sight body is wide. It would be important that the sight blade was subflush where you are laying against the hard surface. Sight blades are fairly brittle and you might break it if it is in contact with the hard surface. Be sure the blade is retracted a little bit in the sight body so it is not in contact with the bench block when you whack the punch. You just want the body of the sight in contact with the bench block.

In keeping with my policy of not criticizing the quality of current Smiths, I have to wonder if the assembler was asleep for just your revolver when he forgot to stake the nut, or if he sent a whole batch of them on to the next step without the nut staked in place.
 
Just getting back to everyone on this. I worked on the gun yesterday, and I think I now have the nut properly staked. It isn't fully "flared" like my other two Smiths, but everything seems to be in order. I tried several different punches, in case one would work better than the other, but none of them flared the nut fully outward, and I didn't want to wail on anything.
But, the nut no longer turns freely if I try to spin it, as it did before I tapped it with the punch. I have full range of motion on the windage adjustments, and the sight leaf doesn't wiggle back and forth. Plus, the screw and nut turn together. As a double check, I moved the windage adjustment all the way to the right and encountered some resistance near the end, meaning, I believe, that the screw is now staked. (And to turn it further would break the screw.)
Picture attached. You can see it resembles Driftwood's picture.
Thanks for everyone's help.
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I thank everyone for this thread. I will be checking mine this coming week. Maybe some fliers are not totally my fault! ;)
 
Actually, the nut should turn inside the sight housing. The sight blade is threaded and moves along the screw as it is turned. If it is tightly staked as some of the pics show, the screw will break if turned past it’s mechanical limits.
Replacing the sight blade will require a new screw kit.
They cost more than the sight blades...
If not too tightly staked, I’ve been able on a few occasions to disassemble the sight without breaking the screw, allowing it to be reused.
Perhaps this is what S&W is try to do...
I’m “cheap”, too...
 
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