Replacing front site on Model 10

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The Rabbi

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I bough a nice model 10-8 (are there any other kind?) a little while ago. WHen I shot it, sight acquisition was horrible, owing to the black, low front sight. Any suggestions to make this better? I really like the gun but that sight has to go.
 
The only way to replace the front sight is to machine it off and pin or dovetail in a new one. Try painting the ramp orange or some similar contrasting color. I have seen nail polish and fishing lure paint recommended.
 
Orange nail polish works great on mine. Cleaning front sight very good then 2-3 very light coats (waiting for each to dry) seems to give me best results.
 
Rabbi,

Couple of options. 1st some creative file work can really improve those half round sights. Something kinda like this old 1917...

1917_l.jpg

2nd, just have the sight and its base milled off, and replaced with the interchangable "Classic" unit from www.jackweigand.com Only needs one screw hole tapped, and it opens up a whole world of blade options.

Good Luck...

Joe
 
Another option to consider, folks back in the day used to put a gold bead on top. I took an old Colt Combat Commander to a jewelry store and had them solder on a gold stud earring on top of the front sight and let me tell ya, if there's any light at all that thing shines like, well, gold.
 
Before we go too far, does this revolver have the old-style "pencil barrel," or a heavy one with a wide rib? I suspect it's the latter and if so you have several options.
 
I believe you would call it a ehavy one with wide rib. There is no tapering from the frame to the barrel like I have seen with very old Smiths.
 
A knowledgeable gunsmith can cross-dovetail the rib of a M&P heavy barrel and put on any of the wide variety of sights now made for autos. Have to pick kind of a low one to maintain zero. Ross Carter used to put on a high profile fixed sight that looked kind of like the back end of a Novak. That would run the price up, though.
 
I was going to suggest the cross-dovetail too. You can move the blade in the dovetail to adjust for windage also. Many of the dovetail-style sights made for .45 automatics will work fine. You can even get dots or whatever.
 
The dovetail idea is the route I would go. If I am not successful in finding a 3" bbl. K frame in the near future, I may buy a po-po trade in 4" barrel model 10/13 and customize it into a carry revolver. Square to round conversion, barrel chopped and dovetailed, refinished, and add some good stocks and I'm ready to go.


Mino
 
That doesnt make alot of sense to me. You are looking at spending easily 2-300 bucks on a $200 gun. Add them all up and you could get just what you want right out the box, more or less.

I think the orange paint idea is the best one so far just on practicals: cheap and easy--the way I like most things.
 
well then , spend an extra couple o' bucks and get the glow in the dark paint, like i did on my Kel-tec P-11 and my red ramp S&W mod 66. Btw , the gold bead was only $20.
 
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