S&W Model 19 custom sights

[TGS]

So, let's say I have a 19-4 that I'd like to put nice sights on. It does not have the front ramp insert that allows one-for-one replacement with those kits from Brownells or whoever, so I'm completely open to having the sights ground off and new ones installed.

Which ones would you suggest, in what widths, and through which gunsmith shop? Is it possible to get the new FBI Ameriglo sights in a setup like this? I'd like something precise....preferably tritium, but I guess I'd be open to fiber optics as well because this will likely never be a carry gun. Bonus points if it can be done by Robar, as the gun will be going there anyway for a much needed refinish.

Go!

[41magfan]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/PKhNyE.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poPKhNyEj)

http://parts.bowenclassicarms.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=58&zenid=a632ce720f60ea69a65a818a40b956a2

Your revolver will require the old-style rear sight .... http://parts.bowenclassicarms.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=45

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/922/FBnP42.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmFBnP42j)

[Jim Watson]

I have a Model 67 that the gunsmith just milled the red insert blade off the ramp and dovetailed for a Dawson F.O. like he put on autos.
No reason not to do that with a night sight or whatever else you preferred.

Maybe you could call Robar and ask if they did such work. Save a lot of shipping time and expense.

I also have a revolver with a screw on ramp like 41magfan shows, but that was along with a barrel shortening that did away with the factory ramp.

[TGS]

I have a Model 67 that the gunsmith just milled the red insert blade off the ramp and dovetailed for a Dawson F.O. like he put on autos.
No reason not to do that with a night sight or whatever else you preferred.

Maybe you could call Robar and ask if they did such work. Save a lot of shipping time and expense.

I also have a revolver with a screw on ramp like 41magfan shows, but that was along with a barrel shortening that did away with the factory ramp.

Indeed they do. One of the problems is that it's a nickel plated gun with a lot of pitting and corrosion. On top of that, the front sight is nickel plated......and would come out with the NP3 finish. The rear sight is a Millett in similarly bad condition. To get a really good quality sight setup, I think it might just be more effective and easier to lop the damn thing off and have them install the Bowen sights, both front and rear, rather than paying them $135 for the tritium vial job and another however much to apply a black Roguard or PolyT2 finish to the front sight post and rear sight assembly so they're usable.

The bonus being that the front sight would be easier to swap out in the future after mounting the Bowen.....or something like the Bowen, if there are other choices.

Thanks guys!

[41magfan]

I haven't kept up with it but at one time, there were several good sources (SDM, Weigand, etc) for "DX Style" front sight options. Unless something better has come along, I think that system offers more "options" than any other revolver sight system out there.

[BillSWPA]

As much as I like tritium sights, if you do go that route, be sure that the sight is easily replaceable when the tritium gets dim. If, for example, the sight is dovetailed in place, securing a round barrel in any sight pusher I have seen would be difficult. Unless something is available with a drop-in replacement, I would strongly consider fiber optic, gold bead, or something similar.




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[revchuck38]

Note that revolvers of that vintage have pinned front sights, they look like they're one-piece because they were installed prior to polishing. I had the plain ramp on my 4" 19-3 replaced with a Patridge one. I don't know what options S&W still offers.

[JR1572]

I just had my gunsmith put the Bowen DX base on my 686 that I’m setting up for a “project.” I’ll post some pictures in the next few days/weeks as this gets closer to completion.

JR1572

[Stephanie B]

As much as I like tritium sights, if you do go that route, be sure that the sight is easily replaceable when the tritium gets dim. If, for example, the sight is dovetailed in place, securing a round barrel in any sight pusher I have seen would be difficult. Unless something is available with a drop-in replacement, I would strongly consider fiber optic, gold bead, or something similar.

Not to mention that if you need to send the gun out for that, you've got more costs than you do from sending a slide to Trijicon for relamping.

[okie john]

The DX system is a fast and economical way to try different front sight variants, but I'm not a fan of it for serious use.

From Mr. Bowen's website:
DX front sight blades are hand-detachable. To remove the blade, pull it firmly to the rear, compressing the retaining spring and plunger and then tip up the front of the blade to release it from the base. It’s that simple.

You can also catch the blade on the lip of your holster while reholstering and drop the blade without realizing it. It's a shock when your next sight picture does NOT include a front sight. Don't ask me how I know that.


Okie John

[Stephanie B]

You can also catch the blade on the lip of your holster while reholstering and drop the blade without realizing it. It's a shock when your next sight picture does NOT include a front sight. Don't ask me how I know that.

Don't have to.

:eek:

[okie john]

Don't have to.

:eek:

Fortunately, I was just checking out my gear prior to hunting deer with a S&W Model 629, so it was no big deal.

A set screw would fix it easily.


Okie John

[TGS]

Not to mention that if you need to send the gun out for that, you've got more costs than you do from sending a slide to Trijicon for relamping.

The gun will be sent out for refinishing regardless, so that it doesn't turn to dust in the next few years. It looks like it was left in sumdood's fishing boat out in Montauk for the last 20 years. :)


The DX system is a fast and economical way to try different front sight variants, but I'm not a fan of it for serious use.

From Mr. Bowen's website:

You can also catch the blade on the lip of your holster while reholstering and drop the blade without realizing it. It's a shock when your next sight picture does NOT include a front sight. Don't ask me how I know that.


Okie John

That's a good note. Fortunately this will only be a serious use gun if I stop being a jackboot of the entrenched power system, and said power system only allows proles to own and/or carry revolvers.

In which case I'd still have a really good leg up on everyone else. See how I justified this purchase? :cool:

[rathos]

I have the DX system on my Model 19 that I had the barrel cut down on. The amount of pressure it takes to push that front sight out you would really have to be slamming it into a holster to get it to come out. I have been using a green fiber insert and it is amazing. I would not worry about using it for serious work.

21130

[Lon]

My chopped 67 has an SDM type sight base with a Dawson tritium front. I’d have no problem using it for serious work.

21132

[okie john]

I have the DX system on my Model 19 that I had the barrel cut down on. The amount of pressure it takes to push that front sight out you would really have to be slamming it into a holster to get it to come out. I have been using a green fiber insert and it is amazing. I would not worry about using it for serious work.

Sounds like yours is a lot tighter than mine was. You could swap the blades in mine with your fingers. Maybe it had a weak spring or wasn't fitted tightly or both, but it was pretty easy to get them in and out. The blades came from Brownell's, but I don't remember whether they were made by S&W, Wiegand, or someone else.


Okie John

[rathos]

Might be due to the process they use now. I almost thought my gunsmith had pinned it in place. I really had to push on it to get it to move at all. If I had a solid front sight I would do some testing to see how much pressure it would take to push it out, but even with a kydex or other solid holster I would have a hard time pushing that front sight out. The base is the one sold on Hamilton Bowen's website (http://parts.bowenclassicarms.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=58), the fiber optic is an SDM.


Sounds like yours is a lot tighter than mine was. You could swap the blades in mine with your fingers. Maybe it had a weak spring or wasn't fitted tightly or both, but it was pretty easy to get them in and out. The blades came from Brownell's, but I don't remember whether they were made by S&W, Wiegand, or someone else.


Okie John

[Jeep]

Good discussion. We need more Model 19 threads. Generic K frame threads are great, but Model 19 threads are even greater.

[OlongJohnson]

Anybody ever mess with these?

http://www.dlsports.com/sandw_kln_frame_sights.html

[41magfan]

Anybody ever mess with these?

http://www.dlsports.com/sandw_kln_frame_sights.html

I've shot a tricked out 4" S&W 625 (.45 COLT) that has a functionally equivalent sight system on it done by Cylinder & Slide .... they call it the Extreme Duty sight.

If you're a "one load" kinda guy using a "one load" sort of cartridge they're very nice, but I personally don't see the practical advantage over a durable, adjustable rear sight like the Bowen.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/923/nktwEO.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnnktwEOj)

[JR1572]

I just had my gunsmith put the Bowen DX base on my 686 that I’m setting up for a “project.” I’ll post some pictures in the next few days/weeks as this gets closer to completion.

JR1572

Sorry about the delay. I’ve been shooting the 686 with the Weigand base and I like it. I have a .220 and .250 front sight, but I need a .200 and cannot seem to find one anywhere. I’m shooting kinda low with the lead free frangible ammo we have to shoot at the work range. Anyone have an idea where to look?

Anyway, here are the pics:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180308/30077c3a971584b2531f5eb04270bbd3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180308/ded7791cd142e9d0c0144b40d82e0adf.jpg

JR1572

[Nephrology]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/PKhNyE.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poPKhNyEj)

http://parts.bowenclassicarms.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=58&zenid=a632ce720f60ea69a65a818a40b956a2

Your revolver will require the old-style rear sight .... http://parts.bowenclassicarms.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=45

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/922/FBnP42.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmFBnP42j)

Are those rear sights reasonable easy to install at home? I have a model 19-3 that could use a new rear sight that I think would fit... anyone ever install one of these on their own before?

[41magfan]

Are those rear sights reasonable easy to install at home? I have a model 19-3 that could use a new rear sight that I think would fit... anyone ever install one of these on their own before?

Nothing to it.

The one visible screw you can see anchors the sight on the top-strap. The elevation screw attaches to a stud on the underside of the rear portion of the sight that fits in a slot cut in the frame. The sight body is made with a slight bend to provide upward tension on the stud. The sight slides off to the rear and is reattached in the reverse, making sure the square sides of the stud line up with its recess.

The hardest part is having the correct size driver for the small attachment screw .... it's an easy one to bugger up.

[Nephrology]

Nothing to it.

The one visible screw you can see anchors the sight on the top-strap. The elevation screw attaches to a stud on the underside of the rear portion of the sight that fits in a slot cut in the frame. The sight body is made with a slight bend to provide upward tension on the stud. The sight slides off to the rear and is reattached in the reverse, making sure the square sides of the stud line up with its recess.

The hardest part is having the correct size driver for the small attachment screw .... it's an easy one to bugger up.

Thanks! This is great info.

Also, as long as I am in this thread... who do people like for S&W revolver gunsmithing? I have a model 28 that I'd like to put a new front sight (ideally, gold bead). Trigger work would be nice too. Any suggestions? Cylinder and Slide seems to be reasonable priced but I have no experience with their smithing services.

[okie john]

Thanks! This is great info.

Also, as long as I am in this thread... who do people like for S&W revolver gunsmithing? I have a model 28 that I'd like to put a new front sight (ideally, gold bead). Trigger work would be nice too. Any suggestions? Cylinder and Slide seems to be reasonable priced but I have no experience with their smithing services.

Hamilton Bowen is the absolute top end for revolver work. He's also a gentleman of the old school and talking to him or corresponding with him is a rare treat.

Cylinder & Slide has a solid reputation, but I've never done business with them.

I've had good luck with Karl Sokol at http://chestnutmountainsports.net/


Okie John

[Jim Watson]

Bowen no longer works on Smiths.

[45dotACP]

Bowen no longer works on Smiths.Like the president would say...

"Very sad!"

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[Jim Watson]

He said why, two years ago:
Effective May 1st 2016, we will no longer accept S&W revolver projects and will take down the S&W catalog section. A great many of our S&W offerings involve barrel work, particularly sight and caliber conversion. More and more of the newer guns have barrels set so tightly that the factory service department refuses to remove them because of the risks of receiver damage. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know when guns are suitable candidates for barrel removal until you put a barrel wrench to one. Due to the untimely loss of friend and colleague Jim Dubell who did our reboring, we also have a considerable backlog of S&W caliber conversions to address as we are able to get barrels rebored; these are our top priority.


They still sell S&W sights if he can put it on himself or get it to another gunsmith.