J Frame Sight Options

[Half Moon]

I'm considering custom work on a 640-1. Among other things I'm thinking about replacing the stock front ramp sight. The gunsmith is recommending an XS Big Dot. I've never seen one outside of pictures. Not sure it's the way I want to go but not totally opposed either. Usually I prefer something more like a Patridge sight. Searching P-F most of what I'm finding is anti-big dot but is mostly in context of Glocks or shotguns. What's the running thoughts on them for J frames? What other options do folks like?

[JCN]

I'm considering custom work on a 640-1. Among other things I'm thinking about replacing the stock front ramp sight. The gunsmith is recommending an XS Big Dot. I've never seen one outside of pictures. Not sure it's the way I want to go but not totally opposed either. Usually I prefer something more like a Patridge sight. Searching P-F most of what I'm finding is anti-big dot but is mostly in context of Glocks or shotguns. What's the running thoughts on them for J frames? What other options do folks like?


My opinion: depends on what you’re going to use the gun for and what state are your index skills with guns.

That colors my recommendation to you.





How do I know what I know:

I bought a 640 from a PF member who had done the rear sight upgrade. Front is a red ramp.


https://youtu.be/5KtoTOAlyLw?si=parEiaekBAMnvo80

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First time shooting the gun.


But I also retrofitted a glue on XS big dot on the home brew cut barrel.

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[JCN]

My thought process carrying J frames is a little different from conventional wisdom. I don’t see it as only for 10 yards and closer.

IMO a red ramp front is not much better than a full blacked front in low light or at speed. It has some marginal benefit to me slower fire at distance for holdover and adjustment for different ammo.

I’m not generally a fan of red ramps when I have an alternate option.

The better your index, the less of a hindrance the front sight visibility is at speed… you can work with any front if you don’t have to hunt or stare at it for refinement.

That means either extreme close targets or very good index.




XS big dot is plenty workable for speed and accuracy if you take the time to learn your sight pictures with the dot.

I shoot it like a fiber optic blob and use the blob to notch picture at speed. I can elaborate if need be.

Advantage of the XS is that it’s easier to pick up in lower light conditions and mine has a tritium center.




My overall preference would be a fat fiber optic front. I have that on most of my J frames that I’d shoot at speed that have pinned front sights that are swappable.


The fiber works better in most lighting conditions except super dark and my reasoning is that I wouldn’t take a far shot in lighting so dark that I couldn’t identify targets very well.


Those are my $0.02 on J frame irons. Happy to elaborate on any of the details.

Half Moon

[JCN]

This is an LCR with a HiViz but I have the same sight on a MP340.

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[D-der]

While some do quite well with them, not for me. I tried on on my LCR and just couldn't get used to the sight picture (or didn't want to), I much prefer the HI VIZ, for me it's more natural and consistent.

[JCN]

Half Moon

Here are the three types of sights in different lighting conditions.

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[Half Moon]

JCN

That's a striking picture and definite food for thought.

To answer some of your other questions:

The potential role of the 640 is as a spare EDC. But I also like to stretch out my snubs a bit at the range (by which I mean 25 to 30 yards). Oddly my best "long range" snub is an older Model 38 with the skinny 1/10" ramp. I think my index is fairly decent with J snubs but for longer range shooting I generally prefer a vertically faced, squared off front sight that gives a nicely crisp sight picture like a Patridge. Ramps are fine as such things go but truth, add in range, and I can shoot better with even an old-fashioned half moon sight than a ramp (albeit slower with the skinny half moons). I've used fiber sights on range rental semi-autos and liked the speed of pickup and such. Might be a worthy consideration though concerned with the number of folks that note having launched the fiber optic tubes.

[JCN]

JCN consideration though concerned with the number of folks that note having launched the fiber optic tubes.

My trick with fibers is that I use just a little E6000 to bed them so the fibers don’t move without me moving them.

[okie john]

Here's something else to think about. I've never used them but I find the ideas intriguing.

https://www.dlsports.com/dl_jframe_sw_sights.html


Okie John

[Lester Polfus]

The easy button for a J-frame with good sights is a 640 Pro. I can’t say I can hit an 8” plate at 50 yards every time, but I do it often enough it’s not happenstance.

[1slow]

The easy button for a J-frame with good sights is a 640 Pro. I can’t say I can hit an 8” plate at 50 yards every time, but I do it often enough it’s not happenstance.

Yes !

S&W should do a lightweight J frame with 640 Pro sights.

[Up1911Fan]

Here's something else to think about. I've never used them but I find the ideas intriguing.

https://www.dlsports.com/dl_jframe_sw_sights.html


Okie John

Those are the sights on the 640 JCN posted. They're great.

[Up1911Fan]

Yes !

S&W should do a lightweight J frame with 640 Pro sights.

And chamber it in .32 H&R.

[BN]

Here's a big dot and a standard dot on J-Frames. I prefer the standard dot because it fits down in the rear notch while the big dot doesn't give a good sight picture because it has to ride above the notch.

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[gato naranja]

Here's a big dot and a standard dot on J-Frames. I prefer the standard dot because it fits down in the rear notch while the big dot doesn't give a good sight picture because it has to ride above the notch.

I found the same to be true- when the sight radius is short-coupled, the rear notch is frequently problematic with the big dot.

Where I found the big dot more useful was on longer-barreled items, leading me to conclude that they may be too much of a good thing on a pocket gun.

[Lester Polfus]

I found the same to be true- when the sight radius is short-coupled, the rear notch is frequently problematic with the big dot.

Where I found the big dot more useful was on longer-barreled items, leading me to conclude that they may be too much of a good thing on a pocket gun.

Concur. The XS Standard dot is still pretty big compared to most sights that have a dot in them.

[gato naranja]

Where I found the big dot more useful was on longer-barreled items, leading me to conclude that they may be too much of a good thing on a pocket gun.

FTA: it is a day late and a dollar short, but I will add that of all the big dots I have installed over the years, the ones that actually worked out better than I expected were on 6" - 8" revolvers and shotguns.

[Dave T]

This is how a now retired gunsmith friend fixed the front sight problem for me on my 642-1.

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That's an XS Standard Front, dovetailed into the original S&W ramp.

Dave