Dovetailed J-Frame Sights

[ScotchMan]

My biggest complaint, by far, with revolvers, is their sights. Even with adjustable sights, that black notch with a black front ramp is far inferior, for me, than your basic three dot setup on any semi-auto. Every time I seriously get into revolvers again, I always end up getting frustrated with the sights and going back to my autos.

Recently I came across the 640 Pro Series and I had a bit of a revelation. Here is a revolver with the same sights I am used to on semi-autos. And the best part, if you look closely, is it appears S&W just added dovetails right on top of the existing fixed sights!

If that is the case, it should be a relatively easy operation to have a gunsmith add this capability to ANY revolver! Can you imagine a revolver with dovetails which will accept, say, 1911 sights? The possibilities are endless. This is great, because the 640 Pro isn't exactly what I want in a revolver. A 642 Pro with dovetailed sights would be.

Anyone know of someone who has tried this before? Anything I'm missing that would rain on my parade?

 

[Bob Wright]

Cutting a dovetail into the top strap is somewhat of a risky proposition. Especially if the gun is an alloy frame. The dovetail weakens the frame at a critical point. Maybe go for a dozen years with no problem, then suddenly have a failure.

If such guns are factory made, well and good. But an add-on could spell trouble. I'd advise against it.

I zoomed in on the S&W link you posted. The dovetail slot is not in the top strap per se, but in the frame behind the top strap, which is a wolf of a different color.

Bob Wright

 

[PawPaw]

At one time, Jim Clark's son was doing that, as a one-off project for select clients. His solution was simpler, he simply milled out the little notch in the rear sight, then cut the front sight off the revolver and cut a dovetail into the top rib for a tritium or a high-vis sight.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XCkTSf0swcQ/Sme_iImm7KI/AAAAAAAAGFM/HWUBIKOP8N8/s1600/J%2Bframe%2BTRITIUM.jpg

Very clean installation. I like it, but the last time I looked at the Clark website, they weren't accepting customer guns for modifications.

 

[Nathan]

You can buy replacement sight blades(tritium) for the pinned fr sights. Pinned and glued, that is pretty solid.

With the rear, I don't really need improvement....maybe a wide U milled in the current sight to be fancy... It would also be nicer if the area or whole gun was black cerakoted.

 

[lee n. field]

Here is a revolver with the same sights I am used to on semi-autos. And the best part, if you look closely, is it appears S&W just added dovetails right on top of the existing fixed sights!

One of the big name smiths will do that. I forget who right now.

I would also question how much you'd need the new rear sight. Assuming you're OK with the square notch rear, you should be able to do what you want with a dovetailed front sight. Adjustable for windage by the application of hammer and brass punch. Adjustable for elevation by replacing the sight with a taller or shorter one.

 

[PetahW]

.

D&L is only one entity that installs sights on J-frame S&W's:

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



.

 

[ScotchMan]

Cutting a dovetail into the top strap is somewhat of a risky proposition. Especially if the gun is an alloy frame. The dovetail weakens the frame at a critical point. Maybe go for a dozen years with no problem, then suddenly have a failure.

If such guns are factory made, well and good. But an add-on could spell trouble. I'd advise against it.

I zoomed in on the S&W link you posted. The dovetail slot is not in the top strap per se, but in the frame behind the top strap, which is a wolf of a different color.

Bob Wright

From what I can tell on the 640 Pro, the sight is behind the top strap. The D&L solution looks functional, but it has three screws along the top strap, which I'm not sure is necessary. It looks like all S&W did with the 640 was just mill in dovetails.

And for the people who mentioned the rear, I need the rear more than the front! There is at least a front sight on the J that I can paint or whatever, but there is no rear sight to speak of at all.