S&W Adjustable Sight Tool

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azsixshooter

New member
I was thinking about buying this:
Adjustable Sight Kit because the rear sight on my beloved 686 is always coming loose. Once, when I first got it and didn't know to check it, the rear sight blade fell out and I found it later on the carpet. Since then I've been good about checking it, but when it comes loose I have to bend a thick staple to fit the little holes on the one side while I tighten the other side with a flathead screwdriver.

I love my Smith, but since the infernal lock ordeal I don't support them any longer and I'd rather not buy this kit from them. Also, this is an installation kit and I really only need the driver bit included with it that has the 2 little prongs to hold the nut while you tighten the screw.

Does anyone know of an alternative to buying this adjustment tool from them? The staple hack kind of works, but I can't really tighten it very good and it comes loose pretty easy after a few shooting sessions.

Any tips, links or advice would be much appreciated. I tried searching for "adjustable sight tool" on Brownell's and MidwayUSA.com but nothing came up. I also tried searching here on TFL, but no luck.

TIA
 
K

kamerer

New member
It sounds like your sight was never properly installed to begin with if the blade came loose. S&W rear sights are effective, reliable, and not generally a problem area like they are on DW and Ruger revolvers. The same system has been in use since 1940 with no real complaints.

The windage screw and nut are NOT designed to be re-usable. You are supposed to install a new one each time a sight is installed/removed/repaired etc. - you can generally only remove and installed screw/nut combo by breaking the tip of the screw off in the nut - if yours isn't installed that tightly, it isn't properly installed. Sounds like either it wasn't properly installed to begin with, or someone had removed it carefully without breaking it and done a hack job on installing it before you had the gun. You are supposed to flare the end of the screw over and into the threads of the nut, locking the two together. Properly installed, they do NOT work loose or come out of adjustment.

Get a new screw and nut, or properly install the pair that you have. I believe it is called a "sight re-build kit." You don't need the installation kit per-se, just get a small punch and use either a pair of very tiny needle nose (bent nose type work best), or grind one down a bit to fashion the tool. The Kuhnhausen book has instructions on sight installation/removal, and I believe it's also in the FAQs somewhere at the smith-wessonforum.com, look in the modern section (post 45). The punch is to flare the end of the screw as I described above. Your other option would be to install a Millet rear sight tang and blade.

You understand that the British owners who made the cursable lock deal with S&W are long gone and it is back in US ownership? It is a lamentable thing, I agree, but the ninnies are gone and you don't need to spite yourself still because of it.
 
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azsixshooter

New member
That makes sense, I did buy it used so anything could have conceivably happened to it before I picked it up. Thanks a lot for the info, I will definitely check out that forum post and see what I need to do to rebuild the rear sight.

I still won't ever give my business to any manufacturer that doesn't make infernal locks option-only. If I absolutely have to buy a sight kit from Smith and Wesson I will, but that is my very last option.
 
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madcratebuilder

New member
Midway sells white outline rear blade kits for about ten bucks. You tighten the new screw, then back off a quarter turn and stake it with a center punch.
 
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kamerer

New member
I agree about the locks. I hate them and won't deal with guns with locks. A few PC guns come without locks here and there, and they didn't re-engineer the centennial for it (thank god). I am praying it will go away soon.
 
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