I have an older S&W 659. It has the funky rear sight with the stainless "dog-ears" for lack of a better word. It doesn't bother me on my 659 - it is what it is. However, I'm looking at Smith 10mm's with the same "dog-eared" rear sight. I never really don't want this on a 10mm - can it removed and replaced with a different style rear sight? Or, are these permanently affixed to the slide.
S&W Rear Sight question - older style
- Thread starter Skans
- Start date
Dfariswheel
New member
The protective ears aren't permanently affixed, but the slide is machined to accept it and removal will leave a larger cut in the slide exposed.
Here's an exploded view of the 659 showing the slide set up. Note that the Novak type sight has a much smaller cut in the slide:
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=9958
Here's an exploded view of the 659 showing the slide set up. Note that the Novak type sight has a much smaller cut in the slide:
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=9958
I have a 4506 and 5906 that have that sight arrangement.
I don't care for it at all.
I took the guns down to the CZ custom shop and asked them what they could do for me.
They said to install a different sight base would require making a new plate to fit in the old but larger dovetail that is already in the gun and then cut an additional dovetail to accommodate the sight base you want.
Know that the model that I have has some "stuff" under that base related to the magazine disconnect that the smith can get to after removing the existing sight base.
If you fix the first problem, you may create the second problem if you try to remove or re-install the magazine disconnect.
I opted to leave both guns alone.
If it becomes too much of a problem for me, I will sell the two guns and get something else.
Something about leaving sleeping dogs lie comes to mind.
Just sayin'
Geetarman
I don't care for it at all.
I took the guns down to the CZ custom shop and asked them what they could do for me.
They said to install a different sight base would require making a new plate to fit in the old but larger dovetail that is already in the gun and then cut an additional dovetail to accommodate the sight base you want.
Know that the model that I have has some "stuff" under that base related to the magazine disconnect that the smith can get to after removing the existing sight base.
If you fix the first problem, you may create the second problem if you try to remove or re-install the magazine disconnect.
I opted to leave both guns alone.
If it becomes too much of a problem for me, I will sell the two guns and get something else.
Something about leaving sleeping dogs lie comes to mind.
Just sayin'
Geetarman
Dfariswheel
New member
The rear sight guard is called a sight base by S&W.
If you look at the schematic I linked above, you'll see that it retains the firing pin lock and the magazine disconnecter.
Without some major fabricating and gunsmithing it's not easy to change it.
If you look at the schematic I linked above, you'll see that it retains the firing pin lock and the magazine disconnecter.
Without some major fabricating and gunsmithing it's not easy to change it.
carguychris
New member
Dfariswheel and geetarman are both right; if you look closely at the sight base of the fully adjustable unit, you'll notice that the dovetail extends the full length of the sight base, and is obviously MUCH longer than the dovetail on the fixed-sight pistols.
FWIW there was also an important change in the fixed (drift-adjustable) sights. 2nd- and 3rd-gen S&W TDA automatics had a simple vertical blade rear sight until 1989, when S&W began introducing ramped Novak Lo-Mount sights on their new compact models. In early 1990, the other pistols in the lineup got Novaks too. Therefore, some TDA models came with 3 different rear sights. Did I mention that none of them are interchangeable?
The Novaks are arguably the best for CCW and also have the most aftermarket replacement options. AFAIK the vast majority of the 10mm fixed-sight pistols had Novaks since they were introduced in the 1989-1990 time frame.
FWIW there was also an important change in the fixed (drift-adjustable) sights. 2nd- and 3rd-gen S&W TDA automatics had a simple vertical blade rear sight until 1989, when S&W began introducing ramped Novak Lo-Mount sights on their new compact models. In early 1990, the other pistols in the lineup got Novaks too. Therefore, some TDA models came with 3 different rear sights. Did I mention that none of them are interchangeable?
The Novaks are arguably the best for CCW and also have the most aftermarket replacement options. AFAIK the vast majority of the 10mm fixed-sight pistols had Novaks since they were introduced in the 1989-1990 time frame.