S&W Sight Help

Dirt Merchant

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I have a few of S&W revolvers and with my poor eye site, I am finding it more and more difficult to see the stock metal (black/dark grey) barrel site clearly against dark targets. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for some sort of fibre optic sight that could be swapped in? Is red or green a better option? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
My small experience with FO sights tells me green is better than red for the front sight(seems brighter).
But I have a DW .22 with a yellow insert front sight and I like it more than I could have imagined.
In fact I liked the yellow FS so much I put some dollar store day glow yellow on the front sight of my
BL22.
Cheap and effective.
 
I know you did not ask about this, but it is an option.
I enjoy red dot sights like a Burris Fastfire 3
Wegand combat make some nice rails.
ht tp://www.jackweigand.com/swhpmnt.html
ht tp://www.jackweigand.com/Smith-Wesson-Revolver-Mini-Mount.html
 
I have good eyes and find the stock red sight awful. I find the gold bead sights are much better or a fiber green. Green is better then red away as the human eye can pick it up better than any other colour.
 
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A dab of white enamel. When that is dry, a dab of fluorescent red paint. I use Krylon paint pens.

Why the white first? ....or is the part painted white larger with then a dot of red put on top.

I'd like to do something to improve my MR88. The rear sight is a glossy black which is fine but the front one is dull grey and seems to disappear against various colour targets.
 
Why the white first? ...

It's to provide a solid white base for the final colour.

I like the green F.O. on my Ruger GP100 & SP101. HiViz make F.O. sights for S&W revolvers with removable fromt sights. Not sure who has them in Canada, though.

Another thing I've tried on some plain black front sights is a very thin strip (less than the width of the sight itself) of white reflective tape such as is used for automotive striping. Really picks up any light that falls on it.
 
I had MD Charlton put a green fo sight on my s&w m66 and I really like it. Im am however going to try the florecent paint on another revlover to see if its comparable.
 
Sorry, still not getting it. Why the white first followed by colour over top? Why not just put the colour straight on the sight? Is the white a different type of paint that adheres better?....acts as a primer?
 
Sorry, still not getting it. Why the white first followed by colour over top? Why not just put the colour straight on the sight? Is the white a different type of paint that adheres better?....acts as a primer?

It's to put a bright base behind the final colour. The coloured enamel isn't totally opaque, so if you don't put white behind it, you'll have to apply several coats. You'd have the same problem if you tried to put a light colour over a dark-panelled wall. On the other hand, I think Titian sometimes used a black underpaint to add depth & richness to reds.
 
Sorry, still not getting it. Why the white first followed by colour over top? Why not just put the colour straight on the sight? Is the white a different type of paint that adheres better?....acts as a primer?

I see you have never done any home decorating/painting :p

If the base colour is dark i.e.; the blued sight. Then you must put a base coat of white or your final colour will be very dark looking.
 
Thanks for all the tips. I can see clearly now but my groups still suck. What else can I blame?

LOL. You're running out of options here...:p Without being a smart-arse, have you had your eyes checked recently? I ran into ptoblems a year ago and found that I had developed wet AMD. Harder to read the computer, really couldn't see open sights properly (so no shooting. :() I"ve been getting injections monthly and it's helped a lot, but of course it's getting a bit cold to do much shooting now. (And I've just finished doing a full trigger job on my SP-101 & GP-100 and can run them with 9 lb. hammer springs.)
 
I see you have never done any home decorating/painting :p

If the base colour is dark i.e.; the blued sight. Then you must put a base coat of white or your final colour will be very dark looking.

Ah....OK Thanks...makes sense now.

I'm afraid my painting decorating skills are limited to writing cheques to people who can paint without the paint going everywhere. I'm pretty good at slapping on anti fouling paint but of course no one sees it after the boat is back in the water.;)
 
As has already been suggested, a red dot might be the ultimate solution.

If you're having trouble contrasting dark sights against dark targets..... what about changing targets? I've been using freebie targets I got from Canada Ammo that have red bullseyes - they contrast well with dark sights.
 
Without knowing your eyesight problems, here's my experience;
My distance vision is still OK - no prescription glasses required.
I do need reading glasses though -- presently a 2.5 reader.
Recently tried pistol shooting W/ iron sights like I used to do in my 30's (30 years ago) - couldn't see my sights. Tried my 2.5 readers - nope.
Had an eye exam, talked to the optometrest (SP)- she suggested a lower power "reader", which by nature, would have a longer focal length. Tried a 1.5 reader -- now I can see the sights clearly again.
 
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