How Close are Ruger and S&W Pin-In Front Sights?

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I posted this question on another forum (Singleactions.com), but want to cast a broader "brain net." Someone here is likely to have an idea.

My Service Six shoots 4" high at 20 yards with moderate 158 and 180 cast loads. Both shoot very close to the same POI at that distance, and I am not going to tailor loads to change the POI, because these loads are my "standard" in my 3" Charter 357 and my general-purpose loads in the Contender Carbine 357.

I need a TALLER sight and I need it to be a patridge-style sight.

Snooping around, I see there's a pin-in patridge-style sight for S&W DAs, it's not at all expensive and it's just a fuzz taller than I need. If it's not too THIN, I can make it fit. If the radius on the tennon is larger than the Ruger's, I can make that fit too. I have not been able to locate dimensions anywhere so I can make the comparison. I can MAKE one, as I have before, but having the serrated rear surface of the commercial sight is highly preferable.

I was wondering if anyone here had an idea how close (if at all) the Ruger and S&W pinned front sights are to interchanging.

Thanks for any input.
 
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RBHarter

West Central AR
The up side is that if it's fat and long it can be fitted .
The Smiths I have available are too old to help , like mill and slot for a dime too old .
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
It may be easier to just fabricate a new taller front sight than to attempt to make a S&W sight blade fit.
One option would include using flat bar stock and shaping a new front sight.
I don’t know the dimensions of the S&W sight blade you are contemplating using but by the time you get done shaping the tenon and drilling a hole for the cross pin, you could probably just make an entire front sight blade from scratch.
 
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CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
My fixed-sight handguns usually shoot fairly close to where the sights are looking. When they don't, I just use some "Kentucky windage/elevation". A change in bullet weights and/or load intensity can cause shots to stray, often due to "barrel time" and recoil arc. I can understand your desire to make the sights behave.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
It may be easier to just fabricate a new taller front sight than to attempt to make a S&W sight blade fit......


I agree in most cases. I've used both brass and mild steel in the past to make front sights for Rugers and, yes - easy enough and makes sense.

However, the one I saw on Midway was something like $7, and I wouldn't make a front sight for anyone for $7. This one is also already serrated and I don't have a $50 checkering file/don't plan on buying one, because this is my last/one of my last revolvers. This one's for keeps and I've been inside this one making it as perfect as possible short of spending $1k on custom work.

I am being picky, I know that, but anything I can make right by myself will be "right."

@CZ93X62 , an obvious and workable solution for sure, and thank you for bringing it up. I'm expecting a lot of this revolver because I have had several of these which set the bar pretty high. If t he sight were staked, or worse - integral with the barrel, I'd follow you lead on this one. Since the sight is easily removed by means of drifting out a roll pin, Ill go the extra bit to dial it in.

Thank, guys.:)
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
The Ruger on the left S&W on the right, both are around 1/8 " (.125") wide.
Thanks, David!

The 1/8" width is good. My Ruger sight is older and has a rounded tenon, like your Smith sight. Would you be able to get an approximate length and depth of the tenon itself on the Smith sight?

Thanks, so much. This is very helpful!

If it is shallower than the Ruger's, I may be out of luck, but it looks proportionally-promising. :)
 

david s

Well-Known Member
64496_600x400.jpg
 

david s

Well-Known Member
The list was revised 7-7-99 by S&W and list sights from .149 thru .320. I'm hoping it will allow you to blow the sheet up so you can read it. They follow as such. .149, .168, .195, .200, .219, .228, .235, .241, .243, .262, .278, .283, .296 and .320. The sight in the photo is a .296. The tenon seems to be between .135 and .140 deep depending on how I see parallel. There are other manufactures who make S&W style front sights with one I think offered a taller sight and fiber optics and gold beads ect.. Missed the tenon length, it 's about .334".
 
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Jeff H

NW Ohio
Second attempt.
That worked, david! I was able to enlarge the first attempt, but it just got fuzzier as it got larger. On t he second one, I was able to zoom in and still read it.

I really appreciate the effort you made on this - very helpful.

I think it will work.
 

david s

Well-Known Member
I'm going in the opposite direction of you. I have a S&W 31-1 in 32 long that I want to add J frame rear sight to so need a taller front sight. Seems Ruger offer's just what I needed. I gathered all the parts together so that I could do this during last winter but life got in the way and it hasn't even been begun.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Nicely done, David.

Not long after I bought my CZ-550 Lux in 9.3 x 62 Mauser, I was cruising around the 'net and found on the CZ-USA site that CZ offered 14 front sight heights for their iron-sighted rifle line. They were numbered 1 through 14, shortest to tallest. My OEM front sight was a #7, so I ordered a #1 and a #14 just for drill. The cost was nominal. Europeans must have lots better eyesight than us Yanks, we put glassware on ERRYTHANG.
 

david s

Well-Known Member
For the CZ 527 they also offer three different rear sights. If you cant find a combination that works for you in those 17 different heights it's just not your day. I have an assortment from CZ.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
I'm just going to toss this out there. But I saw a photograph of a sight blades that was modified by drilling a vertical hole on top of the blade and inserting a small Allen head cap screw into the blade. The head of the cap screw can then be filed down to the needed height. A 1/16" drive cap screw has a head diameter of .118" or .007" smaller than 1/8"