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A few years ago I was searching for a replacement for an S&W 625 that I foolishly sold. I was looking for a 4” and stumbled across a good deal on a 5” instead. It was enough a bargain that I decided I’d “settle” and give it a go. Bought a Kramer horsehide pancake to match and quickly realized I’d found nirvana. For me the ultimate in sight radius, offhand holding, velocity gain over 3” or 4”, with a little more weight out front to help with recoil.

Fast forward to recently when I decided it was high time I get out in the shop and straighten up a little and get on some projects I’ve been putting off for way too long. Getting a couple things finished up and tinkering with my old tools made me realize I still enjoy working on some gun stuff and made me want to do something else.

So I did what any S&W guy in search of a project and perfection would do. I sourced a cheap 8 3/8” 629-4 that had languished for a while with no takers on a shelf in a gun shop and got to work.

The 8 3/8” will make up into a professional looking 5” job due to the placement of the roll marks, a 6” will look funny with the stamp out towards the muzzle after the trim.

I got some keystock and whittled out a ramp and blade.
It would be secured with a 6-48 screw, shot and trimmed for height with a preferred load, then removed, blued, and reinstalled with the screw plus some Loctite under it to hold everything down belt and suspenders style.

I’ve done them with the barrel on before but a factory type crown requires a trip to the lathe so I prefer to pull them. I machined a set of blocks out of aluminum, contoured to fit the barrel and underlug just ahead of the frame. Ordered a set of Power Custom frame inserts for my action wrench, they’re machined Delrin and very nicely made for less than $50.

Pulled the barrel and Rube Goldberged a system of V blocks and clamps to set it up in the mill. Using my antique Starret protractor level to assure that the top rib was level in both directions before using an indicator to pick up center. Once double and triple checked for level and center a 1/4” endmill was used to cut a pocket down the center of the rib. Light cuts with lubricant, this isn’t the most rigid setup on earth and there’s no need to rush.

Once the pocket was.040” depth and the ramp fit to my satisfaction I drilled my screw hole .100” deep and used a flat bottom bit to finish the hole for maximum thread engagement. A fresh 6-48 bottom tap with plenty of oil was gently worked down to the bottom of the hole followed by chamfering the lead of the thread with a countersink.

A quick trip through the lathe, using a tool ground to match the radius of the factory crown and the calibrated eyeball to replicate the factory job had everything looking skookum.

Then back into the vise blocks and the action wrench to be torqued back together and then off to the range.

Had to trim the blade once to get the height correct but it’s zeroed now with the rear elevation 1/3 up from the bottom with 250gr RCBS Keith bullets over 10gr of Power Pistol landing right on top of the front blade at 25 yards. Fits nicely in my Kramer I bought for the 625 to boot.

👍👍

Posts like this catchy I love this sight. Very nice work.

Great thread. I admire the work and wish I had that ability.

What MOGC said.

Kid, you are one fantastic machinist! Beautiful work.

Excellent workmanship

Thank you for the compliments gentlemen but I’m no great shakes machinist. Just a guy with enough knowledge to be dangerous and enough experience to get myself out of trouble most of the time.

I do enjoy this kind of stuff though and I’m glad after all these years I got motivated enough to get my machinery wired up.

Looks better than some S&W factory shortened barrels I’ve seen from the supposed “golden years.” Will you be serrating the rear face with a checkering file before bluing?

Very nice work

That's really nice!

I don’t plan on doing anything to the rear of the ramp. It’s not visible in the sight picture so I’m not worried about glare and it will just be another place for gunk to collect.

Look closely, it is done.

Correct, the blade is serrated 50lpi. The ramp I left smooth.

And a tip of the cap to Mackay Sagebrush. I PMed him and he kindly measured the height of the ramp/blade combo on his cut down 29 to give me a starting point for figuring the height.

Really nice work.

Yep, goldilocks for sure. Green w/envy here. Love me some 5" revolvers.

Good stuff!

What a wonderful post. Your modesty is refreshing. That kind of skill is beyond probably 99.5% of the population.

Very impressive work...

Very nice Kid!!

Now, when I expand the photo enough, I can see it. 50 lpi ought to kill reflection pretty dead, I should think. Unlike so many aftermarket front sight installations, the pictured sight truly looks like it actually belongs on that barrel.

But, I’ll tell you this: Back when I could see good, I used to look to see tool marks on the rear of a K-38 front sight blade to be sure my focus was where it belonged while shooting PPC matches to 50 yards.

When I was in my 20's, 30's, even 40's, eye doctors called me Eagle eyes. Could read any line on the chart, they'd make me read something else, nailed it again before they were convinced.

With that & me being a tool maker, plus having shot PPC for a few years, all I can say is, your eyes must be like Supermans. Bravo!

Wow great job!, you do some Fine work!

Darn dude, thats sharp! (Clapping hands)

I like to see these posts of people showing the results of their skill. Well done.

Wow, good job there.

When I was starting out, shooting for the CHP San Jose Office Team, my best performing K-38 had a curving tool mark, probably from a chip dragged across the sight face by the tool bit, a “defect” too deep to have been removed during final finishing. Pretty easy to see, if focused upon. And, when it was, the front sight couldn’t be in any sharper focus at the shot. It worked very well for me. After enough time, the tool mark was no longer necessary, as the sharp front sight focus technique was too ingrained by the time I had moved on to more specialized PPC revolvers. It was certainly useful in getting me classified Grand Master, onto the four man CHP State Pistol Team as its number two member, and included among the California Governor’s Twenty top police marksmen for 1976.

Exchippy, news flash, this thread isn't about YOU.

I wuv Godeywoks....

You are absolutely correct. It’s about a front sight, a very well made and well installed front sight, and how it is finished. And now, it’s also about how its finish can aid shooting performance in a most helpful way, and what can be accomplished with the help of that aid.

That is an outstanding piece of work. No better job could've been done anywhere, by anyone.

Our friend The Kid is making function and form and we thank him for sharing in the Handgun forum.

Nice. Before he retired Jim Stroh made a dandy of a front sight with interchangeable blades both for Smith's and Ruger SA's. His had the base screw attachment hidden. Pretty slick. I own some of both.

Another beauty. Its silhouette is quite similar to what TheKid has made. In my view, these front sights easily “out-smith” Smith & Wesson.

Great job on that, Kid!

Great post and pics, Kid. Enjoy it to the max.

You never did say what caliber. ?? Since you mentioned replacing a 625 you sold, that would make it either a .45 ACP or .45 Colt (if you're continuing with same caliber).

Looking at the size of the cylinder, I would assume .45 Colt. Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

I think it is a .44 Mag 629. From the first post...

I got the 5” bug from a Model of 1988 625 in 45 ACP LD. The project in the pictures is a 629 in 44mag.

I still have the 625 5”, the one I sold was a short run of 3”ers sold by Lew Horton in 89 or 90 that had the standard brushed finish instead of the normal bead blast on 625s. It wore a nice set of factory Combats and had the matching branded holster, no telling what it would be worth now.

The 625 in action

Awesome, Kid. I also have a Model of 1988 625-2 in .45 ACP. I'm not sure why, but I shoot that revolver better than a lot of others I own. The joke I use at the range when people next to me start looking is, the gun makes me look like I know what I'm doing. 😜


Edited to add:

Kid and MOGC, missed the reference to 629 .44 Mag in original post.

I hear that. Mine shoots like it can read my mind. I despise rubber grips in 99 percent of cases but I can’t make myself change the ugly factory Pachmyers on my 625 because it points so well and I don’t want to fiddle with a good thing.

Kid, I hear you.

I understand as well.

Yes, Pachmayr rubber grips certainly do have their place. For me, they seem to do best on S&W J-Frames with external hammers:

Very nice work. Looks very good. And - I still appreciate your hog killer in shape of the 625.

When shortening the barrel of a Ruger New Model Super Blackhawk in 44 Magnum from 7 1/2 down to 4 5/8 inches could the original front sight be used or would it be a good advise to take an aftermarket sight from Brownell's or whomever?

A 5" N frame is pretty much perfection. Well done, sir!

LOL! He's definitely "special".

Beautiful job. That is a great looking handgun.

👍

Get an aftermarket sight. I tried using the factory sight on a 7-1/2" that George Long shortened to 4-5/8" for me.

Suggestion: if you want to stick with a factory sight, get the sight for the 5.5" barreled .45 colt. The stainless 4-5/8" .45s have been ok but I've had 3 blued 4-5/8" barreled .45 colt blackhawks and all had sights so short I couldn't zero anything over about 240 grains (Sierra) .. peppy 300s were more than a foot high at 25 yards with the rear sight bottomed out.

Aftermarket, if something aftermarket suits you better, is not a bad thing IMHO but I have no specifics to suggest.

Tom

TOM speaks the truth. If I’m going to the trouble to cut one down I will use a taller front sight to add latitude in adjustment. The factory front off the 7 1/2 will likely be too short for everything but light bullets as max speeds.

I also prefer to screw them on instead of soldering. I’m a better driller and tapper than I am a soldering hand. Plus you can get away with not refinishing since you won’t have the heat to spoil the finish on a blued gun.

While it may sound sacrilegious, there is a third option: glue. The front sights on both Model 63s pictured above are held fast in their eighth inch slots by JB Weld epoxy. It’s never failed to hold them properly, even on magnums.

With an eighth inch wide sight, nestled into an eighth inch slot cut an eighth inch deep, even blue Loctite 242 would seem to be of sufficient stickum to keep it in place over the long haul.

Here’s another example:

T O M and TheKid, thank you!