Shooting fast double action and front sight comes off. The last I saw of it was a blur moving fast up & out. Looks like it was
pinned through a slot in the small solid rib above the barrel. The pin was broken off flush with each side of the interior of the slot. No sign of pin location on exterior of rib. Got a feeling replacing this might cost some bucks. Anyone heard of this before or idea of repair cost?
I don't think I've ever seen a pinned front sight on a model 10. I've only seen them integral to the barrel.
Of course there are lots of things I haven't seen, but I wonder if it was some janky gunsmithing that fell apart.
It's a police turn in I bought back in the 80s.I've shot it a lot with no problems till now. You might be right on the janky gun smithing but seems like there would be some sign of the pin on the outside of the barrel/rib. The barrel bluing's about worn off with holster wear there.
Call Scott and have him fix it.
Tell him “Captain Dave” says hi!
He’s an American Pistol Smith Guild member and a great guy.
http://www.sdmfabricating.com/
They were all pinned on the heavy barrels. The skinny barrels had the blade forged integral. They pinned them and polished the ends flush during final finishing before being blued. It’s very difficult to redo one and have it be invisible like the factory did. It may end up being cheaper and easier to get a used barrel and replace it if the finish on the rest of the gun isn’t pristine.
Thanks for the info. After looking at the cost of old 10-6 barrels and what labor would probably cost to either put another barrel on or replace the sight I think I'll leave it as is.
Tried point shooting a silhouette target with no front sight at three to seven yards. Not too good a result. For me It's a little faster than just putting the front sight on the center or head of the silhouette but nowhere near as accurate. So it's on the way back to S&W 49 years after leaving there. I was advised I'd get a call from one of their repair guys to discuss the sight replacement if they would do it and the cost. S&W sent me a prepaid Fed X shipping label that I didn't have to ask for.
I know it's an old gun with a lot of holster wear but there's never been any corrosion, the bore and cylinder chambers are fine, locks up tight and it functions perfect. I'm hoping they can/will either replace the sight or if they can't replace the barrel with one that has a sight on it. .
Shooting fast double action and front sight comes off. The last I saw of it was a blur moving fast up & out. Looks like it was
pinned through a slot in the small solid rib above the barrel. The pin was broken off flush with each side of the interior of the slot. No sign of pin location on exterior of rib. Got a feeling replacing this might cost some bucks. Anyone heard of this before or idea of repair cost?
Typically, the front sight is milled into the steel the barrel is made from, i.e., they are one piece of steel with the barrel. I wonder if the sight on yours is an aftermarket modification.
Tried point shooting a silhouette target with no front sight at three to seven yards. Not too good a result. For me It's a little faster than just putting the front sight on the center or head of the silhouette but nowhere near as accurate. So it's on the way back to S&W 49 years after leaving there. I was advised I'd get a call from one of their repair guys to discuss the sight replacement if they would do it and the cost. S&W sent me a prepaid Fed X shipping label that I didn't have to ask for.
I know it's an old gun with a lot of holster wear but there's never been any corrosion, the bore and cylinder chambers are fine, locks up tight and it functions perfect. I'm hoping they can/will either replace the sight or if they can't replace the barrel with one that has a sight on it. .
I've sent several old Smith & Wesson revolvers to S&W for repairs, and they do a great job.
Thanks for the info that's good to hear.
Wanna say your luck just about has to turn for the better.
I've never seen one of those fail.
Hope you're right. I've never heard of one failing either. I've owned it for around 35 years and the sights have always been right on. Never any sign of them being damaged. When it happened I was shooting semi wadcutter target ammo. It's been shot a lot but seldom with +P ammo and accuracy was still as good as ever.
They were all pinned on the heavy barrels. The skinny barrels had the blade forged integral. They pinned them and polished the ends flush during final finishing before being blued. It’s very difficult to redo one and have it be invisible like the factory did. It may end up being cheaper and easier to get a used barrel and replace it if the finish on the rest of the gun isn’t pristine.
Does this apply to the M13, M65 and M64HB, too?
They were all pinned on the heavy barrels. The skinny barrels had the blade forged integral. They pinned them and polished the ends flush during final finishing before being blued. It’s very difficult to redo one and have it be invisible like the factory did. It may end up being cheaper and easier to get a used barrel and replace it if the finish on the rest of the gun isn’t pristine.
Does this apply to the M13, M65 and M64HB, too?
Probably safe to assume, since the barrels are the same.
Received Model 10 back from S&W today. They can't replace sight, part not available, obsolete. Can't complain, S&W paid the freight both ways.
Received Model 10 back from S&W today. They can't replace sight, part not available, obsolete. Can't complain, S&W paid the freight both ways.
I learned something today. Did not know these were hard to replace. I did a little search and read a couple of threads on the S&W forum. No luck there, either. Odd that somebody can't make a replacement pin-on front for these for fairly cheap.
Received Model 10 back from S&W today. They can't replace sight, part not available, obsolete. Can't complain, S&W paid the freight both ways.
Have a good gunsmith fabricate and install a replacement.
Received Model 10 back from S&W today. They can't replace sight, part not available, obsolete. Can't complain, S&W paid the freight both ways.
I learned something today. Did not know these were hard to replace. I did a little search and read a couple of threads on the S&W forum. No luck there, either. Odd that somebody can't make a replacement pin-on front for these for fairly cheap.
They can. Gunsmiths do that sort of work all the time. The good ones, anyway.
Received Model 10 back from S&W today. They can't replace sight, part not available, obsolete. Can't complain, S&W paid the freight both ways.
I learned something today. Did not know these were hard to replace. I did a little search and read a couple of threads on the S&W forum. No luck there, either. Odd that somebody can't make a replacement pin-on front for these for fairly cheap.
They can. Gunsmiths do that sort of work all the time. The good ones, anyway.
Looks like the stainless are milled in. I have a 64-3 3" that looks like it's all one piece????
They look like they’re machined into the barrel but they are not. They are pressed into a key slot and pinned in with a cross pin. The pin is then dressed down and polished with the barrel, making it disappear.
It is very difficult to replicate and have the pin be invisible and of course blued guns will have to be reblued.
Looks like it to me, They also had one that looks the same without the insert for $7.99. Ordered it. Thank you.
Ole Smilin’ Larry to the rescue! Hope it fits. I also hope you saw the “pin sold separately” part of the ad.
Got the Midway front sight installed. Didn't get the pin. I wouldn't do this with a decent looking S&W or carry gun but this one's a 40 year old plus police turn in with a lot of holster wear and a bobbed hammer that will be used as a house gun. I cleaned out the sight slot with alcohol, slathered in some J B Weld, stuck the sight in the slot and let it sit for a few weeks. Took it to the range yesterday and after 50 fast DA rounds that warmed it up pretty good it was still solid in place. I'm going to have to either file down or take the cutting wheel to the Midway sight. It's a little tall, shoots about a foot low at 10 yards.
Got the Midway front sight installed. Didn't get the pin. I wouldn't do this with a decent looking S&W or carry gun but this one's a 40 year old plus police turn in with a lot of holster wear and a bobbed hammer that will be used as a house gun. I cleaned out the sight slot with alcohol, slathered in some J B Weld, stuck the sight in the slot and let it sit for a few weeks. Took it to the range yesterday and after 50 fast DA rounds that warmed it up pretty good it was still solid in place. I'm going to have to either file down or take the cutting wheel to the Midway sight. It's a little tall, shoots about a foot low at 10 yards.
Good deal!
They look like they’re machined into the barrel but they are not. They are pressed into a key slot and pinned in with a cross pin. The pin is then dressed down and polished with the barrel, making it disappear.
It is very difficult to replicate and have the pin be invisible and of course blued guns will have to be reblued.
Does this also apply to the S&W Model 58? Although built on an N-frame, the barrel has the same shape as the M10 and 13 has. I think M65 frontsight may be installed the same way.
If it comes loose on you, clean it up like you did, get the jb weld out and take it to a smith that can silver solder it in place. If you do the prep shouldn't cost but 20 bucks.