I’m thinking about updating the sights on a model 65.

The new “ultimate j frame” sights really have me thinking.



It’s not a collector piece in my opinion but I could be wrong.

It’s probably not the correct financial option versus selling and buying a 66 or another modern revolver. But I have a soft spot for the 65 and the sights could be brought into the modern era.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I had a friend who had something similar to that, on a Second Issue .44 Special, a LONG time ago. He didn't hotrod the Special, considering it's age, etc., but it helped with the sight picture a lot. I THINK they used a typical 1911 rear sight, and just cut a dovetail in the frame. They also added a ramped front sight appropriate to the width of the rear aperture.It made a nice revolver, all things considered.
I also knew the original owner, who'd had that work done in the first place, a former Marine who won the Bronze Star on Ie Shima in WWII, he was a real character.

Isn’t a 66 the same gun, but with adjustable sights?

Basically but has a full under lug and I’m not sure but to get 3” and round butt I think it will be a “lady smith”

Have a gunsmith put an orange insert in the factory front sight and call it good. I did that with my Model 60 back in the 1980s. Came out perfectly. Great sight picture.

I think the 66 has a lighter barrel, too.

Not necessarily. This M66-3 3”, I purchased new in the ‘80s, has the HiViz front sight and a taller M41 rear sight blade I’ve installed for easier precision shooting:

I’ve seen those and there were only 750 made from what I read. And they command thousandS.

I’m not against a lady smith either. I just prefer the 65

I painted the front sights and blackened the rear face of the rear sights on both of my 4" 65s. It works well for me.

The two other 3” 66s I’ve seen at a local gun show in recent months have been priced at less than $2K, but have nevertheless remained unsold, as of last month. While they’re certainly not cheap, they haven’t quite commanded thousands (plural, with an “s”). I expect the seller’s gonna hafta get his price down a bit more to move them.

However, the adjustable rear sight of the M66 does have a tendency to catch on stuff, if some care is not taken to avoid it. The 3” M65 doesn’t have that issue, but is not easy to shoot as well as the M66. Your idea of adding better, but low profile sights to an M65 seems a good one.

Remarkably simple concept, find used PC M19 Comp or PC 586 Comp (~$900-$1000) and trade that dated piece for it. It will have stronger frame, adjustable sights, better trigger and frame tapped for rail mount. As you say kill several birds with one stone.

I'd keep that dated piece, it's head and shoulders above in quality than a new one. The new ones trigger wouldn't make a pimple on the ass of your nice 65 with hammer mounted firing pin instead of frame mounted.

Thanks for the replies.

I google image searched:


It looks like it is possible and has been done by DL sports

I’ll have to see what they charge

Lew Horton also had some 3" RB full length ejection rod Mod 66s made up. Another of those - never should have sold it guns.

Nimrod, please keep us posted as I have a few fixed sight models that I would like to do this to.

There are other ways to de-pelt this feline.

Instead of a dovetailed front sight, an eighth inch longitudinal slot will make for a more uncluttered appearance when mounting a front sight:




An eighth inch slot can also handle more than just a round top XS Express front sight, such as this very tall version HiViz (sold to go on a Blackhawk .357):


Not long ago, Hamilton Bowen made and sold a most elegant rear sight for improving the sight picture of fixed sighted S&Ws. But, it looks to have been discontinued. Could not now find a photo of an example.

There’s another route you could take. XS Sight Systems makes a Tritium dot front sight to replace the integral front sight on S&W revolvers. Its installation involves milling the original front sight into a cute little stud, onto which the XS front sight is then epoxied. It glows in the dark, there’s no worries about sight alignment (if it shot okay before), and there’s no need for a new rear sight, either. Worked very well on these S&W 642s:


(Please ignore the flyer.)

Nice thing about it is, if you don’t like how it turns out, you can still grind off the stud and cut a slot or a dovetail.

Obviously the gun is yours to do with as you please, but in case you were unaware the going price on pre-lock 3-inch 65's has really gone up over the last few years. There is significant demand for them in their original form, and I personally would consider an alternative approach if it were mine.

Some are so enslaved by monetary considerations that they willingly deny themselves the full use and enjoyment of their personal property, strictly refusing to allow improvement to it through any alteration whatsoever, simply out of fear that its resale value may be even slightly diminished. Seems a sad way to live, and mostly for the benefit of one’s heirs.

On the other hand, I am most thankful for, and certainly do appreciate, those individuals who maintain beautiful condition, only lightly used, or even unused, unaltered specimens of long discontinued products, for which I happily pay their inflated prices, so I can have a clean canvas upon which to perform my creative abuses.

And that's the beauty of living in a free country, to do as we please with our own possessions. If a person reads my above comment in the way it was intended to be read, however, it should be obvious that I'm not trying to tell him what to do with his own gun. Some people are simply unaware that values have significantly risen on certain previously overlooked models, though, and just might like to know such things before choosing to customize one.

Thanks Exchipy! Maybe I could get away with just a nicer front sight 👍

Jcon I hear you about them being no longer made and I’m aware the tables full of police trade ins are gone and prices are a little crazy. I’m not sure upgrading the sights ruins this gun but actually makes it more useful.

Well, they sure be seen quick, fast, and in a hurry when needed, and in any light: