S&W Model 27-2 wrong sight?

T

Tankist

New member
Hey Guys,

Got a question for all you S&W experts.

I recently purchased this beautiful mint condition Model 27-2 3" barrel. I actually called S&W up and they told me based on the serial # it is a late 1977 date of manufacture. It seems to be in great shape, no finish wear, fit and function are flawless.

Needless to say, I'm extremely happy having finally gotten one of these after years of looking around.

One thing about it does bother me though. The front edge of the rear sight seems to be too long by a few mm and is overhanging the frame cutout. I called S&W and ordered a new rear sight for this revolver. They sent me the same exact sight I currently have. I can't believe its supposed to look like this.

Please take a look at the attached picks and tell me what you think. This has to be the wrong sight. If its not, what can I do to fix this.
 

Attachments

  • sm27side.JPG
    sm27side.JPG
    239.9 KB · Views: 138
  • sm27top.JPG
    sm27top.JPG
    70.8 KB · Views: 105
I just pulled mine out of the safe.

Its a 4 inch and its exactly the same,
I like the gun so much I never noticed and I still like the gun and dont care.
 
When Mike says such, it makes me pull out my own gun to look. Here is my six inch M27-2. Son of a gun! :o
attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • M27Sight.jpg
    M27Sight.jpg
    238.1 KB · Views: 271
Unbeliavable...

I was sure i had some sort of a botched replacement sight.
I can't belive they shipped like that.

Suppose I could leave it alone but whats the fun in that. A decent gunsmith should be able to grind it down and match the blue on the end.

Do you guys think it would be worth calling Smith about this?
 
There's a reason it's made like that. If you go cutting on it, you might well cause problems.

The entire length of the body of the sight is essentially a bow spring.

The screw over the front of the cylinder holds the sight body in place. When you crank down on the elevation screw to raise the sight, it puts a lot of stress on the front screw.

The long "tail" on the sight helps keep the stress even on that screw. If you cut the tail off, you'll put a lot more stress on the screw, and it will be a lot less even, and it could lead to that screw shearing off from the uneven stress.

Why are you trying to "fix" something that's not broken?
 
Thank you Mike Irwin

I have 8 N framed Smiths and I had never noticed it before, then again diddnt care.
I think your suggestion for a resion for the extension is right on.
Makes a lot of sence.
N frames for ever! :)
 
attachment.php

Out of curiosity, I went and inspected my old K38. Surprise, no gap under the leading edge of the sight. I wonder how a M28 looks, and if the gap under the M27 sight occured when the topstrap checkering was cut reducing the thickness of the top of the gun.
 

Attachments

  • K38sight.jpg
    K38sight.jpg
    162.2 KB · Views: 262
Mike is correct about the sight being a spring to keep tension on the adjustment screw. I have a 19 that had the sight lose its "spring" for some reason and it just flopped around unable to hold zero. Had to replace it.

Under close examination the protruding sight may be mildly irritating to those who obsess over symmetry and fit but it's designed that way for a reason. I would just try to avoid closely examining it.

BTW- Your 27-2 has a 3.5" barrel, not a 3" tube. Proper measurement is from the face of the cylinder to the crown of the muzzle.
 
Thanks for your responses guys.

Mike,

I took a close look at the sight and it does indeed look like a bow spring with some tension on it. The protruding end of the sight is actually tilted up.

It does bother me but I do not want to modify the sight since it does work as intended and is indeed factory stock. I guess I can check into maybe swapping it out for a different model sight that would be more aesthetically pleasing. Other then that I am just going to leave it alone.

Amazing, I noticed it the first time I picked up this revolver. If only I could learn to use my attention to detail for good instead of evil.
 
Some will tilt up, some won't. The extension on my 6" Model 28 tilts up slightly, the extension on my 4" Model 19 and my 4" Model 28 both lie pretty flat.

It's always fun to be shooting heavy loads and have the screw that holds the sight in place work loose and pop off. That happened to me with my 6" 28 some years ago. Trying to find that little screw on gravel is a pain in the butt.

Keep it snug.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top