[Old82ndJumper]

Howdy all.
Have a couple of things to ask. I have a nice used S&W 325NG revolver in .45 ACP. The front pinned Trijicon night sight is extremely dim and barely glows even in a pitch black room. I emailed Trijicon to see if a replacement front sight might be purchased that glows brightly but retains the same style and look as the original pinned sight. I have not heard back as yet.
Second issue, this revolver has many scrapes, two scratches and numerous small nicks in the frame. The cylinder and barrel are in very decent condition with no abrasions or scratches. Question being, is thee a way to renew and refinish this matte black frame surface, is this something a good gunsmith could accomplish? Just looking for some solid advice here.
Also, did some research in the S&W 4th Ed Catalog and I think I have found that the 325NG .45 ACP is an N frame. If I am mistaken, please correct my call. Thanks!

 

[aebel69]

Hello. I have one of those as well. The front sight on mine is an XS Big Dot, and it came that way from the factory. Double check yours, because you might have the same one. SCSW also says the XS was the original sight, and replacements are available. You are correct in that it is an N frame, round butt, with a lanyard ring port, but no lanyard ring. Lol. You can touch up minor dings with Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black and a q tip. ($16.99 at Amazon.) Here's mine with a fair picture of the front sight. Good luck!

 

[Old82ndJumper]

Thanks for the spot on advice! I had a hunch it might be a good idea to join this community. That Trijiconsight you have on yours, are there identifying marks on the top of the sight? Mine has "Trijicon" then what appears to be a "T" with a cross bar, followed by "H3 10" which I assume is the model number of the sight?

 

[Old82ndJumper]

Where did you find the XS Big Dot sights? I checked Brownells, Amazon and Midway..Midway had one close but for a J frame not a N. Also two heights 0.350 inches or 0.400 inches...

 

[aebel69]

The sight on my gun is NOT Trijicon brand. It is XS brand, and it is marked "XS" on the front of the sight. You can see it if you're looking from the front of the barrel.

 

[Old82ndJumper]

that makes me wonder now if the sight on mine was replaced way before I bought it. I'm still researching on line for a XS brand

 

[aebel69]

I looked on the XS web site. I was mistaken, as the XS 24/7 Tritium Big Dot sight is no longer available. The do sell a set, front and rear, but it doesn't look the same.

 

[Old82ndJumper]

LOL! Yeah, my eyes are getting tired from looking at sights online. The frame touch up advice is great, thanks!

 

[aebel69]

Some progress anyway. Well you know Trijicon makes a replacement blade. Did you check Numrich Gun parts? If I see any I'll let you know.

 

[Old82ndJumper]

Numrich is next on the list to look at. I found a place called D&L Sports that I'll email, seems they specialize in larger frame S&W revolver sights. I don't mind paying a bit more if the sight works and looks presentable. Here is th elink in case anyone else is in the situation

Smith and Wesson K, L, and N Frame Sights

The Home of Quality Custom Firearms, Tactical Training and The Tactical Marksman's Match...

www.dlsports.com

 

[jonesy814]

LOL! Yeah, my eyes are getting tired from looking at sights online. The frame touch up advice is great, thanks!

Those have an aluminum/scandium frame which is probably anodized, not steel so make sure to get the proper touch up item as described

 

[Old82ndJumper]

Those have an aluminum/scandium frame which is probably anodized, not steel so make sure to get the proper touch up item as described

yup, good to remember that. Thanks

 

[Old82ndJumper]

well, an interesting turn of events. Trijicon sent me an email regarding my Night Guard revolver, they will replace the tritium vial to restore the function with a new one for $20 per sight. Turnaround time of approximately 4 weeks. Looks like problems solved and I can stop "window" shopping for a new sight....now back to my regular scheduled programs

 

[Old82ndJumper]

aebel69
What is the sight height of your XS Big Dot sight on your Night Guard? I talked to a gunsmith friend of mine morning and he suggested emailing S&W directly for the correct specs on the height of the OEM XS sights, which I have already done of course. Thanks.

 

[aebel69]

I measured from the top of the ramp, to the top of the sight, in the center by the attachment pin. I get 0.175 to 0.177. Hope that helps.

 

[Old82ndJumper]

I measured from the top of the ramp, to the top of the sight, in the center by the attachment pin. I get 0.175 to 0.177. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the help and info. I did some more research online and finally decided to cough up some cash to buy a digital caliper. If I need a hand tool more than twice, it's usually worth buying. Per the reading I did on Dillon Precision, the sight height measurement is from the barrel to the top of the sight. In a way, this is "ballparking" since my NG has the Trijicon sights. I'm seriously hoping Smith & Wesson gets back to me with the exact measurements, it would save me considerable aggravation...

 

[Old82ndJumper]

aebel, was thinking along this line, your sight measurement was "I measured from the top of the ramp, to the top of the sight, in the center by the attachment pin. I get 0.175 to 0.177. " That measurement diagram of course is for pistols but prompted me to get some calipers of my own. I did find a XS Standard Dot sight measuring 0.180 inches. A little bit of extra "meat" that can be filed and fitted by my local gunsmith I think.

 

[aebel69]

You're welcome, hope I've helped and not hindered. A good set of calipers is a good thing to have around. Sounds like you've got it under control. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Old82ndJumper]

all is well....got a reply back from Smith & Wesson with good tech specs. Looks like a done deal, now time to put in my order for new sights....


Smith & Wesson Support <[email protected]>
To:L G

Fri, Aug 19 at 7:25 AM

Hello Larry,
We would like to thank you for your e-mail and for contacting Smith & Wesson today.
The front sight on that model has a height of .180" It was an XS night sight. Our part number for it was 412000000.
Thank You for choosing Smith & Wesson products. Have a great day.

Regards, Steve

 

[SidecarFlip]

Never figured out why anyone needs fancy sights on a hand gun, especially night sights. If you are going to use it for anything other than plinking, you'll never use them anyway.

Only revolver I have and sort of optic on is my 44 because I hunt with it. Everything else has conventional sight blades front and rear.

I consider all of them as nothing more than a gimmick.