S&W 41 front site post

[dtucker]

After all these years of wanting a Smith & Wesson 41 I got a new 7 inch model. My plans are that I am going to call Clark up this week and get or order 1 of their 5 1/2 inch barrels they make with the pic rail to have another barrel and put an optic on it. My problem is I do not like black on black sites. They just mess with my eyes and I like a blacked out rear and a colored front site. So....I am thinking of buying some white finger nail polish and painting the flat face of the front site. Do you fellas have a better suggestion? Looking for something that will not flake off and will be durable.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[praveen]

Check out some model 41 sights here: http://ewkarms.com/zen8/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=22
They've got fiber optic sights for both the PC and regular models.

 

[Rsadams]

I have painted many sights over the years or freshened up the dots on 3 dot systems... I use testers model paints for of course model cars etc because you can get any color you want... If your thinking white there's the white epoxy paint for washers and dryers it stays put , my grandfather decades ago used it on his colt 1908 front sight and it has never come off... I am sure though , there's much more expensive options out there...

 

[K22]

Shot bulls eye competition for 30 years and used a variety of pistols (open sights) for rim fire competition, Model 17 S&W revolver, Hi Standard Citation and a Model 41. The Model 41 is an outstanding pistol accuracy wise and was my favorite. I qualified as distinguish expert.

If you use a "six o'clock hold" on the black bulls eye, as many do, the black black sight becomes an advantage since you have black sight on white target at base of bull.

However if you use a center hold then the black sight can become lost in the bull if you allow the focus of your eyes to switch back and forth from the front sight to the bulls eye. The key to accurate shooting in bulls eye is to retain total focus on the front sight, the bull will appear a bit fuzzy because your eyes cannot focus on two points at the same time. I knew many master class shooters who used a center hold without the aid of optics or colored front sights. In the 60's and 70's optics aids were not extensively used. Bottom line is that it is quite possible to shoot excellent scores with a standard black site even using a center hold on the bull if you focus on the front sight.

The other thing to consider is that sometimes colored sights are obscured in the sunlight if you are not shooting under cover. This won't happened with a black sight especially if cut back at an angle like the one on the Model 41.

 

[TAJ45]

BE shooter also. The points you made K22, were foremost in my mind. That is why I absolutely detest those "firesights". Where IS the top? Where ARE the sides? Black front with a faint scratch to draw an even finer alignment.
Of course, to each his own, but to put something that nearly glows on a 41 is no different than pulling a plug wire from your Porche. jmho of course.
OBTW K22, congrats on your 3 Legs, I had a BE hiatus and never made it back.