Repairing Fiber Optic Sights?

[EddieCoyle]

My S&W .500 had one of these sights:

I say, "had" because it is now broken.

Another shooter wanted to try out my .500. Any of you that have met me know that this request is a no-brainer. I'll gleefully let anybody try out my big bore revolvers with a variety of different loads. He wanted to try a hot load, but instead I started him off with a single round of mid-range factory ammo (I always start a new .500 shooter off with a single round because I've seen multiple cases of the recoil causing a double-tap).

He gets to the line, loads the round, fires the revolver and... drops my gun!

He starts jumping around in a circle, holding his little hand, and crying like Nancy Kerrigan. The only damage to my gun was a broken front sight. The shooter had no damage.

What a wimp. I mean, when my son was an average-sized 11 year-old, he'd run me out of ammo shooting the .500, and here we have a grown man moaning like Dr. Smith on Lost In Space after firing a single round.

I swear, from now on when someone asks to shoot my .500 for the first time I'm going to punch him in the shoulder and see how he reacts - if he starts crying, he can't shoot it.

Anyway, I ordered a replacement sight for $41 from S&W, and the shooter is going to pay for it.

The only thing wrong with the broken sight is that the plastic fiber itself is shattered. I picked the pieces out and now have a hollow metal sight waiting for a replacement fiber. Are they available? The guy at S&W said that they didn't have them, but I suspect S&W buys the sights from someone else.

Any suggestions?

 

[icyclefar]

Fiber rods are available, I have seen them in Santurri's shop. (gunsmith)

Check brownells.

Should be an easy fix.

BTW - Can my 12 yo fire your .500 at the next member shoot?

 

[drgrant]

The only thing wrong with the broken sight is that the plastic fiber itself is shattered. I picked the pieces out and now have a hollow metal sight waiting for a replacement fiber. Are they available? The guy at S&W said that they didn't have them, but I suspect S&W buys the sights from someone else.

Dawson Precision sells replacement fibers for their sites in varying diameters.

http://www.dawsonprecision.com/CategoryProductList.jsp?cat=SIGHTS+FRONT

Ostensibly they're for Dawson sights, but they should fit anyones sight if the
diameter is correct. Apparently you use some heat or something to melt the
end in place after cutting it to size. (The last dawson sight I bought came
with instructions on how to do it... )

-Mike

 

[DR]

You can easily replace just the fiber. I bought some colored fiber optic from these guys. If your gun takes 0.40 fiber optic, PM me your address and I'll send a couple of inches along.

 

[Dirtypacman]

Sorry to hear about the damage - pretty dam funny story either way.

I remember shooting your .500 and I could not wipe the smile from my face the rest of the day.

 

[icyclefar]

You can easily replace just the fiber. I bought some colored fiber optic from these guys. If your gun takes 0.40 fiber optic, PM me your address and I'll send a couple of inches along.

Those guy's are a bargain! Good find.

 

[Scrivener]

I have literally YARDS of the stuff, in different colors. It may be too large for either of us to use, but replacement of the rod is - literally - a snap.

If the rod is clouded or you just want a different color, a knife or screwdriver blade underneath the center will snap the rod. Pull the two peices out from the ends.

Cut a length of new rod about 1/4" longer than your sight and use a match or lighter to make a small bulb at one end of the rod. Insert the other into the shooter's end of the sight.

Repeat heat at the muzzle end - the rod will shrink, pulling it tight into the sight and creating a bulb at the end.

The heat will allow you to create a sight size you want, so do the shooter's end first. Any excess at the muzzle end can easily be shaped down.