An hypothesis about front sights
First, welcome to all the new members.
The archives (part 1) are strongly recommended reading.
Think of it as a novel about an air weight SD revolver,
and you just wrote yourself into the story.
I've been trapped at work for ten days
by a demanding mistress called "the business".
I'm making progress, and still breathing, so it's OK.
During some breaks, I've done some reading here,
and have been thinking about sights on the x42.
(Especially after seeing Riceboy's groupings.)
It's no secret that I lust after an M&P 340.
x42 is fine. Love it. Will keep it.
But I want an M&P 340.
(Thanks to DA for years of diligent work convincing me.)
Several factors play a role in my desire for a 340.
I won't list them all here (yet),
but I propose to discuss one of them: the front sight.
Being a poor person (Feb rent is covered, March isn't yet),
I spend a fair amount of time thinking about
how to improve things on a shoestring budget.
When it comes to "improve" with my guns,
it means how to make them more functional.
With my x42, that means getting accurate
target acquisition rapidly.
I've got the grips I like. (Hogue Monogrips)
Holster is fine for me. (Desantis Speed Scabbard)
No problems with ammo. (Right now, Speer Gold Dot 135 gr)
But I've never quite been happy with that ramp front sight.
There's always been something ... ambiguous about it.
Finding the top of the blade during target acquisition
leaves something to be desired for me.
I haven't painted it yet, but my gut tells me that even
with bright paint, that sloping edge will still not offer
the most positive sight picture.
Yes, I know having a rounded ramp decreases the probability of
snagging on clothing when coming out of a pocket.
But as I've stated 1,642 times, I don't pocket carry. I OWB.
So, I've begun to question that front ramp sight.
Check out the pic below of the M&P 340,
and compare it with your x42.
Note that where as your x42 has a ramp front sight,
the M&P 340 has a steep angle blade mounted on a ramp.
Hypothesis: that steep angle blade
will result in faster target acquisition
than a stock x42 front sight,
especially if there's a bright dot
on that steep rear blade face.
That's a testable hypothesis.
Results could be somewhat subjective,
admittedly, so it may not be definitive.
But it could lead to something of value.
If a steeper front sight did offer faster target acquisition,
modification of the x42 front sight couldn't be that difficult.
Thoughts?
