Jim March
Member
Hi all 
.
Back when most revolvers came with pathetic fixed sights similar to the old Colt SAA, when critters like the S&W M&P/Model10 or the old 1917-pattern 45s, or the 38-44 Outdoorsman ruled the roost, a common accessory for those wanting to improve the sights was a full-length rail on top of the barrel and frame, holding an entirely new set of sights.
You still see critters like that on PPC guns, such as this beast from Ron Powers' website:
OK, why not build a version of that rail, for a variety of guns, that used a commonly available and relatively cheap set of front and rear tritium sights?
Like, say, AR15 sights?
Wait, hold it, I'm not nuts.
(From the Trijicon site - http://www.trijicon-inc.com )
That's a ghost ring rear WITH two tritium lamps, plus front, plus you can flip up a smaller-diameter apeture for longer-range, more accurate shooting! That's the Trijicon version pictured, and it's only $63 for *both* at Arizona Gun Runners.
Here's Meprolight's version:
source: http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/smg/ad/ad.asp?p=WX2&i=61584
Unfortunately, the Meprolight version puts the smaller apeture on the "wrong side" - with the Trijicons, on draw, you'll tend to flip the sight to the larger "close combat apeture" unless the other is deliberately selected after the draw.
There are scads of other similar tritium setups for the AR15, they're common as fleas and all under $100. There's something for every taste.
OK, so how would the rail work?
At the rear, the rail would be "forked" with a horizontal pin for the rear site. There would be a flat piece of spring metal poking back and ending up under the rear sight, so that the rear wants to "stop" at either of the two vertical positions as it's flipped. There would be no screw-adjustment for windage; instead, the rear "fork" in the rail would be a bit oversize, and shims would be provided so that once you dialed in windage the first time by unscrewing the horizontal pin and re-setting the shims on either side of the rear sight, it would be locked.
At the front, you'd need to modify the screw shaft in two simple ways: one, shorten it a bit (grinder, dremel, whatever) and with a file, polish a flat in the threads at the rear face of the threads. Then as you screw it in, each time the glowing side points backwards, you'd be able to lock it down with a set-screw from the muzzle end. Undo the set screw, and you'll be able to adjust elevation one rotation at a time until it's dialed in, then lock it down.
Machined out of aluminum, such a rail shouldn't cost TOO much, maybe $100-150(?) and would be largely universal except for barrel lengths.
Let's see...get one of those cheap ex-cop GP100 4" fixed-sight guns, rip the factory front off, add this, you've spent total only a hair more than a factory adjustable-sight gun and it's a three-dot tritium with selectable ghost-ring apetures of whatever size and configuration you want.
Comments?
.Back when most revolvers came with pathetic fixed sights similar to the old Colt SAA, when critters like the S&W M&P/Model10 or the old 1917-pattern 45s, or the 38-44 Outdoorsman ruled the roost, a common accessory for those wanting to improve the sights was a full-length rail on top of the barrel and frame, holding an entirely new set of sights.
You still see critters like that on PPC guns, such as this beast from Ron Powers' website:
OK, why not build a version of that rail, for a variety of guns, that used a commonly available and relatively cheap set of front and rear tritium sights?
Like, say, AR15 sights?
Wait, hold it, I'm not nuts.
(From the Trijicon site - http://www.trijicon-inc.com )
That's a ghost ring rear WITH two tritium lamps, plus front, plus you can flip up a smaller-diameter apeture for longer-range, more accurate shooting! That's the Trijicon version pictured, and it's only $63 for *both* at Arizona Gun Runners.
Here's Meprolight's version:
source: http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/smg/ad/ad.asp?p=WX2&i=61584
Unfortunately, the Meprolight version puts the smaller apeture on the "wrong side" - with the Trijicons, on draw, you'll tend to flip the sight to the larger "close combat apeture" unless the other is deliberately selected after the draw.
There are scads of other similar tritium setups for the AR15, they're common as fleas and all under $100. There's something for every taste.
OK, so how would the rail work?
At the rear, the rail would be "forked" with a horizontal pin for the rear site. There would be a flat piece of spring metal poking back and ending up under the rear sight, so that the rear wants to "stop" at either of the two vertical positions as it's flipped. There would be no screw-adjustment for windage; instead, the rear "fork" in the rail would be a bit oversize, and shims would be provided so that once you dialed in windage the first time by unscrewing the horizontal pin and re-setting the shims on either side of the rear sight, it would be locked.
At the front, you'd need to modify the screw shaft in two simple ways: one, shorten it a bit (grinder, dremel, whatever) and with a file, polish a flat in the threads at the rear face of the threads. Then as you screw it in, each time the glowing side points backwards, you'd be able to lock it down with a set-screw from the muzzle end. Undo the set screw, and you'll be able to adjust elevation one rotation at a time until it's dialed in, then lock it down.
Machined out of aluminum, such a rail shouldn't cost TOO much, maybe $100-150(?) and would be largely universal except for barrel lengths.
Let's see...get one of those cheap ex-cop GP100 4" fixed-sight guns, rip the factory front off, add this, you've spent total only a hair more than a factory adjustable-sight gun and it's a three-dot tritium with selectable ghost-ring apetures of whatever size and configuration you want
.Comments?
