Distinguished revolver front sight question

I’ve been looking for a pistol that meets the requirements for distinguished revolver matches for a while now.  The rules state no external modifications allowed, but several of the S&W models ive found have either fiber optic or the red ramp sight.

This may be a dumb question, but is replacing either of those colored options with a black rear sight considered a modification?

Also, if I buy a used pistol (which the ones I’m looking at are), how do I know if the fiber optic was original to the gun, or if someone changed it out for an aftermarket version?

Thanks, Neil

I forgot to add, if I find a pistol with the red ramp, am I allowed to color it black, or would that be considered an ‘external modification’?

IMHO if you are going to shoot distinguished revolver and want to get points, you'll want a plain black, nicely serrated or undercut and very crisp (even edges and top) front sight.  So not really any need to worry about fiber optics or red ramps anyway.  

CR

Gravelyctry wrote:I forgot to add, if I find a pistol with the red ramp, am I allowed to color it black, or would that be considered an ‘external modification’?

coloring it is allowed.
no different than "smoking" a front sight.

CR10X
Are you allowed to use custom target Grips?

From the rule book:
(d) Stocks- Except as set forth above, the right and left stocks must be mirror images of each other.

After checking over the rules, this is what I understand. A fiber optic front sight, or a front sight that has a red ramp, is legal so long as it is original equipment to the gun from the manufacturer. There’s nothing that says the front sight has to be a black front sight. So if you want to use either of those, you could shoot a revolver in the Distinguished Revolver match that came with such options from the factory. 

You mentioned replacing those sort of front sights with a black one though. Doing so is illegal if the fiber optic or red ramp was the factory original front sight. 

However, if you bought a used revolver, and someone had replaced the original black front sight with a fiber optic or red ramp then replacing those with the factory black front sight again would be fine because you would be restoring the gun to its original factory or stock condition. It would just have to be a black front sight that matched the factory one. Not a different shape or size.

Knowing what is factory and what isn’t is a matter of research. Call the manufacturer or ask on forums. Theres people out there that know a lot about different things like that. There’s a hobbyist somewhere that knows all the little details like that. 

And using sight black to color a red ramp front sight isn’t a “modification”. You’re using sight black to cut out a glare or aid in a visual situation of your sight which is totally legal.

You may want to pick up the most recent version of "The Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson".

Excellent reference and good reading, too.

I would wonder if a black Patridge front sight were a cataloged item from S&W and an option for the revolver you are looking at if it would be allowed? My thinking, not the NRA's or CMP's necessarily, is that it would be allowed within the spirit of the rules.

BE Mike wrote:I would wonder if a black Patridge front sight were a cataloged item from S&W and an option for the revolver you are looking at if it would be allowed? My thinking, not the NRA's or CMP's necessarily, is that it would be allowed within the spirit of the rules.

My feelings also.
If it was a factory available option.

Tim:H11 wrote:And using sight black to color a red ramp front sight isn’t a “modification”. You’re using sight black to cut out a glare or aid in a visual situation of your sight which is totally legal.

So here's a [dumb] question; can one color their front and/or rear sights with nail polish? To ",... aid in a visual situation,..." like old eyes?

james r chapman wrote:

BE Mike wrote:I would wonder if a black Patridge front sight were a cataloged item from S&W and an option for the revolver you are looking at if it would be allowed? My thinking, not the NRA's or CMP's necessarily, is that it would be allowed within the spirit of the rules.

My feelings also.
If it was a factory available option.

And if it was an option, who's to say your particular revolver didn't leave the factory with that particular sight?