Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W 317 sight issue

After shopping around a couple years for a small .22 revolver I happened on a 317-3 that Cabelas had in their used guns at a decent price. Using credit card points made it a good buy so I made the deal and had it shipped to a local Bass Pro. Took it out today and ran a couple cylinder fulls to check function and sights. Function is fine, but those sights are something else. It came to me with a square notch rear and green fiber optic front and with my normal hold, front and rear even across the top, only half the FO "dot" is visible in the notch. If I bring the dot up to be fully visible in the notch, the tip of the front is above the rear. Not the sight picture I like and find it difficult to use. The blade in the rear measures about .085", the lowest available, with the notch only .050" deep. I'm thinking about going to the next height blade, which is .126", if it would give me a deeper notch so I can see the full FO dot while having the top level. I haven't found any information that gives the notch depth, only the overall height. Anyone have one to measure or know where I can find the notch depth?

Those guns usually came with a V notch rear to go with the FO dot front. I bet a call to S&W would get you the right part set coming, though they do require some know how and a spanner tip screwdriver to replace.

Personally I can’t stand the FO fronts, too coarse an aiming point for me. I would find the proper height blade front and replace it.

ETA. As the blade height increases the notches get deeper on factory S&W blades.

Thanks. This is the first handgun I’ve had, or used, with a fiber optic sight and can’t say I like it. With the shallow rear notch I find it hard to get a good sight picture and my shots are strung vertically.

A dot front sight was originally deisgned to be used with with dots on the rear sight blade also (standalone front tritioum night sight being an exception); e.g. the 3 white dots on many defensive handguns. Align the dots and COVER the target with front dot. It was meant for faster target acquisiton and "combat" shooting. Kinda inappropriate for a 22 LR. handgun.

If you like the traditional sight picture; i.e., center the front blade in the rear notch and align the top of the front blade with rear; I would get some black nail polish scuff up the face of the blade and the FO with an emoryboard and paint it black.

I think you will never be happy with a FO dot in your front sight based on your history.

I'd just order a new front sight from Dawson and replace the F/O crap. I did that with two Springfield Ronin Commanders I have. Got rid of the F/O nonsense and now I actually hit where I aim.

The last two S&W revolvers I bought shot about 5" high at 50', so I ordered more sights from Dawson for them. I got the tallest front sights they sell, and then filed them to zero. PITA, but again, now I can actually hit what I aim at.

The 317 is a royal PITA when it comes to sights. It’s lightweight and small size are the main reason one remains in my possession. When someone comes up with a great idea and the sights can be sighted in for 10-15 yards without shooting a mile high I am all ears.

Ratsmaker, thanks for pointing me to Dawsons. I was striking out finding a plain front that’s tall enough. The fiber optic is about .300” high so I’m thinking a slightly higher white outline rear and the .320” front should work.

Glad to help. I ordered their tallest sights, raised the rear sight a bit, and then filed the front to get zero-ed with the ammo I wanted to use most. I'm glad I raised the rear sight a touch, though, it will give me more leeway if I find another load I like better than I'm currently using. The doggoned 617 shot high with everything except CB shorts, and only marginally better with SV ammo. I normally shoot HV ammo (it's cheaper!), so I zero-ed it for that cheaper stuff that I can always find.
Same deal with my M27 .357, it shoots awfully high with 158s, and those are the lightest bullets I want to shoot at a deer. The new front sight allowed me to zero it with the 158s, but if I can get some 180s, they'll be what I use.

Dawson is very quick on filling orders, if you order a sight on Saturday (for example), you'll have it before next weekend. Service is very good.

Dawson Precision can fix you up. $25 for a front sight (plus whatever you pay your local gunsmith to install it, if you're not handy yourself, my local guy charged me $30 labor to install both front sights for me). I don't have a drill press to accurately drill the hole for the retaining roll pin, so I farmed it out.

I've got a 317-1 that came with a plain black serrated ramp front sight @ .250" high. The rear blade is same as OP's.

It shoots to the sights at 10 yds. But the light weight thing will shoot 2" low if I even think about jerking the trigger. At 12 ounces it's not the easiest thing to shoot is it.

My situation and experience as well. I tend to get the best accuracy with the light-bullet, hyper-velocity stuff.

My sight is adjusted as low as possible but still hits very high. Tragic S&W can't make this right.

The light weight and small size that make these so attractive also demand the utmost skill and attention to technique when shooting them.

Agree with that, however S&W could've provided sights that helped the shootabilty of these little kit guns. I would still like a deeper notch rear to go with the higher Dawson front, but I'm only finding the .085' blade for the J-frame rear. I'm reading conflicting information whether the rear blade kit for the K,L,X frame will fit the 317 rear. May have to call S&W to get the correct info.

The 317 us a great idea with horrible execution. All the same problems here. Bought it as the holy grail of grouse guns while elk hunting but it hits so high it's not even usable. And the fiber optic sights on a kit gun? Like seriously, wtf was SW thinking? This isn't some self-defense, center-of-mass pistol. Appreciate the advice here about Dawson sights.

Agreed. When I saw them putting the fiber optic sights on I was glad I’d gotten mine when they first came out. I’ve found the square notch/blade set up to work well for me and the loads I use. It’s on at 10 yards and I still have some adjustment down if needed.