Installing a Red Ramp Front Sight on S&W Revolvers

While many Smith & Wesson revolvers were made with a black ramped front sight, they can be easily modified to hold a red insert. In this GunTec presentation Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA, converts a S&W model 15 to hold a red insert. He starts by filing a dovetail into the front sight ramp with a triangular file. Once the dovetail is complete, a rotary tool with a ball end cutter is used to score the bottom of the dovetail so that it can hold the insert. The insert is made from casting resin and colored using red and yellow opaque pigment. Once the resin is mixed and colored to preference, it is poured into the dovetail that is fenced with brass shims. After the resin has cured, the insert can be filed to shape and any exposed metal can be finished with a little cold blue.