Ronnie Wells’ 2D
Ruger Rear Sight Blade
It started with a phone call. Fermin “Two Dogs” Garza, head honcho of Fermin C. Garza Customized Shooter’s Resources, contacted friend Ronnie Wells of RW Grip Frames with a problem. Fermin had the brilliant idea of making a replacement blade for Ruger rear sights mimicking the Bowen-style rear sights. The project was too machine intensive for manufacturing in large quantity. For those not knowing, the 2D stands for “Two Dogs.”
The vast improvement is obvious on the replacement blade.
CNC Crusader
CNC machining is Ronnie Wells’ bailiwick. He builds and programs the machines as easily as LEGOs, to manufacture the parts he designs. There’s no middleman. He does it all! It’s his specialty. Talented people are said to be three-dimensional thinkers, but Ronnie is in the fourth realm, if not more.
Ronnie states he put Fermin’s rear sight on the back burner, figuring he would get back to it once other projects got underway. He tickled it here and there in his spare time, but not in a full-time capacity. Then, two things happened. Ronnie got caught up, sort of, and the industry was hit with untimely deaths and retirements of industry leaders in the past year. Ronnie decided it was time to finish the Garza sight blade project they started 4 years ago.
With the addition of more equipment and a Wire EDM machine, it changed the whole way they could think about manufacturing the sights. Ronnie stated, “this is a very tiny, precise part to make.”
he set screw allows you to lock your rear sight in place after final sight-in.
Why?
The front sight is the main aiming focus, while the rear sight is the navigator. It tells the shooter when adjustment is needed to turn the gun left, right, up or down through sight alignment. Sight alignment is complete when both sides of the front sight have equal distant light on both sides and the top of the front sight is level with the top of rear sight.
As we age, our eyes lose the elasticity necessary for focusing at different distances. That’s why it takes a few seconds longer “picking up” the front sight now, getting it into focus. You younger guys/gals, just wait, it will happen. The seasoned guys know all about it.
The sights allow click adjustments like the original blade.
Look how tight they fit. Well done!
Insight
Garza helped fix the problem of “fuzzy sights” by making sights the handgunner can see. Carrying things a step further, his rear sight blade for Ruger revolvers enhances your sight picture even more.
The design mimics the looks of the “Bowen” rear sight, making the front sight “pop” while aiming.
A few samples of different offerings.
Angles
When looking at the side view of the RW 2D, you’ll notice the rear of the sight is serrated, and gently angled away, top to bottom, undercut if you will. This helps refract glare from the rear, as do the serrations.
Looking at the front of the blade and you’ll notice the notch is funnel cut, concentrating ambient light to the notch, making front sight “pick up” easier, more natural.
This promotes faster target acquisition and a sharper sight picture. It also speeds up sight alignment with a more pronounced front sight.
Lower right photo shows the funnel cut leading to the notch for more light transmission.
Lock It!
Once the final sight-in is complete, lock in your blade adjustment with the Allen screw. This prevents shifting under the duress of severe recoil from some guns. For those worrying about the set screw, trust me, you’ll never notice it while aiming. Its benefits far outweigh any preconceived distraction.
More samples.
Installment
After removing the factory sight blade, replace the factory spring with the one provided. It is a tad thicker and won’t move around as much. Using the provided Allen key, depress the spring all the way from the bottom edge.
With the spring depressed, insert the left leg point into the housing slot and remove the Allen key. Drop the right side of foot into the groove and check for spring tension by moving the blade laterally. If all is good, replace the adjustment screw and center notch.
om the Garza Front Sight archives. A picture of his prototype rear
sight blade. Blood, sweat, and I’m sure tears, along with some
damn fine innovation went into this project.
Get Yours
The sights are $70 a piece, and you have your choice of 12 different blades for current adjustable sights and two for flat top sights. There are even detailed directions on YouTube on how to replace your blade.
The RW 2D fits Ruger Super Blackhawk, Blackhawk, Super Redhawk, Redhawk and GP100s. The blades are available in different heights and notch widths. Blades for Ruger mid-frame flat tops Blackhawks are also available. These babies work!
It’s nice seeing guys like Fermin and Ronnie stepping up and providing us with a new generation of useful gun gear. These are indeed good days, and we can expect a lot more from these men I’m proud to call friends and brothers; guys who actually shoot and know what they’re doing.
To learn more, visit rwgripframes.com.
