update: i went to the range today and after a bit of testing, came to a few conclusions. i absolutely love my new sight (more about that later), and don't see myself switching back and forth between it and iron sights much. however, if i want to play around with the iron sights, Plan B worked out just fine and my rear iron sight solution is about as elegant, inexpensive, and best of all, unobtrusive, as you can get. because of this, i won't be pursuing the idea that started this thread.
so, here's the details on my new sight and rear iron setup....
my new scope is the nc star pistelero 2.75x30 scope. i had previously bought a bsa 2x20 pistol scope, but it just wasn't working well with my eyes. i kept getting severe vignetting (regardless of the adjustment ring) and the glass wasn't that bright. that was my experience but it may work well for others. i had read good things about the nc star scope and decided at $35 it was a cheap test if i didn't like it, and i'm glad i gave it a try. it just works really well for my eyes. a big, bright, clear picture is just right there when i bring the rifle up. it took about a dozen rounds to get it nicely zeroed at the 50 yard indoor range. at the very end of the session i decided to see how quickly i could unload the entire magazine (9 rounds) and proceeded to blow the center out of the target and cardboard backing. i had help, though as my cousin and friend, both experienced shooters, peppered it pretty good first.
the scope is held on with low qd warne rings, which makes taking the scope on and off (without losing zero) very quick and easy.
my rear sight is... drum roll, please..... the original rossi rail with the back end highlighted with florescent paint. the front site is a f/o sight from steve's gunz and aligning it with the very top of the rail's "wings" was right on target. there is obviously no windage adjustment on the rail, so i drifted the front sight until it was in alignment. i know others have reported issues with this rail in higher caliber rifles, but for the mild 357 loads i'm shooting, i don't think i'll run into problems. to be on the safe side, i'm going to get some slightly longer screws to ensure they are seated well into the threads on top of the barrel and i'll locktite them in place.
i also tried a red dot while i was at the range, but found it only slightly better than the iron sights because i really need some magnification.
i realize it didn't happen without pictures, so here they are and i'm happy to say, for the time being, my rifle is done (well, almost).
rifle with nc star 2.75x30 pistelro scope mounted.
rifle with iron sights. not nearly as elegant as a nice rear sight and no rail, but removing the rail and putting the rear ghost ring in is a bit of a pain. with a system like the xs sights, i would have to leave the rail on as well.
sight picture with scope on. the reticle looks off to one side, but it was operator error on the part of the photographer.
sight picture with iron sights. obviously not as previse as a peep site or ghost ring, but for backup purposes, it should do fine. the only change i think i'll make is to change the paint. it looks like it's lit up pretty good here, but in dim lighting (like at the range) it is pretty dim. advantage tactical makes an interesting set of sights in a pyramid configuration and while i won't be using them on this gun, they sell a set of multicolored glowie inserts for the rear sight for less than $7.50 and they look like they could easily be cut up and epoxied to rear of the rail in place of the paint.
