A level front sight was the norm.
The pistols were testfired at 50 meters, and that was the effective range for the 4" inch version. Of course, the round will keep on doing it's thing until well over 1000 meters, but any thing hit beyond 50 meters is a matter of luck, not of aiming
In this respect, both the navy and artillery versions score much better with the stock attached (and so does the 4" of course).