10/22 sight replacement?

I put some hi-viz sights on my dad's old 10/22. The good news is, it was already beat up and I don't care what it looks like. The bad news is, I gouged the heck off of the surfaces to pound them in. I used a hammer and punch, what is the correct way to do it, in case I don't want to mangle the next one?

Never a steel punch
Use a Brass punch or a sight pusher tool

I will probably buy a sight pusher, I plan on doing a lot of this kind of work in the future. I saw a few recommendations for a brass punch, but these were TIGHT, I bet I would have peened both ends to death.

I use an aluminum punch and a nylon punch to install most sights, the aluminum one came with a sight I ordered from Dawson Precision. They work pretty well.

The secret to driving sights & pins in & out is to support the barrel or receiver on a solid immovable surface.

With the barrel supported on something hard, or clamped in a vice, one or two whacks with a brass punch will normally move the tightest sight.

With the barrel laying in your lap where it can try to get out of the way, not so much.

rc

I got the back one out in my lap, I had it in a vise for the front one, I had to beat the snot out of it. (It's probably 45 years old.)

Once you use or observe the use of a sight tool you will not use a punch again. If a rifle barrel is a precision tool it should not be battered with a hammer and punch.

If it is stuck so hard that light taps with a brass punch will not move it while supported in a vise, then cut almost through the sight with a hacksaw or Dremel cutoff wheel to relieve the pressure. It will almost fall out then.

I have a bad habit I inherited from my father, I never throw anything away, I wanted to keep the old sights. And also, my concern about just Dremeling into it, I would be worried about fouling the dovetail cut underneath as well.

As for precision.....If I REALLY wanted it as a PRECISION barrel, I would just pop on a varmint barrel. (I have another project in mind entirely for that. This rifle was handed back to the familt to train little kids.)