Glock 19 rear sights are "off".. is this an easy fix?

It happens. Easy fix. Just use a punch (or anything small enough to get a bite on the sight) and bump it back over with a hammer.

Edit::Use a light touch or you'll knock them out the other side.

This is why glock factory plastic sights suck (imo)

I'd also like to add that I am of the opinion that you don't need a sight pusher for mounting glock sights. A flat file (maybe, only if they just won't fit in the slot), a vice (or a wooden work surface...set the slide down and nail down wooden blocks on both sides for an impromptu vice), a brass punch and a hammer are all you need.

I've mounted heinie's, big dots, glock factory's and tru glo's like this. I have never broken a tritium vial nor marred the finish (not that it matters). It isn't difficult to get the sights centered. Just lube the slot to aid in installation for tight fitting sights and you are good to go.

My first set that I tried was at my ex girlfriend's house. I didn't have a vice or a work surface. I pinched the slide between two cisco text books I had in my trunk, left the portion of the slide with the dovetail exposed, placed my knee and body weight on the top book and drove the sights in that way. Professional? No, but you get the same result. It really isn't hard and there's no special voodoo involved unlike some other gunsmithing chores.

lithnights said:

I've had my 19 for a couple months. I just noticed that the rear sights are "off". The gun was dropped a week or so ago while trying out different holsters (dumb, dumb, dumb) and may have happened then but since I haven't been to the range, I likely never noticed the sights. Well, this morning I noticed the sights.

See the picture of the sights.

I searched this board for some help and found some threads, e.g.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=560931&highlight=how+to+change+glock+sight

but since my situation is a bit different (sights are off due to a drop, not a manual sight changing attempt), I wanted to get some feedback before I try anything and make it worse.

I don't have a sight tool, nor want to have to pay for one if it is an easy fix for me or the gunshop.

Also, is it expected that a drop would cause the sights to move out of place like this?

First timer, so go easy on me...

Thanks in advance.

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This is a joke right, you're kidding right. You can't figure this out on your own! A word of advice, take it to a gun smith with the right tools to do the job right and properly. Now you don't change a tire on your car while it is going do you?

There was a guy in the back of the room that said " Not anymore " Go Figure!

An armorer or Gunsmith with a sight alignment tool can set the sights back to where they need to be in about a minute and won't bang them up by pounding on them. I'd be surprised if they even charge your for it. Buy a box of ammo or some other needed accessory to keep things fair if they don't ask for any money.

won't bang them up by pounding on them.

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You won't bang them up using a brass punch and a proper soft blow hammer, either. People were installing sights on hand built, high end 1911's in this manner before the sight pusher tool was invented. Sight pushers are great, but if one can install several sets without issue and without marring the finish...why do you need one? The gunsmith has one because he installs many sights and it makes the job quicker and easier. A careful hand and the proper tools make a sight pusher a nicety, not a necessity.

Plus you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I'm a tinkerer, so I enjoy doing it myself. Even if I spend $20 on tools when a gunsmith would do it for free, I'd rather fix it myself and be capable of doing it the next time.

You might be able to even use a wooden dowel instead of a punch. That would certainly not damage the sight or slide if you get sloppy.

Get a Glock sight tool. Do the sights yourself.

SHOULD a simple drop to the floor cause them to get loosened like this?

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If the sight hit the floor it would.
Glock puts funky plastic sights on every gun it makes.

If you are lucky, they won't move or fall aff before you can replace them with real steel sights.

Were I you, I'd get a 1/4" dowel rod, saw off about 4" of it for a punch, and whack the sight back to the center of the slide.

You can probably use an old shoe heel or a magazine full of ammo for a hammer if you don't have a hammer.

If it moved by just dropping it, moving it back ain't no big deal.

rc

Part of me says, buy the tool, maybe have the gunshop show me how to do it, then I know how to do it for the future.

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Some gunsmiths may not want to do that because they want you to come back. Some will be helpful. Just give it a try it yourself with a wooden dowel and a hammer. You don't have anything to lose at this point. If you're thinking of going to a gunsmith, it won't hurt if you attempt a fix and accidentally knock it out. If you mar it up so bad that you can't live with it (doubtful), I'll mail you a glock factory sight free of charge since I have a few laying around and one on top of my monitor at work.

And back to my other question... SHOULD a simple drop to the floor cause them to get loosened like this? It seems like they are really in there pretty solidly. But then maybe that drop to the ground was pretty solid too...

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They are plastic, it happens. They are much easier to move than metal replacement sights. The factory glock ones usually pop right out with a very small tap from a hammer and punch.

Ive had the early Glock "adjustable" sights break off in my holster when I clipped a door jamb going through, and the factory plastic sights tend to get beat up anyway. A good set of night sights is probably your best bet, or if its just a hole puncher, one of the better metal target type sight sets.

The couple of factory plastic sets Ive removed using a pusher were not reusable, and basically destroyed. There is a small piece of metal in the base of the sights, and it basically stayed in the dovetail as the plastic was pushed off.

I suppose a drop could have caused that, and it does look like there may be an impact point on the upper left corner of the sight in the pic.

Then again, all my Glocks have the edge of their rear sight flush with the right side of the side when zeroed for me. They all shot left from the factory. So your gun would probably be pretty close for me.

If you have more than one Glock, the tool is worth the money, especially if you plan to add night sights later on. It also allows for more precise adjustments, and it can be done without disassembly, not that its hard to just pop the slide off.

The couple of factory plastic sets Ive removed using a pusher were not reusable, and basically destroyed. There is a small piece of metal in the base of the sights, and it basically stayed in the dovetail as the plastic was pushed off.

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Strange. They always stayed intact when I used a punch. I've even had a friend reuse one.

A good set of night sights is probably your best bet, or if its just a hole puncher, one of the better metal target type sight sets.

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I agree. I can't reccomend heinie straight 8's enough. I love mine, and I've had about every type of night sight sets available at one time or another on various handguns I've owned.

Dang, I was hoping to read that someone had found a reasonably priced Glock sight adjustment tool.

I paid about $80 for my MGW tool.

There is a fairly new "generic" model around now, that is supposed to work with a number of guns, but I havent tried one out yet.

I pretty much paid for my SIG tool (also MGW) buy selling the "old" night sights I replaced on EBay. Was getting about $35-40 a set. Doing that, and what I saved buying new night sights online, and doing the installation myself, the tool about paid for itself.

An armorer or Gunsmith with a sight alignment tool can set the sights back to where they need to be in about a minute and won't bang them up by pounding on them.

But how is he going to know the sights and point of impact agree without shooting it?

Just use wood dowel or plastic or brass drift. Don't use anything steel against thesitght unless its a sight pusher.

You could always drop the gun on the other side of the slide on the ground. Make sure the drop height is about the same, so the sight is pushed the same amount and centered back up.

If you really think this is a good idea, take it to a gun shop, AND SELL IT!

Glad you got it fixed. That's the beauty of dovetails...you just whack 'em. Not that the sight has moved back and forth, and because it's plastic, it may stay loose so you may have to whack it again someday.

People were installing sights on hand built, high end 1911's in this manner before the sight pusher tool was invented.

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The sight pusher tool was invented because its easy to accidentally beat the crap out of cheap plastic sights found on glocks.

It takes a lot of effort to booger up the hardened steel sights on high end hand built 1911s.

It takes a lot of effort to booger up the hardened steel sights on high end hand built 1911s.

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It can be done, and not all that much effort is involved, trust me.

I'll admit to scratching the finish, but I've never had a steel sight look like a lot of the glock sights I've seen...