Want to put Heinie sights on my glock 26...why so pricey though?

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CPshooter

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The question is more about the cost of installation, not necessarily the sights themselves. At $135 for the Ledge Straight 8s, they are already more expensive than a lot of the other options out there, but they are the best sights I've used to date. I think they are worth the money. The problem is that Heinie wants $67 to install them. I also would have to pay for shipping. The idea of spending $210 on sights for a gun that cost me $500 just isn't sitting well with me.

Are these sights any more difficult to install than other sights? Ideally, I'd like to find a gunsmith that would install them for no more than $20. Am I asking too much here?

If it's going to cost me any more than that, I'm thinking about investing in a sight pusher and just doing it myself. Is it tough to install sights? Never done it before so I wouldn't know. What sight pusher/tools are recommended for a Glock? Do I need to have a bench vise to do it properly?

Thanks in advance!
 
The sight pushers I have seen and used lock the slide in place and then you crank the old sights out and new ones in. These are for the rear only as the front sight is held in with screw. I borrowed the pusher from a friend as I only have one glock and only needed to change the sights once and didn't feel like spending over $100 for a tool I would only use once. But the tool does make it real easy.
 
I'd like to find a gunsmith that would install them for no more than $20. Am I asking too much here?
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I don't know what your local gunsmith hourly rate is, but I can't think of anyone local who would do it for that...shop rates run $55-$65/hr

Local shops will install them for free if you buy the sights from them
 
Buy your own sight pusher. I've had great success with the B&J from Brownells that will work with different guns which will probally last me forever so it's a good rate of return. Also instead of the Heine you can get the XS big dot which is almost the same with one tritum in front and rear.
 
Just buy a sigjtpudher already. U gonna needed for your next Glock anyway.
 
I don't know what your local gunsmith hourly rate is, but I can't think of anyone local who would do it for that...shop rates run $55-$65/hr

Local shops will install them for free if you buy the sights from them
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That's exactly why I asked if I was asking for too much. I really didn't know what the going rate is these days. I also didn't know it takes an hour to swap sights. I thought maybe 20-30 minutes tops for someone that's done it several times before.

I think I'm just going to get a sight pusher and do this myself. Like 918v said, I'll probably use it several times in the future so it's an investment at this point.

The Heinie website says their Glock sights don't require any modification to the slide. This is good, but does this mean the sights still need to be modified to fit properly? Are Heinie sights a bad choice for a first time installation? What other tools are required besides the sight pusher?
 
CPshooter said:
The Heinie website says their Glock sights don't require any modification to the slide. This is good, but does this mean the sights still need to be modified to fit properly? Are Heinie sights a bad choice for a first time installation? What other tools are required besides the sight pusher?
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What that refers to is the need to cut into the slide to clear the rear blade...which hangs lower than the body...on the 1911 models.

While sight manufacturers are very good about maintaining dimensions on their products, they have no control over what the gun manufacturers do. Most dovetail sights will fit the dovetail in the slide, it is always a good idea to be prepared to do a little filing when installing sights

I thought maybe 20-30 minutes tops for someone that's done it several times before.
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I can't even imagine a smith getting set up to change the sights on a gun in 20 mimutes
 
9mmepiphany said:
What that refers to is the need to cut into the slide to clear the rear blade...which hangs lower than the body...on the 1911 models.

While sight manufacturers are very good about maintaining dimensions on their products, they have no control over what the gun manufacturers do. Most dovetail sights will fit the dovetail in the slide, it is always a good idea to be prepared to do a little filing when installing sights


I can't even imagine a smith getting set up to change the sights on a gun in 20 mimutes
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That's the only modification that might need to be done? A little filing of the rear sight? Doesn't sound too bad...

So I'll need a sight pusher and a file... Anything else?

Any recommendations on a sight pusher that works well with the Glock, but would also work with H&K and Sig sights? I have no idea what to look for in a sight pusher...

Thanks!
 
CPShooter said:
Any recommendations on a sight pusher that works well with the Glock, but would also work with H&K and Sig sights? I have no idea what to look for in a sight pusher...
Click to expand...

I've been using the M500 Universal Sight Pusher (from Brownells) for the past several years and if gunsmiths are charging $50-60 to install, I've more than made up for it. I've added night sights to two Sigs, two Glocks, CZ85, two 1911's...and I have a few more. It will fit an HK as I just picked one up, but It fits all the slides I own (Sig, HK, Glock, BHP, FN, CZ, XD, Kahr, 1911's, etc.). If you have a few pistols and want to eventually add night sights, it's a good investment. If you have a few used pistols, like my S&W 4006 with older night sights and need to replace...it's a good investment. If you have a few friends that would like to switch sights and like your work, you can charge $20 or a case of beer...still a good investment:D

I'm slow, but it took me about 20-30 minutes to put night sights on my Glock 26...that was from digging out the box and getting it set up in the vice.

ROCK6
 
It's a five-minute job, and the installation price quoted is outrageous!!! I've installed Heinie Straight 8 sights on Glocks, and there's nothing special about them. Installing sights on Glocks is one of the easiest firearms-related sight installations out there.

If a local smith charges more than $10-$15, then he's ripping you off. IF you bought the sights and shipped them to me with your slide, I'd install them for free. I use the MGW Glock sight pusher and have for many years, having installed dozens of sets of Glock sights.

Stories like this really piss me off. Heinie has a great reputation. To think that they'd charge ANYTHING for installing their own sights on somebody's Glock slide is absurd!!!

Glock installs their night sights for $57, and pays for return shipping, and that price includes the price of the sights.
 
Thanks for the input guys!

hentown- I appreciate your offer to install the sights for me, but it looks like I will be buying a sight pusher and doing it myself. Like ROCK6 said, it will be a good investment for me because I know this won't be the only time. In fact, this has motivated me to pick up some night sights for my non-railed CPO Sig P229 as well!
 
Hentown as a Gunsmith I take offense that you call a gunsmith a crook because the price for their labor does not fit your opinion.
I also would like to inform you that doing gunsmith work for other people and charging money is a federal offense and you are liable and exposing your self as you are liable.
Try going to an auto repair shop and telling them how much they need to charge you.
I have a minumum charge and I dont do work while the customer is standing there unless he comes from another city and I can do it in less than 30 minutes and I can do it
I understand you do your own work , good for you, but that is not an excuse to bash professionals, grow up.
Heine is an respectable person and I bet you would not have the guts to tell him face to face he is a crook.
Easy to hide behind your keyboard.
Over and out.
 
Hentown as a Gunsmith I take offense that you call a gunsmith a crook because the price for their labor does not fit your opinion.
I also would like to inform you that doing gunsmith work for other people and charging money is a federal offense and you are liable and exposing your self as you are liable.
Try going to an auto repair shop and telling them how much they need to charge you.
I have a minumum charge and I dont do work while the customer is standing there unless he comes from another city and I can do it in less than 30 minutes and I can do it
I understand you do your own work , good for you, but that is not an excuse to bash professionals, grow up.
Heine is an respectable person and I bet you would not have the guts to tell him face to face he is a crook.
Easy to hide behind your keyboard.
Over and out.
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IF you're the gunsmith who'd charge this poor guy $50+ to install a set of Glock sights, then please do take offense, <edit>. Richard Heinie and his shop have enjoyed a great reputation. I like their sights. They shouldn't charge much, if anything to install a set of THEIR sights, on which they're making a substantial profit, on a customer's slide.

I value the experience and craftsmanship of good gunsmiths. I also value honesty, virtue, and ethics.

In my humble opinion, there is NEVER a situation where a real gunsmith needs to EVER touch a Glock, unless the slide needs to be milled for special optics, etc.

To the OP: I highly recommend the MGW Glock sight pusher. It's a well-made pusher that works with both large and small-framed Glocks. And, btw, you were being grossly overcharged for a less-than-5-min- installation job!!! If that offends somebody, then good! Maybe that somebody will be offended enough to change his/her behavior and stop gouging folks. :cool:
 
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Save yourself a couple of bucks and get a set of warren tactical sevigny carry or competition sights. I like them far better than the heinie straight 8's I alsso own. You can get tritium or fiber optic up front and a 1 dot tritium, 2 dot tritium or no dot rear.

My favorite (on a g26):

4d69bb2f.jpg

I've put the heinie's and the warrens on a glock with nothing more than a vice, brass punch, flat file and some common sense. A sight pusher greatly simplfies things, but I've only mounted about 7 sets this way. My budget is limited and I'd rather spend that $100 on more ammo since I already have tools needed to get it done, albeit at a slightly slower pace. :)
 
If a local smith charges more than $10-$15, then he's ripping you off. IF you bought the sights and shipped them to me with your slide, I'd install them for free. I use the MGW Glock sight pusher and have for many years, having installed dozens of sets of Glock sights.

There are gunsmiths who are trained professionals and gunhacks which includes do-it-yourself types who after screwing up the parts and the gun wind up paying three times more than if they had hired the gunsmith to do the job right the first time.
 
"They shouldn't charge much, if anything"

Sheesh. That's what their time is worth to them. They're like any other business and only have so many hours in a day. Obviously they can use the time to do something more profitable (make sights to sell wholesale?) if they can't get the stated rate for the sight installation.

A buddy of mine ran a plumbing company and he was swamped with business and a lot of it was low-paying work. He realized he wasn't charging enough for his time so he raised his rates (a lot) until his work load fit his time and his income reached a good sustainable level.

John
 
Hentown no need for personal insults ( please read the Forum rules) hiding behind the keyboard, I guess all gunsmiths should work for free according to you.
It is a free country you can always go to some other bussiness/gunsmith to get your work done at the price you are willing to pay.
BTW I do a lot of work on Glocks ,I Install the Cominolli thumb safety , action jobs , general repair, front serrations, ( yes Glocks break too) etc.
Not everybody has the desire or ability to do their own gunsmithing work.
 
CMC said:
Hentown as a Gunsmith I take offense that you call a gunsmith a crook because the price for their labor does not fit your opinion.
I also would like to inform you that doing gunsmith work for other people and charging money is a federal offense and you are liable and exposing your self as you are liable.
Try going to an auto repair shop and telling them how much they need to charge you.
I have a minumum charge and I dont do work while the customer is standing there unless he comes from another city and I can do it in less than 30 minutes and I can do it
I understand you do your own work , good for you, but that is not an excuse to bash professionals, grow up.
Heine is an respectable person and I bet you would not have the guts to tell him face to face he is a crook.
Easy to hide behind your keyboard.
Over and out.
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First, I take (well, already took) offense to the notion that $67 is a reasonable fee for installing sights. This is what you are implying. Sorry, but to a working man like myself that knows how much an hour of time is worth, $67 is outrageous. There aren't many services out there, short of legal or health services, that can charge over $50 an hour. These people charging > $50/hr for their services are usually in a position where the customer has no choice and is forced to pay the high price (like attorney fees). I don't care if he's Richard Heinie or a holy ghost, $67 to install sights on a handgun that doesn't require modification is outrageous. There is nothing wrong with the idea that sights should be installed for free if they are purchased from the same place. A lot of gun shops do this. Does Heinie or anyone else for that matter have the right to charge as much as they want? Sure they do. Do I have the right to decide whether it is good economic decision for myself? Sure I do. Nothing wrong with that. I understand that Heinie is probably charging what he needs to in order to maximize his profit/time. That's fine because now I'm spending the $67 on a sight pusher and I'll be able to do it for free from now on.

As for hentown's offer to install the sights for free, please explain how this is a "federal offense." LOL. Even if he were to charge me, how is this different than any other gun shop offering these services? I'm thinking you are a biased gunsmith that doesn't like the thought of people doing their own work because it doesn't benefit you.
 
JohnBT said:
"They shouldn't charge much, if anything"

Sheesh. That's what their time is worth to them. They're like any other business and only have so many hours in a day. Obviously they can use the time to do something more profitable (make sights to sell wholesale?) if they can't get the stated rate for the sight installation.

A buddy of mine ran a plumbing company and he was swamped with business and a lot of it was low-paying work. He realized he wasn't charging enough for his time so he raised his rates (a lot) until his work load fit his time and his income reached a good sustainable level.

John
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This is understandable, but it doesn't make the fee reasonable by any means. I don't understand why smart consumers are always pegged as "cheap" or seen as wanting everything to be free. We're not talking about sending in the slide and a set of 3rd party sights and expecting them to install and ship back for free. That would be unreasonable. Having someone install sights that you purchased directly from them for free is NOT unreasonable. Again, this happens all the time so it's clearly not unreasonable thinking. That said, I still understand from a business perspective why they would choose to charge that much. I'm just not payin' it, that's all.
 
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Okay, so I've decided on a MGW sight pusher. All the reviews I've read so far have been nothing but positive.

I think I need the "Glock Flat-Side Sight Mover" found here. Supposedly, this one is better if you need to remove factory-style (slanted) sights and install flat-edged sights like the Heinies. They also have this same tool available with a slanted contact-block to match the factory-style sights perfectly, but I read that this one can cause problems if you try to install flat-edged sights. Basically, if I had to go with one, I should go with the "flat-side" version, right?
 
They're priced according to what we are willing to pay. Some folks don't mind getting screwed.
 
FWIW, my local shop installs sights for free when you purchase them from the store. That's for a simple push out push in job, obviously.
 
Link To the ATF on doing gunsmith work
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/gunsmiths.html
Q: Is a license needed to engage in the business of engraving, customizing, refinishing or repairing firearms?
Yes. A person conducting such activities as a business is considered to be a gunsmith within the definition of a dealer.

[27 CFR 478.11]

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/gunsmiths.html
Sir please dont make assumptions on my behalf you dont know me.
Please take your car to replace the brakes and tell them they have to do the labor for free because you are buying the brakepads from them and see what kind of response you get.
I got sigths on hand If you buy a set of sights from me am I supposed to install them for free? yea right.
 
I think I need the "Glock Flat-Side Sight Mover" found here. Supposedly, this one is better if you need to remove factory-style (slanted) sights and install flat-edged sights like the Heinies. They also have this same tool available with a slanted contact-block to match the factory-style sights perfectly, but I read that this one can cause problems if you try to install flat-edged sights. Basically, if I had to go with one, I should go with the "flat-side" version, right?
Click to expand...

Go with the flat sided one. Glock plastic sights are so loose in the dovetail you can remove them with your teeth.
 
Yes. A person conducting such activities as a business is considered to be a gunsmith within the definition of a dealer.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but someone offering to do a one-time favor for someone for free is not conducting a business.
 
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