How many of you change your own sights?

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American_Fusilier said:
How many of you change your own sights? I mean specifically instead of taking the gun into a smith.

Do you have a sight pusher, or just use a punch and hammer?
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I haven't changed any of my sights, but reading your other threads, I think you have to specify what pistol you are replacing sights.

For instance, nearly all Glock sights use the same rear dovetail, and the front sight screws on. These sights are often replaced by owners since there is very little variation between the guns and the sights.

On the other hand, I believe you just bought a 1911, which may have a staked front sight and there are many different 1911 sight dovetails, and not all sight options are available for all 1911 dovetails. Not everybody has a front sight staking tool, and not all sights, even those claimed to fit a particular dovetail, actually fit correctly, especially if you are talking about non-US made 1911's. Often times it's better to have a gunsmith fit 1911 sights.
 
I have used both sight pushers and hammer and punch. It's sometimes frustrating (and some brands are tougher than others) but doable. A bench clamp is very useful with hammer and punch.
 
I have changed sights on three Ruger 10/22s and three S&W pistols. I use the hammer and punch method. The pistols were front sights only. I recommend watching these two videos by Dave Dawson:



 
I have changed sights on a variety rifles, 1911s, Glocks and other pistols the only sights I haven’t attempted (yet) are front sight blades on S&W revolvers and the rear blades on them as well.
For most I have used punches and a light hammer. I have also used sight pushers.
Also, I am not above having a gunsmith change sights for me if I am pressed for time or I don’t have the right tools or experience, like with S&W revolver sights.
 
I have a new HK VP-9L O.R in 9 mm on the way. With my hands the way they are, all I'll do is booger-up the sites and probably the slide too if I attempt anything like that. Sending it off for Suppressor Sites.....IF I ever find them in stock!
 
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Have done a few with great success, some I wish I could have done better. I have a couple Colt style percussion revolvers I intend to tackle once I've retired, which involves installing a taller blade style sight that sits in a groove parallel with the barrel. I have the brass stock on hand now. Lessons learned over the years include doing as much research as possible before beginning, never work in a hurry, be prepared to put something down and walk away for a time (amazing how effective that can be), don't take on something greater than your skill set and tools are capable of.
 
I have done karh and smith and wesson M&P sights, and one 1911. First one I did was just a brass punch. The M&P factory sights are so tight I had to use a steel drift to start them, they just destroyed brass punches. Now I have a sylvan universal sight pusher tool and it makes things pretty easy once you get the set up right.
I like the looks of the NCSTAR posted above, it looks like you could attach it to your workbench which would be helpful but not mandatory. The sylvan tool I have came with a wrench/driver for doing glock front sights as well but I have never used it.
 
As someone else has noted it depends on the gun. Some are easy to change while others would probably cause me to seek a gunsmith to save the aggravation.

My 10/22s were easy. As were my lever actions. The revolvers I have that I am considering changing the sights on will likely go to a smith.
 
I've done it a few times, most recently a Tactical Solutions 2211 conversion. Used a sight pusher in the past. For the 2211, the front sight slides off forward so I used Kroil, a hammer and a nylon tipped punch.
 
Change my own.

Used to use a padded vice, hammer and punch, now use a Wheeler front and rear sight pusher, works great.

If one is a gun enthusiast and can see themselves owning lots of different guns over the years, whether it be collecting or trading in and out, I would recommend getting a pusher so much easier and avoids potential damage associated swinging a hammer at a punch.
 
If it's an expensive gun, and you have little experience with a hammer and punch, I think a cautionary investment in a universal sight pusher is wise. You'll certainly use it again in the future. And you won't risk damage while learning. That being said, you should learn, because not all sights can be removed with a pusher. But do your learning on something you aren't going to be too upset if you scratch or nick it.
 
gp 100 very easy, cz pcr used a punch and hammer and put scratches on the slide and then bought a sight pusher, no problems with next one. same sight pusher in the link above. had difficulty in putting skinner peep sights on a henry but i didn't know how to randomly sand the bottom of the sight base then and i suspect it would have gone easier if i knew that then.
 
I have changed my own sights on a number of guns. I have changed sights for other people on occasion. I have also run into some sights that were beyond my capability and I sent them to a gunsmith who had a hydraulic press.

I have used sight tools and hammers/punches, and sight tools, in my experience, are tremendously easier to use and carry much less chance of causing unintentional damage to the sight and the gun. The difference is even more obvious when it comes to adjusting sights because a good sight tool will allow small, controlled movements of the sight while achieving that can be difficult with a hammer/punch.

There are some "universal" sight pushers out there that will work on almost any gun. Although I haven't had the chance to compare a wide variety of sight tools, my impression is that if you want a universal tool, you can spend a little money and get something that works but that might be a little tricky to use and could require a lot of careful setup, or you can spend a lot and get something that is easy to use.

For folks who want something very simple and very inexpensive and nearly universal, here's an ingenious tool. Think of it as a hammer/punch COMBINATION that allows very careful control of where the pressure will be applied as well as how much force will be applied.

https://www.wyomingsightdrifter.com/store
 
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