Buy Front and rear sight pusher or hire gunsmith?

CZ-75BD said:

I'm trying to find out more officiant way to change sight on my new gun.
I'm debiting between buying Front and rear sight pusher or hire a gunsmith.
Cost of Front and rear sight pusher around $80, don't know how much gunsmith would charge.
And what would be faster order Front and rear sight pusher from site or find gunsmith.

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In my opinion, a sight pusher means you can adjust it yourself, like at a range. Taking it to a gunsmith takes time, and maybe more cash in the long run. But that's just me.

What gun do you need the sight tool for? Some are substantially easier to do than others.

Depends on what tool you buy. However, can never have enough tools.

Springfield XD's tend to have the tightest sights. I've bought a couple different ones and they are ok, but if the sights are very tight they are useless. They bend and flex and its too easy to mar up a gun. Finally made one using a small milling machine vise.

I've bought and discarded more than a handful of sight pushers - including some that were quite expensive. For most pistols, I can do the job easier, faster, and with less risk of damage by putting the slide in my (non-marring) bench vice and using a brass punch.

You beat me to it Bernie ... I've never had a dovetailed sight that couldn't be removed/replaced or adjusted with a good brass punch and hammer set. Matter of fact even the good carbon nylon punches work great.

I also prefer brass punches to pushers. Sight pushers made for a specific pistol can be handy if you work on a lot of those pistols, but the general ones are not as good. I'll take a brass punch and solid non-marring vise every time over one.

Have a vise at all? They make universal slip-on jaw covers. Magnetic if you feel fancy. Or stop by a craft store (or tack shop, if your town has one) and grab some leather scrap.
I can't imagine a garage without any vise, but I'm a tool guy. My biggest regret about moving was losing my shop.

This is a timely thread for me. I have Speed Sights on all my pistols (Sigs and XDs) except on the new P365 I bought earlier in the year and on the P227 Equinox I just picked up today. Since I am used to the quick acquisition with the Speed Sights, I am thinking of replacing the sights on the P365 and P227 with them.

I feel more comfortable with the thought of using a sight pusher. I am looking at the MGW Pro (https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/mgwsp1000), Wheeler (https://www.wheelertools.com/gunsmi...morers-handgun-sight-tool/710905.html#start=1) and the Wheeler knock off...W Wiregear (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZQF7G79/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0).

Supposedly with the Wheeler and Wiregear, the hash marks help with centering and aligning when putting on new sights. Is this true?

Without hash marks on it as Wheeler has, when using the MGW Pro, do you just rely upon trial and error to determine when the new sights are centered and aligned with one another?

Sight pushers come in 2 flavors: The kind that cost three hundred dollars and work well, and the kind that don't. My current RangeMaster was bought because a stubborn Springfield 1911 rear sight actually snapped the drive pin on my old ~80 dollar pusher. The same sight broke three good steel punches too, nevermind brass.

https://sightpushertool.com/

Get the Mkiii heavy duty version. Use softwood to protect the slide. I use paint stirs with some electrical tape on the slide. Drive the pusher in 1/4 turn at a time and back off. Go slow and careful, and it'll last forever.

I picked up a cheap 30-35$ one with different inserts from evilbay a couple years ago and did several guns with it. It is just a hollow square aluminum block with a hardened steel bolt through it you turn with a wrench and put whichever blocks you need for the particular gun you are working on in it. I did several Glocks, a Taurus pt-100, a couple 1911’s, and several others with no issues. The only reason I bought it was I was told not to use a drift punch on tritium and fiber optic sights as they could be damaged if not pushed into place.

So far I have always had good results using a brass punch and hammer. A good vise that is solidly mounted and take your time. I use calipers to measure side to side for lineup of sights.

I made my pusher using a 4" machinist vice. Some sights are installed with a hydraulic press at the factory. These normally take a very robust pusher to do any thing with.

My gunsmith's hourly rate is $75 so that would be the minimum fee for any gunsmithing work. Compare that single job cost against the purchase price of some gear you can use on as many jobs as you want.

What you're purchasing for that $75/hr. is (hopefully)the training and skill of the gunsmith. Buying a tool does not confer expertise or even competence with that tool.
That said, with half a brain, the right tool and instruction in using it, (You Tube has many good, and many bad, examples of this) one can do a lot of what is considered gunsmithing for themselves.

You are lucky if you have a competent gunsmith near you, most are just armorers who just replace parts.

If it were me I would buy what ever tools you need & become your own gunsmith.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BZ7VYEW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've used it on two Glocks and have been very happy with the results. Tape up the parts that come in contact with the tool, including the edge of your site.