Buy Sight Pusher or Hire Smith

[blood_donor]

Hi,

I have a Kimber Custom Classic II 1911, front and rear dovetail sights. I am going to swap the front and rear sights out.

Would it be feasible to buy a P500 sight pusher ($130), do it myself, and re-sell the pusher, or would I be better off paying a 'smith to do it?

What is a fair price for this job?

 

[Plink]

A sight swap is usually one of the simplest procedures that a smith does, assuming the sights just swap out and need no machining or other work. Rather than go to all the trouble of buying a pusher and hoping to resell it, I think I'd just take it in. If he's not too busy, he can probably swap them out while you wait. Shouldn't cost much.

 

[model 649]

Wot he said. Usually the rule for tool buying is "if you borrow it twice". So, if yer not going to use it more than twice don't bother buying it.
Josh

 

[High_Cap]

Send it to a smith Kimber sights are some of the hardest to press out.

Really tightly machined dovetails.

 

[das028]

Do it yourself buddy! There is no reason why you need a smith to do a job like that. Do you have a hammer and a punch? That will work too.

 

[Kruzr]

Since it's a Kimber, I would suggest you let a smith do it. I broke the pusher tip on my P500 sight pusher changing a Kimber sight. Kimber fixed sight dovetails are typically very very tight.

Unless you plan on changing sights on other guns and your friend's guns, I'd pay a smith the 25 bucks or so and let him struggle with it.

 

[techmike]

You can do it yourself with a well padded vice and a brass punch and hammer. That said, I too have found the Kimber dovetails to be very tight...I'd pay a smith and be done with it.