For the life of me, I can't get the rear sight on my 1911 to budge!

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

Gosh I though Kimber sights were tight. Blocks of wood. Vise. Brass punch. Hammer. OK, then a steel punch, Hammer. It came out like a shot.

I would like to have had a sight pusher, but I was impatient.

Still, I did it the way countless guys have changed thier 1911 sights for 75 years.

-Steve

I couldn't live without a vice. First thing I did when I built my shop. I built my work bench, then installed my vise. That was even before I set up the stereo or installed the compressor. Oh, the work bench is an old military metal desk with a 2" solid fire door bolted to the top and on top of that is a 5/8" steel plate that the vise is bolted to. Yeah, it's heavy. I use it when I'm working on engines and other car parts. Seldom when working on a firearm. But it's there when I need it. Kinda like owning a 4x4 pickup. How do people live without a truck? Aren't these required tools of manhood?

 

[51Cards]

Did you see the picture of the hammer already being used? OMG! If it's that stuck, it's not just tight.

I am a Master of Impatience . But for this --- I could wait . I did wait --- for Fedex .

Now, I am the Master of my Sights --- unfortunately, not the Absolute Master of the 10-Ring.

But now, I have no excuses ...

 

[Robert Hairless]

Many sights are installed with Loctite. It's necessary to heat the sight at its base to break down the Loctite before attempting to move it. A soldering pencil applied to the base of the sight at each end should do the job. If you have night sights stay away from the tritium vials: heat can pop them out.

That hammer in the photograph ... it was a joke, right? A small gunsmith's brass hammer and a substantial brass punch are the tools to use. Remove the slide from the frame, put the slide in a padded vise, apply the heated soldering pencil so that the sight gets hot enough on both sides to break the Locktite, then hold the punch firmly against the base at the left side of the sight and give the punch a moderate with the hammer. That tap should break the Loctite seal. Then wrap the sight thorougly in masking tape, put the punch firmly against the base at the left side again, and give the punch a few hearty whacks with the hammer. You need to hold the punch parallel to the sight's dovetail so the force of your blows moves the sight. If your punch cuts through the masking tape, patch it with a bit more tape. At the end you can remove any brass marks with Hoppe's No. 9.

The $100 or so sight mover: put it on a shelf above your workbench so that everyone knows you're a pro. But use the hammer and punch for the actual work.

 

[crucible]

Mr. Hairless is wise; Loctite is added to sights sometimes to help keep them in place and generally requires the use of heat to remove whatever it's applied to.

Like others, I've had at least one rear sight almost fly right off that had only a locking screw keeping it on; it's adjustable replacement's locking screw was complimented by red Loctite that I fully expect to have to heat up to get it removed...but I really don't see that need happening.

C-

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

Ok, I'll get the soldering tool and heat up the sight base first. Thanks. I am the first owner. It's a Springfield Armory. Do they use loctite on their sights?

 

[Robert Hairless]

I don't know if Springfield Armory uses Loctite when installing its sights. From your account of the difficulties you've encountered, there are only four possible reasons for them.

1. You didn't remove the set screw Novak uses on its rear sight. But you said you did, so that couldn't be the reason.

2. The rear dovetail was cut tight and the site was press fit. Kimber does that, which (as someone else remarked) makes its rear sights moveable only by the strong of heart, mighty of muscle, or feeble of mind. I never have problems with Kimber's rear sights but I won't speculate on which of those three attributes I possess. Luck, possibly.

3. Springfield used Loctite under the site, probably by dropping some down the hole for the set screw before turning it down. It might or might not have made the screw a bit harder for you to remove at first.

4. Some other reason.

If the problem is caused by #2, I think you either should have been able to move the sight by now or I could make a fortune by placing a large wager that I can whip you in arm wrestling any day in the week and twice on Sundays.

If the problem is caused by #1, you didn't really remove the set screw and shame on you for telling an untruth.

If the problem is caused by #4, I meant to be in the Golf Forum and got here by mistake, so please excuse me while I leave.

Having exhausted all those other possibilities, I think it's # 3, especially because you didn't respond to someone else's suggestion about heating the sight.

I hate to say this but if you marked the slide to show where the sight should be moved, you really could have sent the slide to Springfield and had them move it under warranty. They have a fine reputation for taking care of their customers. My guess is that the most it would have cost you is shipping: about $5.00 is my guess. Or they might have picked up that cost. Or a local pistolsmith might have done it while you wait for maybe $10.00 or maybe nothing. This is one of those small jobs that takes just a few minutes for someone who knows how, or can crush the spirit of someone who doesn't. And the sights too. But that's how we learn, so now you have moved to the stage of being able to talk about this experience a few years from now as "I paid my dues, young feller."

I hope you realize that you are obligated to tell us all how this saga ends, as soon as it ends. We're all seated at our computers, doing without sleep or food or anything else, until you post the resolution. It's like a mystery story now.

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

To spare you the sleepless nights, I will let you know how it turns out.

 

[hceptj]

I replaced a set in a kimber and it was next to impossible until spraying a little wd40 type stuff on them and putting them in a vice. I bought some magnetic stick on guards that have a 1/8" piece of rubber on them that fit in my vice. Took a small hammer and a brass punch to the sights and they popped right out.

FYI, I bought one of the sight pushers a while back, just like the one in that pic, the blue one. Paid around $80 for it. It wouldn't even budge the kimber sight so I gave up on it. I'll keep it and try it again one day, just not on a kimber.

You'll get there...good luck!

 

[hemiram]

I've been seeing Loctite on all kinds of stuff lately, even the cheapo Ebay Chinese chair I bought a while back, that I hate, has blue Loctite like stuff on all the hardware. Those bolts are hard to turn once that loctite stuff is filling up the threads! The tiny little Allen wrench killed my fingers, so out came the cordless drill with an allen bit and it went together nicely. Too bad it's a horrible chair, comfort wise.

My friend bought a Winchester '94 clone a while back and the rear site was red Loctited on. We pounded on it pretty good, and NOTHING. We had to take a BIG soldering iron to it, just to get it to move a tiny bit. I told him to leave it alone, but it bugged him that it was off a little at 50 yards. After we got it hot, it smoothly slid over too far, and then we let it cool off a little and once it started grabbing again, we put it where we wanted it. It was peened a little under it, so I guess that didn't help. It's stayed where we put it, and is dead on now.

 

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

" Soldering tool "?

There isn't a gun shop or gun smith within a reasonable driving distance?

I'd hope that a shop might almost do this slight sight move while you wait.

-Steve