Glock Front Sight Removal

[444]

I want to install a set of night sights on my Glock 17.
The instructions that came with the new sights explained how to install the new sights: that doesn't appear to be any kind of a problem. But it doesn't show how to remove the factory sights.
So, how do you do it ?

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

The way we used to do it when installing nights sights on the Glock involved just taking a pair of wire cutters or a small vice grips, biting down on the sight and levering it out.

Yeah, this destroys the front sight, but your replacing it anyway, right?

The other way to remove it with out destroying it is to invert the slide and with a dental pick or some other thin, sharp tool, take out the plastic staking pin in between the legs of the front sight base. Then compress the two legs and push it out from the inside of the slide.

More work just to save the front sight and I never saw the point.

 

[444]

Thank you.
I tried briefly to pry out the plastic pin between the legs but ended up just using a pair of channel locks to pull the sight out.

Now I have some brass smudges on the rear sight from tapping it into place with a brass punch.

 

[PzGren]

To get the little plastic pin out that spreads the front sight legs, I use a dental pick and pull it out.

To drive the rear sight in, you can just use a lead bullet. The lead can be removed easily with an eraser and the finish will not be marred.

 

[JohnKSa]

Hoppe's nitro solvent with a toothbrush will remove the brass smudges.

 

[444]

I thought that Hoppes would take them off.
I wasn't worried about it. I was just going to leave it alone and with time it would come off.