How many of you change your own sights?

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Mike J said:
Mohican 1, I am not a machinist either but I've been doing Sheet Metal work since '89. While some of the contractors I've worked for do other type stuff the majority of what I do is ductwork. Of course I have found myself working on architectural & industrial type stuff here & there but the contractor I work for now is a full service mechanical contractor (HVAC).

The only pistol I ever changed sights on was a Springfield Armory XD. I did not have a sight pusher (I used a hammer & brass punch). The rear sight was extremely tight. I cut down into the sight with a hacksaw to relieve the pressure off of it so I could get it out. Yes I was very cautious not to cut too deep & yes my nerves were a little on edge. The new rear sight I put in went in easily. Putting tape on the pistol to avoid marring the finish is a good suggestion.
Not long before I did that I had a gunsmith swap the sights on an old Ruger P-series. He was reasonable & did a good job. I guess it just depends on what you are comfortable with doing.
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Hey good to meet another sheetmetal mechanic. Sounds like what you did worked and you didn't rush it. I have a couple different pushers now, but always go left to right to remove and opposite to install. A little spray lube before removal never hurts as does securing the slide in a padded vise if using a brass punch and hammer. A hockey puck with a 1in hole drilled through works to as a non mar drift surface. Nice hearing from you. Stay safe.
 
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Mohican1 said:
Hey good to meet another sheetmetal mechanic. Sounds like what you did worked and you didn't rush it. I have a couple different pushers now, but always go left to right to remove and opposite to install. A little spray lube before removal never hurts as does securing the slide in a padded vise if using a brass punch and hammer. A hockey puck with a 1in hole bird through works to as a non mar drift surface. Nice hearing from you. Stay safe.
Click to expand...
Yep, I did use a padded vise & go the proper direction. It has been a while. Those XD sights were reputed to be insanely tight & the one I took out lived up to their reputation. It still had the Meprolights I put on it when I sold it.

Edited to add: I did research the project before I started. To the OP take your time & do your research (I realize this thread is part of that). If you are comfortable with using had tools I suspect you will be okay whichever route you choose to take.
 
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Mike J said:
Yep, I did use a padded vise & go the proper direction. It has been a while. Those XD sights were reputed to be insanely tight & the one I took out lived up to their reputation. It still had the Meprolights I put on it when I sold it.

Edited to add: I did research the project before I started. To the OP take your time & do your research (I realize this thread is part of that). If you are comfortable with using had tools I suspect you will be okay whichever route you choose to take.
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Mike J- I have a XDM 3.8 in .40 I plan to upgrade the sights on soon. Meprolites were ones I was considering. It'll be my bedside piece with a good light on the rail as well. 17rnds of .40 is comforting.
 
Mohican1 said:
Mike J- I have a XDM 3.8 in .40 I plan to upgrade the sights on soon. Meprolites were ones I was considering. It'll be my bedside piece with a good light on the rail as well. 17rnds of .40 is comforting.
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I hope the XDM's are not like the original XD's were. I liked the Meprolights but they were getting dim when I let go of it. Nothing lasts forever though.
 
With most semi-autos with fixed sights, I rarely get the gun to shoot to the center of target with the factory settings of the sights. I used to drift the sights with a brass punch but more recently got a pusher. It does not work with all the different model guns I have, but it is nicer to use.

I have changed a few sights, mostly going to some kind of adjustable sights.
 
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I have a local shop,and if you buy the sights from them they will install them for you. Prices the same as best price online, or maybe 5-10$ more for trijicon tritium Done it about 8 times in the last 15 years....
I would suspect this is a common thing. I just dont want to slip and mar up the material. Im kind of a hack that way......if something doesnt move, i get angry and keep hitting it harder...i tend to jag stuff up.
 
Yep. Always have to adjust sights when I get a new firearm. If they need to be changed, I'll change them out myself.

Gunsmith's around here are hard to find, and when you do find a shop, their backlog is always 3+ weeks. No sense in waiting to have sights removed.

CH
 
I change my sights. But I am also a gunsmith. So I just take it to myself.

Most of the time I leave the hammer and punch to adjusting sights, quick to setup and quick to put away. My sight pusher is the kind that is better bolted to a bench, with the slide sitting in it to slowly crank on or off a dovetailed sight.
 
I routinely do. I have sight pushers, a variety of drifts, of different shapes and materials, i.e., nylon, aluminum, brass, steel, etc. Have a small hobby type milling machine, and have sometimes machined the slide for new sights, etc.
 
I've changed some of my own and some for friends. Glock and S&W were no problem. Broke a sight pusher on my XD .40 when I put tritium sights on it. Had to buy another pusher, soak the slide in penetrating oil, then put it in the freezer overnight. Then it still strained the pusher before breaking loose. Sights on Springfield have to go in and out from one side and I knew this, but mine was particularly tight. IF you're not prepared to replace a slide if you mess up, take it to a gunsmith.
 
I change sights myself also. (Glocks) Padded vice, brass hammer and a stiff Teflon punch. So far so good. The little bolt that holds the front sight post on factory Glock sights can be a POA but not usually too bad. However, changing sights on a used G23 who's previous owner used red Loctite on the front sight is a whole different animal. The red takes something like 550 degrees to melt it so I was hesitant to try heat. I ended up going with brake cleaner. It worked.
 
I use the vism sight pusher. Works well. I used a punch before that. I changed around 30 sets last year. Mostly Glock.
 
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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Used to use a hammer and brass punch until I tried to change a sight on a XDS45 last year.
I ended up buying a sight pusher that works on front and rear sights. Wish I'd have bought
one years ago. So much easier. This is the one I got. Gave about $65 bucks for it
off Amazon.
ATG Patch and NcSTAR Heavy Duty Universal Pistol Dovetailed Rear Sight Pusher Tool
Dano
 
Yep..I've adjusted rifle and handgun sights for over 50 years without breaking a single one. For the first 40, it was with a brass drift and a small machinist's ball peen hammer. I now have a sight pusher that's the only thing I've found that'll move Sig sights without damage. YMMv, but spend the bucks and get a pusher. Rod
 
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