Loose Front Sight

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Doublehelix

Doublehelix

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Long story, but the front sight on my SIG P226 needs to be fixed. It is so loose it keeps falling out of the dovetail.

This is a replacement Truglo FO sight, but I actually want to replace it in a few weeks with an LPA TTF adjustable sight set:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2...ht-set-sig-p220-225-226-228-steel-fiber-optic

This means, I either don't use the gun for a few weeks, which is not good as I have a couple of matches coming up where I had planned on using this gun, or finding a way to secure the sight in the mean time.

I have both Red and Blue Loctite, but I want to make sure that I will be able to get the sight out of there in a few weeks. This sort of makes the Red Loctite a bad choice, but how about the blue?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks!
 
I would use the blue, but...

How hard does the sight go in? When originally fitted, was only the front end of sight fitted?

Why I ask is, the mating surfaces may only be pinching on one end, and not touching the majority of the surface side to side once in position. If that is case, loctite may not hold it very long either. But it may.
 
kcofohio said:
I would use the blue, but...

How hard does the sight go in? When originally fitted, was only the front end of sight fitted?

Why I ask is, the mating surfaces may only be pinching on one end, and not touching the majority of the surface side to side once in position. If that is case, loctite may not hold it very long either. But it may.
Click to expand...

This sight fit without filing at all. It just went right in. I just installed a Dawson sight on my 1911 that required quite a bit of fitting, and it is holding tight as a drum, but I also added a touch of Red Loctite to it.
 
Doublehelix said:
This sight fit without filing at all. It just went right in. I just installed a Dawson sight on my 1911 that required quite a bit of fitting, and it is holding tight as a drum, but I also added a touch of Red Loctite to it.
Click to expand...
Then I'd go with the blue and test it out, since you only want a temporary installed.

There are other options, such as pin prick marks on the top side of the sight dove tail. Are the sights steel or aluminum?
 
Take the sight out, turn it over and support it over the barely open jaws of a vise. Use a center punch to put 3-4 dimples on the underside of the sight.
Test fit it. If fairly snug, you may be good to go or you can add BLUE loctite before tapping it in to position. Wipe off excess and let dry 24 hrs. It will be removable but firmly fixed.
 
You can use a cheap feeler gauge as shim stock to make a shim that will go between the sight base and the slide's dovetail cut - I believe they sell it in auto parts and hardware stores (I'm not from the US). If the blades are too hard to cut it's very easy to temper them with a butane cigarette lighter - just heat the blade until it reaches a grey color.
 
I had a similar scenario when fitting the Trijicon front blade to the old Firestar, the sight slid right in. The blue thread locker wasn't sufficient to cure with the gap in my instance. Tested with a variety of thickness shim stock and it took .003" brass shim stock to hold firmly. The shim was cut a bit undersized to the blade dovetail so that when it was pushed in, the shim was not visible.
 
drband said:
Take the sight out, turn it over and support it over the barely open jaws of a vise. Use a center punch to put 3-4 dimples on the underside of the sight.
Test fit it. If fairly snug, you may be good to go or you can add BLUE loctite before tapping it in to position. Wipe off excess and let dry 24 hrs. It will be removable but firmly fixed.
Click to expand...
Been there, done that. A" Michigan" Repair..........it worked just fine many years ago.
 
Once installed, put a small dollop of RTV sealant on both sides. It won't be pretty but it will keep the sight from falling out and is temporary. Sort of like torque seal/marker used on bolt heads.
 
Last night, I tried to use the aluminum foil trick, but I could not get it to work. I went ahead and dimpled the bottom of the sight, and then used blue Loctite to keep it in place. It is now sitting for the requisite 24 hours to see if this will work or not.

Even with the dimpling however, it slid into the the dovetail fairly easily. I am not overly optimistic that this is going to work, but fingers are crossed.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
Doublehelix, like I already explained, just put a shim with sufficient thickness under that front sight and you will be OK. It is a valid repair.
 
243winxb said:
aluminum foil
Click to expand...
The foil is layed in the dovetail, not on the bottom of the sight. After the sight is in, i trim the foil around the sight with a Mini Snap-Blade Knife . To blacken it, magic marker.

Sights are installed and removed only one way. I forget now, but one side of the dovetail if larger than the other.

Forget the locktite. The red keeps the Ruger MK1 5 1/2" bbl front sight screw from coming loose, good for that.
 
Mizar said:
Doublehelix, like I already explained, just put a shim with sufficient thickness under that front sight and you will be OK. It is a valid repair.
Click to expand...

The foil is layed in the dovetail, not on the bottom of the sight. After the sight is in, i trim the foil around the sight with a Mini Snap-Blade Knife . To blacken it, magic marker.

Sights are installed and removed only one way. I forget now, but one side of the dovetail if larger than the other.

Forget the locktite. The red keeps the Ruger MK1 5 1/2" bbl front sight screw from coming loose, good for that.
Click to expand...

I will try it again if this does not hold (I am not optimistic).

With SIG, when looking from behind the slide, you insert from right to left.
 
http://sigtalk.com/sig-sauer-pistols/636-spec-needed-p226-common-sight-model-front-dovetail.html

Post #4
Sig considers that info proprietary, but there is a back-door way to get it. The "spec" I received is as follows: Base width = 0.210, depth of cut = 0.065, angle from base = 71 deg. (which is an included angle of 38 deg for the cutter.) The suspect dimension to me is the depth of 0.065 as most of the sights I have measured (base thickness) are less than 0.055, so I use 0.055 depth when I cut them, and that seems to work fine. I only cut the straight slot on a machine (0.170 to 0.172) and finish the angles by hand with a safe-edge dovetail file that I made (modified a square file). Harvey Tool (www.harveytool.com ) (no affiliation) has some 40 deg small dovetail cutters that would probably work, or they may make a special for you. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...
If this is correct, depth .065" means you have to fill .010" under the sight?? Do i understand it correctly??
The sights at your link are for a Sig, so should fit. This replacement Truglo FO sight, would not with a .010" gap. Thats a bit much to fill with foil.
 
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