punch for sight install

[crackleback]

I'm getting ready to do an sight install on a Glock. I don't have a nylon punch so I'm considering building a punch out of wood dowel or possibly using a piece of Delvin rod.

I've never used Delvin for this application but seems it would be easy to shape and I'm feeling it would not scratch a sight.

Any thoughts?

 

[rcmodel]

I use brass punches made from 5/16" or 3/8" brass rod.

Plastic often has too much give to it for tight sights.
Wood dowel just splinters and breaks.

Any brass marks left on the new sight can be easily removed with bore solvent on a rag.

rc

 

[mr wack]

^^^^^ This.
I recently replaced a front sight on my RIA 1911 , the original was easy to get out but putting the new one in was a bear.
I have the Sinclair punch set which comes with all different size punches including a couple of plastic ones , well I started out trying to tap the blade in with the plastic and as stated it just bounced off the thing so I used the brass and hey there we go.
Brass is your friend for this job,,,,

 

[crackleback]

Well, I knew brass was soft but I still though it might leave scratches or dent the sight. Maybe, as insurance, adding a little masking tape to tip of brass punch.

A video on Dawson Precision Sights website shows Mr. Dawson using a nylon tipped punch. Looks great but trying to avoid the shipping charges for one item.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have done a lot of sight drifting with a brass punch and never damaged the guns finish or bent a sight. Matter of fact, I did a Glock not long ago.

 

[rcmodel]

+1
Brass punch will not harm a steel sight if it is fitted to the dovetail correctly.
(If it is too tight to go in, file or stone off the bottom of the sight until it isn't.)

Forget masking tape.
It will last one hit.

Put some oil, or graphite from a lead pencil on the sight, and any brass tracks will rub right off.

I've been doing it for 50 years.
Trust me!!

rc

 

[cheep]

A spent 22lr case over a punch... or a sight install tool.

 

[crackleback]

+1
Brass punch will not harm a steel sight if it is fitted to the dovetail correctly.
(If it is too tight to go in, file or stone off the bottom of the sight until it isn't.)

Forget masking tape.
It will last one hit.

Put some oil, or graphite from a lead pencil on the sight, and any brass tracks will rub right off.

I've been doing it for 50 years.
Trust me!!

rc

I trust you (and the others who give the same advice)!

I noticed in your other post you said you made your brass punches out of brass rod. What are good sources for small quantities of brass rod? I can find brass punches and sets but would like to make my own.

Also, to change the subject, you mentioned fitting the rear sight by taking material off the bottom of the dovetail sight. I see it done like this all the time and wonder why it's not necessary to sometimes take metal from the sides of the sight instead of the bottom. In other words the angled part of the sight base. Looks like if this part were too wide it would not go into the dovetail regardless of how much you took off the bottom.

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

A Delrin (trademark name IIRC) rod turns down nicely in a lathe and would make a fine drift.
.
You could leave the size as large as you desire for your hand to hold and sufficient surface area for the hammer blow.
Same for making your own light duty punch set.

Delrin also makes for an excellent spacer material for my M-16 that allows me to use the carbine buffers
in the rifle length stock without the carrier key impacting the lower receiver ring.

+1 for getting the sight close to fitting before having to wale on it too much
with either Delrin or brass drifts.


Removing metal from the bottom of the dovetailed sight effectively narrows the angled width of the dovetail by lowering the sight in the receiver.
Think about this one for a while and it will make sense

Taking the metal from the bottom of the sight (running the sight across a piece of sandpaper or stone on a hard flat surface)
allows one to control (with much better precision) both the amount being removed and the uneven,
unsightly marks that you get by working the dovetail angles.

JT

 

[rcmodel]

Brass rod is commonly sold in any good hardware store.
And some hobby shops.

The reason you take metal off the bottom of the sight?
Its because the dovetails angles are almost certainly right.
And its basically a pyramid..

If you shave the bottom off a pyramid, the remaining sides are closer together then they were before you shaved off the bottom.

By taking metal off the bottom of the sight it 'lowers' the whole sight in the barrel or slide dovetail.

That gives you a looser sight in the dovetail, but the factory angle cuts remain unchanged.

ALWAYS file the sight, NOT the barrel or slide dovetail.
If you screw up, a new sight is cheaper then a new slide or barrel.

rc

 

[crackleback]

JT & RC:

I've got a source on Delrin so I'm going to make some punches regardless if I use it on this project or not.

Yes this makes sense. But, if the base of the sight is wider than the dovetail on the slide, I can't see it dropping down into the dovetail. I realize filing on the bottom of the pyrimidine decreases the width at the BOTTOM of the pyramid but nothing at the top (if that is where the binding is).

All of this is probably academic because all of the install videos I've watched have shown the bottom of the sight filed and they all go in. Looks as though most manufacturers get the dimensions pretty close for Glock sights.

And YES, I know not to modify the slide.

 

[rcmodel]

Think it through some more.

If you lower the base of a pyramid, the sides get narrower all the way to the top.

If you don't believe me, cut a 6" x 6" x 6" pyramid out of a sheet of cardboard.

Keep the inside and outer part you cut it out of.

Now cut 1" off the bottom and lay it back inside the part you cut it out of flush with the base.

See the sides now??

rc

 

[crackleback]

In your example I understand because after cutting off 1" at the base, the pyramid will drop "down" in the cutout, leaving new space on the sides. However with the sight, since it sets on top of the slide, and will not be allowed to drop "down" into the dovetail, I can't see where you are going to get the extra space on the sides.

Now if the sight were thin, no wider (front to back) than the cutout for the dovetail, I could see that dropping down mimicking your example.

I know you have done this before and I'm sure it will work for me. Maybe I should have not slept through geometry..............................

 

[rcmodel]

You will be surprised.

Sights generally don't fit completely tight against the top of the slide.

And we are only talking about removing .001" or .002" off the bottom, if needed.

Generally all the Glock night sights I have installed fit perfectly right out of the package.

SIG & Springfield XD are ones I most often have to fit slightly.

rc

 

[rbernie]

A Delrin (trademark name IIRC) rod turns down nicely in a lathe and would make a fine drift.

My experience mirror's rcmodel - the Delrin was too springy to transfer the shock needed to 'pop' some of the tighter rear sights. Brass is the standard gunsmith punch material for a good reason.

 

[Drail]

A good heavy vise bolted to a solid bench is also VERY important for moving tightly fitted parts. If your vise can move even a little - you're not getting all of the energy to the part.

 

[sfed]

I bought a sight removal installation tool through Midway that comes with everything needed to swap out/adjust windage and it works great. I changed the sights on several pistols and it does the job without marring the slide or the new sight, some of the new sights needed to be filed and fitted to install. The box does not have the item number on it or I would list it here. I remember it being a bit pricey in my opinion but after using it several times with no scratches or marring, it is worth every penny.

 

[Drail]

But it might not work for removing sights that are REALLY TIGHT. Some are. They're
just not strong enough. To get the tight ones out you really need a big vise secured to a heavy bench. But, like you said, if you fit the new sight correctly that tool will slide it right in.