Sight installation
- Thread starter glenjoy
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GLOCK45GUY
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Generally speaking dovetail sights are not "drop in". If by "does not fit the slide" you mean it will not slip in the dovetail by hand pressure, that is normal. Dovetails work by interference fit on the sloped portion of the tail. Material is removed from the bottom of the dovetail until it will just push in with a tap from a punch and hammer or some pushing with a sight install tool. Go to far with the material removal and you will need a new sight. Dovetail sights that have a set screw in the dovetail generally slide in with a little less pressure and use the screw to make final tight fit. 
The dovetail cut in the slide or front sight is out of spec is my quess. If you are willing to modify the front sight, some folks place tiny punch marks on the bottom of the front sight (punch the cheap part) this may help raise metal to take up slack.
Be sure and use good back up behind the sight you don't want to break the ears off.
BTW it has never worked for me. I have had better luck with epoxy plus little punch marks.
Be sure and use good back up behind the sight you don't want to break the ears off.
BTW it has never worked for me. I have had better luck with epoxy plus little punch marks.
If the front sight uses a retainer pin it will slip in the dovetail with light pressure or easily as yours seems to do once in place it is pined in rather than having a tighter fit in the dovetail. There may be matching holes in the slide and sight to pin it, maybe only the slide has the hole. If one has the pin hole and the other doesn't you have to drill the one without the hole after determining its place. I would try to use a mic and get the front sight centered side to side on the slide to start.
How did the rear come out?
How did the rear come out?
BBBBill
Member
Check the Novak installation instructions. They show machining/filing a small (1/8" wide) flat at the top rear edge of the dovetail. Typically, precut slides will not have that cut. It is not strictly necessary, but it can help with the install. As others have said, I usually file the sight or the slide depending on the specific install/how clean and accurate the cuts are/measurements of slide cuts and sight base.glenjoy said:
Front sight should be a snug press fit just like the rear. The pin is a sort of belt and suspenders approach due to the small bearing area of the front dovetail. It is to keep the sight from being bumped out or walking out from firing. Once the front sight is installed and cut to final height, you drill through the hole into the slide and install the roll pin, locking the sight to the slide. Check your invoice to verify the cut on your slide. Caspian offers several different combinations of sight cuts. Just because the rear is a Novak cut doesn't mean the front is. There are at least three different commonly used front sight dovetail dimensions out there. And if it is, the actual front sight might not be a Novak dimensioned sight. Did you specify a Novak front when you ordered? It is possible that the dovetail was over cut on the front, in which case Brownells sells a "rescue" sight for that purpose. Dovetail is a little bit oversized.
I use blue Locktite on most of my installs, rarely use red.
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