"Drift adjustable", my foot!

[dahermit]

Any indication of staking?

No indication of staking.

[pnac]

Use HiBC's formula, take to a gunsmith, and tell him how much to move it. Maybe 30 bucks and done.

[dahermit]

Use HiBC's formula, take to a gunsmith, and tell him how much to move it. Maybe 30 bucks and done.

If I cannot do it myself (I am a machinist who knows about interference fits), I would not have it done. There should be no reason why I cannot do it myself...it cannot be rocket science. Gunsmiths are not magicians.

[TunnelRat]

Originally Posted by dahermit

If I cannot do it myself (I am a machinist who knows about interference fits), I would not have it done. There should be no reason why I cannot do it myself...it cannot be rocket science. Gunsmiths are not magicians.

No they're not. What they are like any specialty is people with the right tools and it would likely cost less to have them do it than buy a sight pusher. If you want to do it yourself go for it.


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[dahermit]

The reason I would not take the gun to a gunsmith to adjust drift adjustable sights is the same reason why I would not take my car to a mechanic to change the brake pads. "Take it to a gunsmith", is a "Captain Obvious" answer that offers little to any firearms enthusiast. If "take it to a gunsmith", is appropo for such a basic issue then there would be little justification for a gun-related forum at all, in that almost all firearm concerns could be answered in such a pedestrian manner.

[TunnelRat]

If "take it to a gunsmith", is appropo for such a basic issue then there would be little justification for a gun-related forum at all, in that almost all firearm concerns could be answered in such a pedestrian manner.

I disagree, but the world is your oyster.

[mellow_c]

dahermit,

I've had a couple occasions where for the life of me I could not get a rear sight to budge with a brass punch.

I ended up taking drastic measures.


I found a way to position the slide on a flat smooth concrete floor with a piece of cardboard and paper towel between it and the floor. Then I used a wash cloth or something to put over the rear sight and the slide. Then I stood on the slide with one foot to keep it from budging.

Then I used a good thick steel bolt that was laying around as a punch (my brass punches were becoming mutilated from my previous efforts) I put the punch at the bottom of the sights base where it meets the slide so that it was kind of locked into the corner between the two, then I used a regular heavy wood working hammer to tap on the bolt head, harder and harder and harder, checking the bolts position on the sight and checking the rag/washcloth to make sure the punch wasn't cutting through it.

Finally I noticed that I had knocked the sight over enough to be sure I had actually moved it.


Using some penetrating oil and possibly some heat are good ideas, but what did it for me in the end was basically steel on steel with a decent amount of impact and mass with a rock solid base.

Somehow I managed to do all this without marking up the gun.

Have someone else stand on the slide while you keep the rag, punch and hammer in alignment if you need to. But I really would recommend using a thick and wide steel punch.

Good luck buddy!

PS... Just a bit more elaboration to be sure I'm communicating this effectively. I really felt like the floor was an essential part of it all. I tried using a vise but there was too much flex and bounce from the vice and table and all that. I guess it depends on how solid your vice/workbench set up really is, but you can't do much better then a solid concrete floor. Having a good heavy punch is essential too, as well as a solid hammer. If you have flex or bounce anywhere you may not attain the solid deliberate shock needed to break it free. Just use whatever you can to protect the slide and sight from marring. I feel like regular box cardboard is good because it will cradle the slide and is soft, but it will compress so that it ends up providing a solid base after a few hits. A paper towel is good to protect the gun from the potentially rough cardboard. If you want you could try thinner cardboard from a cereal box, and that actually might be what I used if I remember correctly. Then good luck with whatever you use between the steel punch and sight, just make sure it will allow the energy to transfer but will still provide enough durable protection between the two bits of steel.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Once I found that I actually COULD move the sight, I went to the range to make my final adjustments. The formal range that I usually go to was ok with me removing the slide and barrel and all that and hammering on it on the floor just behind the firing line. I kept it up, resembling and firing three shots from a bag until I was satisfied that the sights were centered. Both those guns shoot great now, right to point of aim, and I can be sure they will stay that way as it would take an act of God to bump those sights out of alignment.

And yes, I was proud to have saved myself the time and money of taking it to a smith. Just be patient, careful and deliberate and I'm willing to bet you can get that rear sight to move without screwing it up.

[TunnelRat]

^I had to do something similar to get the pins on a Mossberg 500 bolt to move. I ended up breaking two punches in the process. It became personal after that .


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[mellow_c]

Hah! Wow TunnelRat. Thanks for the warning. I'll remember not to mess with my 500 bolts unless I absolutely have to.

[pnac]

"Captain Obvious" here. Excuse me all to hell for trying to help.

[sixgunluv]

To the OP....been there and done that my friend. Why take a chance on dinging up your sights. I tried a few other sight pushers, i found no need to look any further when i found this one.

It's the "sight-tool"......$80 on ebay.

[MislMan]

To apply heat to the area of the dovetail, use a soldering iron with the tip of your choice. No flame to mar the finish and the heat builds up slowly. The tip style provides choices for direct placement of heat.

Of note, I believe dovetailed sights are designed to be removed/drifted off from the left to right of the slide when viewed in the firing position. Probably tapered this way. You may need to go this direction first to knock things loose and then remount/drift sights to your desired position after cleaning the dovetail and sight base.

[rodfac]

Use HiBC's formula, take it to a gunsmith, and tell him how much to move it. Maybe 30 bucks and done

Yep, you've tried the "wack it til it moves route", I'd go to a GOOD gunsmith with a sight pusher, and get him to move it for you, the alternative is a ruined slide, scratches where you don't want them and a potentially ruined rear sight.

I have a sight pusher that works...most of the time and with no marring too...but there are times when sending it to somebody that does this sort of thing for a living is a better plan.

I believe dovetailed sights are designed to be removed/drifted off from the left to right of the slide when viewed in the firing position.

Sigs may be the opposite IIRC:

JMHO, Rod

[sixgunluv]

Wow..some of the comments in here made me come back to re-emphasize the importance of a good sight pusher.

For example i recently micro tuned the drift sights on my P938 back and forth 2-3 times to get them just right....no pounding, no worries about dinging them up, just a turn of the Allen bolt until it breaks loose.

I am not a spokes person for sight-tool...i just know what works.

[erikrichard]

I had to move my Glock 27 tritium rear sight slightly to the right, the guy I bought the gun from had hired a professional gunsmith who did a very poor job.
Here's what I did: Take the slide off, place it on a solid surface with cardboard wrapped under and over it. C-clamp it to a solid surface. The trick is to find something that will sit nicely with the base of the sight - I used an allen wrench that I had cut into a straight shape from another project that fit - and smack it hard with a heavy hammer (I used a 4 lb sledge) a couple times.Check if it moved, if not repeat harder until it moves where you want. I finally got it to move, went too far, then moved it back a smidge and it's now perfect.
You can't use a normal hammer and some small punch and expect results, all you will do with that is mar the sight finish.

[briandg]

You could selectively heat that sight with a heavy duty soldering iron. It would actually expand the metal and loosen it as it cools. it would also help to break down any gunk that is holding it to the slide.

[Koda94]

Originally Posted by dahermit

The reason I would not take the gun to a gunsmith to adjust drift adjustable sights is the same reason why I would not take my car to a mechanic to change the brake pads. "Take it to a gunsmith", is a "Captain Obvious" answer that offers little to any firearms enthusiast. If "take it to a gunsmith", is appropo for such a basic issue then there would be little justification for a gun-related forum at all, in that almost all firearm concerns could be answered in such a pedestrian manner.

for something as simple as changing brake pads even a home mechanic has to own the correct tools for the job, or take it to a mechanic who does. This is not a "captain obvious" answer, there has been plenty of experienced replies in this forum describing why your sights could be extra tough to move and you have rejected the idea of buying the right tool for the job...

in this case a sight pusher... which every gunsmith has, and you don't.

Just being brutally honest, there are only 2 options for the task you describe... get the proper tool and DIY, or take it to a gunsmith who does.

[rock185]

dahermit, FWIW, the first time I had dovetailed sights changed on a pistol years ago, the "professional" scraped up the top of the slide on my recently purchased pistol. He was not concerned at all about it. I don't blame you for intending to do it yourself. Thing is, if your luck is anything like mine, your odds are not good for finding an actual skilled gunsmith who can do a professional job on a Hi Power. Seems like gun owners trust anyone who says they are a gunsmith to actually have some knowledge and skill. Not so. There are no requirements, other than obtaining an FFL and business license, for one to claim they are a gunsmith and begin screwing up people's guns. I have seen guns ruined by some of these "gunsmiths". Trouble is the public doesn't know the guy is an unskilled butcher until the damage is done.

As you're a machinist, I have little doubt you can successfully adjust or replace that NOT-so-easily drift adjustable sight

[JohnKSa]

Gunsmiths are not magicians.

At 73 years of age...

I am a machinist...

A 73 year old machinist who doesn't understand that sometimes having the right tool can make a really hard job so easy it seems like magic?

Sure, you can do it. And you may even be able to do it without marking up the gun or breaking something. It's very simple.

• Position/fix the slide in place so it can't move or twist.
• Position the slide against a solid surface that won't absorb energy by deforming or flexing.
• Get a very sturdy punch with as large a surface area as possible that will still engage the sight without touching anything you don't want it to.
• Position the punch against the sight.
• Hit it really hard with the biggest hammer you have.
• Do your best to shield everything so that nothing gets marked up or damaged when (not if) the punch slips.
• Hope that you don't have to hit it so hard that the punch damages the sight.

I had to keep working my way up until I finally used a 5lb short-handled sledge to get one sight to move. Hit the punch while I was standing on the slide with both feet to keep it from moving. Victory!

Well, sort of... The sight moved but the punch also tore it up in the process. I ended up sending it to a gunsmith with a hydraulic press who replaced the sight and positioned it properly. That cost me more than I would have paid for a quality sight pusher...

[AzShooter]

Make sure you are using a brass punch. The next thing you need is the right hammer. It has to be bigger than the standard gunsmith hammer. I use a 16 oz hammer and have no problems moving sights.

[briandg]

Myself, I find working with drift sights annoying. Hammer to the left, check. Hammer right, check. Left, right, left, right, over and over, every time driving out to the range and testing.

I have just started keeping a card looped onto the trigger that tells me how much to correct.

[Sweet Shooter]

I never use a hammer. I'll use a belt-leather padded "C" clamp to fasten the (stripped) slide to a solid work top, then use another "C" clamp to drag the sight down. If I go too far I turn over the slide and drag it back a bit. It takes a while but when you have it, you have it for ever.
-SS-

[sixgunluv]

Get the sight pusher....it will save you a lot of frustration. It's tough to micro-tune with a hammer. ('.'