installing sights on a glock FAIL HORRIBLY

lil_juiced_coupe said:
... So which is it? use a hammer, or let a smith take care of it? ...
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You obviously haven't learned your lesson yet. Your slide still needs a few scratches.

lil_juiced_coupe said:
If you must know, the only competent gun smith locally who said didnt say he would need my gun for a month is just a little over an hour away, and quoted me 2 hours for install @ 60 dollars(the same as other smiths), and for those of you who's math is not up to snuff that is 120 dollars in labour alone, plus my time to drive out there, and the gas that goes along with driving a lifted truck in downtown traffic plus waiting around for 2 hours....
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$120. to install sights on a Glock?? ... and it would take a month? What do you mean the same as other Smiths? Since when does a 10 minute job cost $120 bucks and a month to complete.

For 20$ you could send your slide via CanPost to any competent Smith in the country. No gas, no driving, no parking for hours.

You buy pricey sights for your pricey gun and cheap out on a competent installation. What did you expect coming here telling us that you now cannot remove the broken sight you mashed on with a screwdriver. Take your lumps, tail between your legs and pay someone competent to do it right.

Your experience would be worth it if you realized the error of your ways, but it seems you still want to beat on your trijicon sight with a hammer. So, I do not have any more suggestions for you, or your gun.
 
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lil_juiced_coupe said:
Wow there I guess there are a lot of guns smiths clamouring at the thought of making 20 bucks eh? well as usual, lately on this website someone asks for assistance on this forum and all you get is a bunch of whiney people who feel the need to trash talk someone instead of offering helpful advice.

If you must know, the only competent gun smith locally who said didnt say he would need my gun for a month is just a little over an hour away, and quoted me 2 hours for install @ 60 dollars(the same as other smiths), and for those of you who's math is not up to snuff that is 120 dollars in labour alone, plus my time to drive out there, and the gas that goes along with driving a lifted truck in downtown traffic plus waiting around for 2 hours.... I would have love to bought sights from the smith but he only had cheapo fiber optic sights left which I didnt want and any sight he had ordered is on back order, so he sent me to daves surplus... and to top it all off he said give it a try yourself, it isnt that hard and a small flathead is better then a punch... but I am sure all you knew that.

So all in all the elitist so called "gunsmiths" on here who felt the need to jump in when the thread went from me asking how to install, to me failing to install. Thank you for your useless information I will be sure to file it in the "I could care less file of my life" and may you go trolling on this forum in peace and tranquility. As we watch this website being turned from a helpful tool to a gun nut. To a tool for inflating people egos and make them feel better about themselves.
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WTF are you going on about? You had people with experience try to offer their opinion without much razzing and you get pissy and insulting? Interesting approach.
 
To explain my animosity, competent Smiths spend thousands of dollars on proper tools, equipment and an education to do the job right the first time.

If everyone does their own kitchen counter mechanics, most of the talented Smiths left will go the way of the Dodo. Prospective Smiths won't bother starting up any new business because there's no demand. It's bad enough many now are dieing off without passing down their talents. I know, I've been through it with the Graphics industry. Since PCs, everyone with a keyboard and Clip Art is now magically an artist. True Graphic Artists are a thing of the past. Your kids will only see them on the History channel. (Note I didn't mention "books").

Sure, you can do your own gunsmithing and ask for suggestions online on what to do when things go wrong, you also accept the fact you soon won't have a real Smith to go to when you DO need one. So support your local Smith when you can.

For many people spending a small dollar amount isn't a big deal, but to a Smith, small jobs are gravy and help the small business stay afloat. ... and you get the job done right the first time without the aggravation you have fallen into.

ETA: BTW, did you think of "fitting" the new sights to your gun, or were you hoping to just jammer one on for the other like LEGO?
 
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I have put on sights once or twice with a hammer and punch but the trijicons I recently bought were insanely tight. I ended up buying a glock sight tool from Police Ordnance in Markham since I already have three glocks and will probably have more. You should remove the rear sight from left to right and install from right to left as per the Glock Armourers manual.

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The thread I started when I bought the tool....

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=502208

Feel for you! Good thing is I don't think this will ever happen to you again and you will definitely be more cautious when you are performing other "gunsmithing" procedures.
 
First of all, I've read that hammer + punch, even if done correctly, is bad for night sights. Might damage the tritium gas container with the shock of hammering... I've done two glocks' sights by myself. I had a pusher for both. One thing I learnt is it's good to cover the pusher surface with some electrical tape so it won't mark the finish of the rear sight. My G17's non-night sight Heinie's have a shiny spot. :redface: For the front sight, sometimes the front screwdriver won't fit the sight. To make a suitable alternative for installing the mepro night sight I had, I took a cheap socket that fit the front sight, and carefully dremeled the outside of the socket to make it fit up into the slide.

I think home gunsmithing on small stuff is good because it's a hobby in itself and you are free to do things independently without having to find a smith. However, if you are going to home-gunsmith, please heed my advice:
1) Do forum and google searches on the procedure you want to do. Make sure you read a number of guides and tips and tricks so you know how what tools you need, how to disassemble the gun, and how to do the work.
2) Like one poster mentioned, don't do it at 10:30 pm on the weeknight you received the package with the parts. I've personally screwed something up because of this mistake. Do it on the Sunday afternoon when your partner is out and you're bored and looking for something to do.
3) As you work, take things slowly and cultivate patience. If it seems you can't get the job done, stop and bring it to a smith.
4) Buy the proper tools for the job. Make sure you've got the sight pusher or barrel wrench + vise (still waiting on those in the mail heh) or brass punches or torque screwdriver or etc.


I'm not bashing gunsmiths though. For one thing, if a gunsmith is convenient and you'll only ever need a job done once or twice, the gunsmith is cheaper than buying the tools yourself. For another thing, gunsmiths have the tools and training to do the more involved and custom work. (I've just never really needed any custom work up to this point in my shooting hobby.)
 
The first rule of gunsmithing is the same as the first rule of medicine - don't make it worse.

Everyone who wants to do-it-yourself goes through a period of screwing things up more than fixing it. It's part of the learning process. Becoming proficient at something takes a bit more preparation and hands on experience than watching a 2 minute video on youtube.
 
juanvaldez said:
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Videoguy is a hack artist.

His "poor-man's vise" qualifies him for gun hack/butcher.

The physics of his setup are ALL wrong, and besides, who doesn't have access to a vise??!!!

I have no idea if a glock dovetail follows the standard "out to the right, replace from the right".

Flat-head screwdriver messed things up, buy a couple of things that will do a good job before you start.

Not such a hard lesson, you have more to go, OP, if you keep trying to backyard decent gun work.

Sorry, nothing personal. I would guess there aren't many professional gunsmiths who have not started out with a few ooops! moments before they decided there is a proper way to do things and a lot of good ways to screw things up.

;)
 
easy said:
If everyone does their own kitchen counter mechanics, most of the talented Smiths left will go the way of the Dodo. Prospective Smiths won't bother starting up any new business because there's no demand. It's bad enough many now are dieing off without passing down their talents. I know, I've been through it with the Graphics industry. Since PCs, everyone with a keyboard and Clip Art is now magically an artist. True Graphic Artists are a thing of the past.
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I don't agree. There will always be a demand for quality work.

The hammer artists and computer doofii will THINK they have a skill until they finally realize they don't really know how to do things right.
Many may invest a few bucks in tools and book learning eventually. Many do, I did. :)
 
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