Pistol sight removal/install tool. Where to buy?
- Thread starter Armedsask
- Start date
Depends on what your looking for. If you want a factory sight pusher for your specific gun they get pretty pricey. The most popular atm seem to the the generic one's made from 4" square pipe. There's three or four people on E-bay making them. They get the job done at a reasonable price and have the flexibility to handle more than just one make or model.
For sights that fit into dovetails a brass punch and a hammer IS the classic method.
What you may want to do if it seems like a barbarian method is to explore the idea of a better way of holding the part of the gun with the sights while you then have both hands free to use the tools more accurately and effectively. Support of the part of the gun with the sights on it is every bit as important as what you use to knock them out. And remember that you always want to remove the parts by pushing from left to right and install them from right to left. Basically treat the right side of the gun as the side with the "opening" for the sights and the left side as if it has something blocking them from entering or leaving the gun. This applies even if you get a sight pusher.
A good bench vise is that all important third hand you need. The support you get from using a vise to lightly but securely clamp the part of the gun allows you to use far less power in the blows of the hammer to move the sights. And that translates to less impact into the other parts of the gun.
To avoid damage marks from the vise jaws you want to use sections of heavy leather to support the slide or barrel or receiver. Or if you're handy with wood you can make up individual clamping cauls to go between the vise jaws and hold the gun parts with an accurate and more supportive manner.
What you may want to do if it seems like a barbarian method is to explore the idea of a better way of holding the part of the gun with the sights while you then have both hands free to use the tools more accurately and effectively. Support of the part of the gun with the sights on it is every bit as important as what you use to knock them out. And remember that you always want to remove the parts by pushing from left to right and install them from right to left. Basically treat the right side of the gun as the side with the "opening" for the sights and the left side as if it has something blocking them from entering or leaving the gun. This applies even if you get a sight pusher.
A good bench vise is that all important third hand you need. The support you get from using a vise to lightly but securely clamp the part of the gun allows you to use far less power in the blows of the hammer to move the sights. And that translates to less impact into the other parts of the gun.
To avoid damage marks from the vise jaws you want to use sections of heavy leather to support the slide or barrel or receiver. Or if you're handy with wood you can make up individual clamping cauls to go between the vise jaws and hold the gun parts with an accurate and more supportive manner.
$1.99 sight pusher from Peavy Mart
Beat it with a square faced punch. I just found this post, as I was going to share my experience.
If this wasn't going to be sucsessful I would have been looking for a $75+ tool. This is my writeup on replacing the sights on a Sig Sauer P320.
After unsuccessfully trying with a round brass punch to remove the VERY firmly seated front sight of my P320, I had to resort to some creative measures before I dropped too much money on a fancy smancy sight pusher. I started with as large a brass punch as I could find, but because it was a round end the punch could not get enough purchase on the edge of the sight base and kept being chipped off. I needed a square flat face of 3/16 width or so.
On a trip to Peavy Mart I located brass toilet hardware for $1.99. A little work with a file and a grinder made a squared off end to make complete purchase against the sight base. The sights had already been generously soaked with penetrating oil the night before. To set it up in the vise I used soft scrap 1x4 and a doubled up shop towel clamped securely. A couple of manly thumps from the BFH and out it pooped. I had to give it some frighteningly convincing hits. Gentle tippity tappity tap tap tap is a waste of time going out. A little more conservatively going in.
For those who are doing this work, line it up well and HIT IT.
The vise only needs to hold it tight enough to keep the slide from moving when you hit it. Be sure to have everything aligned carefully so that your force is directly in line with where you want the force to go. Make sure that the slide and the force of the blow is lined up inside the jaws of the vise, you don't want to impart a bending moment to the slide. Avoid at all costs an angle that is delivering any amount of force downwards into the slide or into the dovetail groove sides.
After the sight was out the new sight had to be fitted. This was the time consuming and eye straining part of the job. It seemed like endless filing to fit the new Dawson Precision sights. Use minimal pressure to file the base as more pressure has a tendency to file one edge more than the other causing big problems. Hold the sight in your fingers and lightly rub it down the slide. Ensure that your final passes are straight and perpendicular to the sight alignment. Another warning to be extremely careful not to bugger up the corners of the sight, because it won't start in the groove and you'll need a jeweller's loupe and needle files to fix it. Of course don't file the frame, don't file the bevelled edges of the sight. My replacement sight had a lot of base material to remove.
Drift the sight (in or out) in the correct direction. The Dawson Precision sights have an arrow on the bottom as a reminder. Left to right. Take your time filing the new sight to fit. There will be a lot of material to remove and you can not put it back. For the $150 I paid for parts that I could fit on my thumbnail, I really didn't want to buy another set.
Measure measure measure where to stop drifting the new sight in. Centre it in the frame and fix any POA issues with the rear sight. Don't try and tap the front sight right to left, it behaves like a barb. A friction fit with metals of different hardness is like stuffing a porcupine into a sack.
The rear sight I had to use a triangle needle file to remove the tiniest amount from the sight dovetail because as it was being driven in the frame cut into the sight. Before it became a paperweight I backed it out and touched up the sight edges. The height was appropriate, the DP rear sight has a setscrew.
Beat it with a square faced punch. I just found this post, as I was going to share my experience.
If this wasn't going to be sucsessful I would have been looking for a $75+ tool. This is my writeup on replacing the sights on a Sig Sauer P320.
After unsuccessfully trying with a round brass punch to remove the VERY firmly seated front sight of my P320, I had to resort to some creative measures before I dropped too much money on a fancy smancy sight pusher. I started with as large a brass punch as I could find, but because it was a round end the punch could not get enough purchase on the edge of the sight base and kept being chipped off. I needed a square flat face of 3/16 width or so.
On a trip to Peavy Mart I located brass toilet hardware for $1.99. A little work with a file and a grinder made a squared off end to make complete purchase against the sight base. The sights had already been generously soaked with penetrating oil the night before. To set it up in the vise I used soft scrap 1x4 and a doubled up shop towel clamped securely. A couple of manly thumps from the BFH and out it pooped. I had to give it some frighteningly convincing hits. Gentle tippity tappity tap tap tap is a waste of time going out. A little more conservatively going in.
For those who are doing this work, line it up well and HIT IT.
The vise only needs to hold it tight enough to keep the slide from moving when you hit it. Be sure to have everything aligned carefully so that your force is directly in line with where you want the force to go. Make sure that the slide and the force of the blow is lined up inside the jaws of the vise, you don't want to impart a bending moment to the slide. Avoid at all costs an angle that is delivering any amount of force downwards into the slide or into the dovetail groove sides.
After the sight was out the new sight had to be fitted. This was the time consuming and eye straining part of the job. It seemed like endless filing to fit the new Dawson Precision sights. Use minimal pressure to file the base as more pressure has a tendency to file one edge more than the other causing big problems. Hold the sight in your fingers and lightly rub it down the slide. Ensure that your final passes are straight and perpendicular to the sight alignment. Another warning to be extremely careful not to bugger up the corners of the sight, because it won't start in the groove and you'll need a jeweller's loupe and needle files to fix it. Of course don't file the frame, don't file the bevelled edges of the sight. My replacement sight had a lot of base material to remove.
Drift the sight (in or out) in the correct direction. The Dawson Precision sights have an arrow on the bottom as a reminder. Left to right. Take your time filing the new sight to fit. There will be a lot of material to remove and you can not put it back. For the $150 I paid for parts that I could fit on my thumbnail, I really didn't want to buy another set.
Measure measure measure where to stop drifting the new sight in. Centre it in the frame and fix any POA issues with the rear sight. Don't try and tap the front sight right to left, it behaves like a barb. A friction fit with metals of different hardness is like stuffing a porcupine into a sack.
The rear sight I had to use a triangle needle file to remove the tiniest amount from the sight dovetail because as it was being driven in the frame cut into the sight. Before it became a paperweight I backed it out and touched up the sight edges. The height was appropriate, the DP rear sight has a setscrew.
Last edited:
Forest1488
CGN Regular
- Location
- South of Toronto
Bringing this one to life.
I am looking for a decent front/rear sight pusher (MP 9 Pro and Lionheart LH9N). Lots more options out there since this thread. Thank you in advance for your comments.
I am looking for a decent front/rear sight pusher (MP 9 Pro and Lionheart LH9N). Lots more options out there since this thread. Thank you in advance for your comments.
Forest1488
CGN Regular
- Location
- South of Toronto
Yes. I did that days ago. That's why I am looking for some comments on what ones are worth looking at. Lots of cheap looking stuff out there. Just want to hear some experienced comments good or bad.
Forest1488
CGN Regular
- Location
- South of Toronto
Front or rear? Good question. Some products state they are a rear sight pusher, some state a front, and some state both. You then look at the details and some are the same product with different descriptions.
In the real world, I am assuming the difference between the two is the contact profile of the pusher block. I just noticed that the NcStar does come with two different blocks to cover both rear and front profiles. It also holds the slide from the sides and the top which is a no brainer as slide rigidity in a tool like this is paramount.
Being able to have a quality tool to adjust and/or change pistol sights at the range as well as reduce the risk of marring from using a punch is well worth the investment.
In the real world, I am assuming the difference between the two is the contact profile of the pusher block. I just noticed that the NcStar does come with two different blocks to cover both rear and front profiles. It also holds the slide from the sides and the top which is a no brainer as slide rigidity in a tool like this is paramount.
Being able to have a quality tool to adjust and/or change pistol sights at the range as well as reduce the risk of marring from using a punch is well worth the investment.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I was thinking same as OP - I picked up a "B-Square" brand sight pusher at a gun show - about first time I tried to use it, the aluminum body bent - the threaded "pusher" part can create a lot more force than that pusher body can handle - so I was back to the punch and hammer thing. Not sure how often OP has to remove / replace / adjust sights? For me, tends to be some fussing to get set initially, then goes years and years without being touched. A decent "bench block" and square ended brass punch, and little 8 ounce ball peen hammer seems to do it - a padded jaw bench vise is a definite asset, but sighting in at the range often requires stuff to be able to do on that shooting table - hence the bench block. Also depends how tight sight is in that dovetail - like 60 year old Cooey that is rusted in there, versus fairly new thing with bluing, etc. As posted above, what you arrange for support is most part of that battle - really solid support makes removal / adjusting / etc. a LOT easier to do with a punch.
Last edited:
That NcStar Vism Universal Rear Sight Tool looks pretty good and would be handy for micro adjustments at the range when changing ammo or tweaking things.... if the sights have not been moved in some time and don't want to move with moderate force, a sharp hit with a punch and hammer might be a good idea to break it free and then use the NcStar Vism Universal Rear Sight Tool.
I think many new shooters or people shooting a new to them pistol. are often pulling shots themselves more then dealing with sights that are "off".
I think many new shooters or people shooting a new to them pistol. are often pulling shots themselves more then dealing with sights that are "off".
