So I bought a set of hiviz fiber optic sights for my m&p 2.0. The rear sight went in perfect. I bought a set of nylon punches to install the front sight and ended up mashing the ends. I sanded down the sight with 120 grit, maybe 15 4" passes from both directions (30), pressed in 1/3 of the way. Had to use a 1" brass punch to get it in the rest of the way. Found the sight to be crooked once installed (may have slipped the nylon punch when it cracked).

Did I sand too little out do they press in hard anyways? It came out easy. No deformation of the slide dovetail or finish damage.

How much do you have to sand off on average? I ordered a 5/16 brass punch to install the new set I got coming.

Any other tips? I think I'm going to loctite the screw before I install the rear sight. Can I use ballistol in the dovetails before I install them or will that make them slip after being installed? I want to get them right the second time around.

I always take down the sharp edges on the bottom of a dovetail sight. It can dig into the dove tail groove and not go in straight or flat to the bottom of the groove. I always look for a space under the sight dovetail. Sometimes they go in but not parallel with the bottom of the dovetail cut and light will show under the sight.

I do lubricate when driving in the sight in.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

I only have one tip. In my area , Baton Rouge, LA. , there are two or three gun shops . If you purchase your sights from them they will install them for free.
But I can get them cheaper on line you say....

So in the long run how much cheaper is it going to be....?

So check some of the local gun shops , and see how much they charge for the sights and installation, you will only have to buy the new sights once and you will not have to buy nylon punches or brass punches .
If the gun shop screws the installation up....they pay for it not you !
I learned a long time ago that at times it's cheaper to let a professional do it.
Gary

I have a tip for you but you have to promise to not tell anyone about it BTW I learned this AFTER having Truglow TFO's Professionally installed at a local gun shop and the front could be shifted with a firm push of a thumb.

The tip is to clean everything with rubbing alcohol and then use Red Locktight while putting the sight into position. This will even lock in a sight that can be moved by thumb pressure, for almost 10 years now. Point is if you stone the bottom of a dovetail a bit too much Red Locktite is an effective solution.

BTW the tip of putting a small flat on the tips of the dovetail is EXCELLENT advice. Because many dovetail cutters have a tiny radius on the tips of the cutter to extend the service life of the tool by a factor of 4 to 10x (depending on the radius). Dead sharp points on milling cutters tend to wear or chip very quickly. They also create stress risers on the workpiece that can lead to cracks. So, if you assume your dovetail has a radius in the corners you need a corresponding flat on the tips of the mating part.

Can you explain the last paragraph a bit more? Having a hard time visualizing what you're describing.

Actually the Green sleeve retainer Loctite is better suited for this application.

This may certainly be true however Loctite Red is what I had in my tool kit and it's kept the front sight locked in place on my XDM since 2008.

As for the shape of a Dovetail cutter it is basically a round cutting tool "flared" at the end on a manner that matches the sloped side wall of the dovetail being cut. Since the very tip can come to a very sharp point most cutter manufactures will put a small radius (in the range of 0.003 to 0.010 inch) at that pointy tip. As a result the bottom of the dovetail and side wall have a small radius where they meet and this radius provides two benefits, one is an extended tool life and the second a small stress relieving radius.

Success! Took a bit of sanding with 120 grit on the bottom but it went in relatively fuss free but tight. Taped the punch so it wouldn't mark (brass) and initially hit it in with nylon a good portion of the way. Checked with digital caliper. Straight AND centered.