For Father's Day, my sons got me the Ameriglo sights for my M&P. I tried replacing the rear sight, but it does not want to fit in the stock groove. I didn't horse it, for fear of it getting stuck. The stock rear sight slides in/out fairly easy. The sights are labeled for an M&P (SW-433B). Did I get a bad rear sight? Should I have my LGS have a look at it?

Can I, without any smithing tools, replace the front sight myself? It appears to just be pressed in. ???

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Ed

Most good sights need a little fitting with a triangle file.
Dawson Precision has some online videos on how to install a sight. Trying to bash one in when it is too tight usually makes a scarred mess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4maCQhEIjoA

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Science plus Art

If you really want to do it yourself (it's not rocket science), get a real good quality, not too big triangular file and an aluminum punch for getting the sights in an out. Patience, keeping things squared (aligned)and always remembering that you can take a wee bit of metal off at a time, but you can't put that metal back on, pays off. Put the slide in a good vise--you can use a couple of wood paint stirring paddles on both sides of the slide to keep the vise from chewing up the slide itself. Easy does it and it'll probably take a few tries, and a couple "hmmms" along the way. When you feel you've 'got it right', your local gunsmith and/or gun store should have a laser bore sight for you to double check that your sights are 'dead on'. As long as you haven't filed the bejesus out of the whole thing, if it's 'not quite right', you can have another go at it.

Thanks for the feedback OKFC05 & Rangel. I called the GS where I bought the M&P and they're going to install the sights free of charge. They said because I bought the gun there & because it was a Fathers Day gift from my sons, they'll do it gratis. This is so typical of my LGS - Beikirchs in East Rochester. They are the best!!!

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Ed

That's cool ESM,

I'd like to think that the better shops extend such courtesy routinely, but they don't. I do business with Mission Essential Firearms in Savannah and Hinesville and they treat their customers the same way and it keeps me coming back. They can't match on-line prices a lot of the time, but I will still try to buy there when we can 'meet in the middle' even with the added tax bite. They send after market work like sights out to the same gunsmith I use, so for that kind of stuff, I just go direct to the gunsmith--same price, but a bit quicker and I usually learn a bit more from the smithy himself.

You have a sweet gun there and I'm sure those sights will be like 'icing on the cake'! It's nice to add something to a gun that's not only functional, but makes it look a bit distinctive, setting it apart from the thousands of others out there. Different grip scales or various grip gloves & adhesive grip materials are an inexpensive way to add your own 'personal touch' without necessarily giving it the "I pimped my ride" look.

Thanks, Rangel. Sights are getting put on slide today. Can't wait to pick it up tomorrow! I don't know how much more "pimping" I'll do, but I like the idea!!

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Ed