So I wanted to remove the rear sight from my new-to-me 3914. The guy on the YouTubes just took the set screw out and whacked it a few times with a plastic mallet.

I followed his example and whacked it many times and couldn't budge it. Put some penetrating oil on it and let it sit for a couple days and tried again with no joy.

Aha, I need one of those sight pusher things. Off to the interwebz to go shopping. Do I really want to spend over a hundred bucks for a tool that I'll use once? Not really.

I found a video by a guy who made his own out of a bunch of C clamps. That's a possibility.

I then came across a few on Amazon for between $20 and $25. So I ordered one. How bad could it be?

It didn't seem badly made but was very fiddly to get set up. Hey, I'm only using this thing once, maybe twice. Start cranking on the handle and the sight doesn't move. Keep cranking, waiting for the sight to move. Things are getting tight and starting to bend but the sight is still in place.

I sent it back for a refund.

I did get the sight to move with a drift, a plastic mallet, and a lock of whacking. Makes me wonder why the sight has a set screw.

I'm about to buy a good sight pusher. Buy once, cry once. I have a relatively cheap one and it was wasted money. I will be ordering an MGW to the tune of $300.

Why you might ask? Well. . . .

I have a Springfield Garrison that shot left by around 5 inches. Not the shooter, I had my buddy take a few shots too. I did my darndest to get the rear sight to move and it may have well been welded in place. Neither my sight pusher or drifts would budge it.

So my pal brought his MGW to the club and we set to work. It turns out Springfield used some locking compound under the sight. No need for the setscrew! Anyway the MGW did the job, but it took a lot of force to do it. We put the MGW in a vice and used a breaker bar. No dings or damage to the slide whatsoever. But the rear sight did come loose with a snap. We moved it over and then it shot to point of aim for both of us.

The MGW sight pusher is beautifully machined and now I have to have one. Like I said, buy once cry once.

Here's my "expensive" sight pusher. A piece of brass bar stock and and a 4 ounce peening hammer. Set me back $10

Well........ that's what the hammer cost in 1980.





Note: if you're installing a new or replacement sight in a factory dovetail, you'll likely have to spend a couple of minutes reducing it's size a bit, so it actually fits the dovetail. Most replacement sights are .010" or more "oversize", which makes installation without a correction a chore.


Carter

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Do you mind if I come over to borrow it? It should only take me a day and a half to get there.

In place of a 4 oz peening hammer or a plastic mallet a REAL mallet. I had to replace a rear sight on my Star Model B, that's what I used. Worked fine.
Overhauled a cottered crank set on of my English 3-speeds, the instructions said it's not tap-tap-tap but WHACK ! WHACK!

You are welcome anytime! Lunch is on you . . .

Penetrating oil, a brass drift, a solidly mounted padded vise, and a BIG hammer.

Hasn't failed me yet.

John

I used to sell tools and am confused by the term "real mallet."

I have plastic mallets, rubber mallets, rawhide mallets, and the quintessential mallet, a wooden mallet. None are imaginary.

There are quite a few available on Amazon priced between $22 and $90. I don't know about the really cheap ones, but I have this one from ATG and it is currently $58. It works fine with no damage to the sight or slide.

The rear sight on my CZ-75 PCR was off to the left just a couple of millimeters. The factory test target also showed the group center off to the left a tiny bit. I loosened the set screw and the sight wouldn't budge with finger pressure. I applied some Kroil, let it sit overnight and then the tool was able to move it the desired amount very easily and precisely. I never mind spending money on a quality tool even if I end up using it only once.

IF I ever wanted to make one, I would get a Harbor Freight 12 inch Handscrew Wood Clamp and drill a hole through one jaw, an inch or so from the tip. The hole would be parallel to the screw handle shafts.
Countersink a nut in your drilled hole then run a long bolt through the nut. You could snug the wooden jaws on the gun then turn your screw to move the sight. Does that make sense?

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When you’re trying to move something stubborn, you don’t want bounce anywhere in the equation. A soft hammer of any type is counterproductive. The more rigid the set-up, the better.

I've done hundreds of sight adjustments and replacements with this one.

Attached Images

TISAS M1911A1 Tanker 25.jpg (134.2 KB, 229 views)

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- Change it back -

I have all sorts of different shaped drifts of nylon, aluminum, brass, steel, etc. I had SIG and Glock sight pushers, and some years ago bought one of the cheap "Universal" sight pushers. Yes, very "fiddly" to set up; for that reason, I don't think I ever used it. Decided to try one of the "Real Avid" sight pushers. OK, this one actually works. The fine threads do allow considerable pressure to be applied to move stubborn dovetailed sights.

I do remove and any set screws, and apply a penetrating oil before attempting to move any dovetail sights. If I have to resort to a steel drift, the sight will likely be damaged. I did encounter a couple fronts so tight, I finally milled them out.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

The "blue" one is from NcSTAR and does work fine on most rear sights: some front sights can be a real challenge, though... I have changed a dozen, or so, sights with ol' Blue.

The relatively expen$ive (as in steel) "yellow" one is from Wheeler... Better, especially on front sights. MGW's is even more.

The knock-off "yellow" ones are usually less than 1/2 the co$t of the Wheeler, but are also made of steel: if all the threads are cleaned up and properly lubricated they work just as well, IMHO. The key is an overnight soak of the sights with a good penetrating oil (I use KROIL).

CHEERS!

P.S. I you REALLY want a challenge, take a shot at the sights on an Springfield XDM Elite! It is almost as if they were welded on!

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Sit Reloader Sentiret

Hilarious!

A brass drift and a tack hammer reside in my range bag and have worked in all situations so far.

I bought a pusher off Ebay for like $35 a few years back. It is made out of Aluminum frame and steel bolts. Has worked for just about everything I have tried it on.

Rosewood

What I wind up using almost all the time is the Wyoming Sight Drifter. Man, and guys at the range love it when I pull the thing out and save their bacon. It's not perfect for everything, but it works for a lot of stuff.
It's a heavy spring with brass ends (I have the two-ended kind): you just sort stretch it out and let it whack the sight in the right place. You can see photos and a video of it here.
Home

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How God has blessed us!

My best (and only) rear sight pusher is a .357 Mag case rim (or any other rimmed case of your choice) and a hammer. No expense and it always works well on the tightest dovetailed sight. I put the gun on a sandbag. I have adjusted a great many rear sights that way. I keep a fairly small hammer in my range bag for that and similar service. But it is larger than a tack hammer.

Interesting. I have a spring loaded nailset that works much the same way.