I know there are a lot of sight pushers out there in varying price ranges. I am currently looking at getting an MGW Rangemaster. It's not really a sound investment as I'm not sure how often I will change sights, but I do want the ability to change sights myself without messing them up (see my "Is This Sight Fixable?" thread).

Almost all (except Fisher X2 and certain Jennings models) of the sigh pusher tools, including the ones from Maryland Gun Works, push on the sight itself and not the dovetail or base. It would make sense to me that pushing directly on the dovetail would give you mechanical advantage and make moving the sight easier.

So are there any other high quality tools that push on the dovetail base?

Again, a cheap pusher works fine IF set up properly. Like this one, that pushes the BASE of the sight if set up properly.

https://sightpusher.com/product/stan...un-sight-tool/


Or, if you have too much $ and want to get rid of it quickly, then: B & J MACHINE P500 PRO UNIVERSAL SIGHT TOOL | Brownells

Try a penetrating oil such as PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench the nite before....

I put a small strip of business card, etc., between the pusher "foot" and the sight.

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

The problem with those cheap sight pushers is that they don't come with protective surfaces. You either have to mess with masking take and cardboard or plastic. It makes the whole process more tedious. Good sight pushers come with Delrin protective tips.

That B&J Sight Pusher gets mixed reviews from what I've seen so I'm not really convinced it's the "best" but I have no experience with it.

The secret to the install is not the sight pusher, but to properly prep the sight base prior to attempting to insert it in the slide dovetail. Every sight I've ever installed, particularly the "aftermarket" ones, has been too big..... oversized to the point where it would not install and fit properly.

Attempting to push (force) the new, oversized sights into the slide dovetail without pre-fitting results in damage, either to the gun or the sight itself, or both. Pre-fitting requires removal of some material from the base of the new sight. Sometimes, removal of a small amount of material from the bottom contact surface of the sight is enough.

A solid friction fit is all that is required for the sight base to stay put once it is installed. If you are concerned about perceived inadequate final tension on the sight itself, a little blue loctite can be added prior to installation.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

B&J Machine P500 Pro

I've read a lot about that thing breaking though so it concerns me.

I bought the Universal Handgun sight tool at Amazon for about 50 bucks. Works like a charm.

No protection for the gun so you have to use cardboard, plastic or tape between the tool and the gun. I don't wanna be bothered with that. Even the NcStar pusher has protection on the surfaces.

I have had a Williams for years and it works fine.

Having owned and used the B&J 500 Pro sight tool and the MGW Pro sight tool, there is no comparison. The MGW Pro tool is top of the line and expensive. I have invested in at least 8 "shoes" and 3 different pusher blocks for the MGW Pro and I haven't found a sight yet that I couldn't remove or install after proper prep work. If you only intend to do a couple sights then you would be money ahead to just find someone with the proper tools and experience to do your sights. If you are going to do a bunch of different sights then the MGW is an excellent investment. One of the pusher blocks has a single narrow extension "tooth" on each side that is just narrow enough to fit through most front sight dovetail cuts allowing you to actually push on the sight base and avoid "canting" the sight as you experienced. It does take time to properly set up the tool to get the best results and I also have found that an overnight soaking with "Kroil" helps tremendously for removal of difficult sights. Also as mention by others here, most replacement sights do require some degree of individual fitting to avoid undue distortion of the sights. Also, I always start new sights straight into the dovetail by GENTLY tapping with a brass or delrin punch. I have never gotten satisfactory results using the B&J 500 Pro tool and consider it a waste of good money.

User error.
I've used it with fantastic results. Wouldn't use any other pusher on an M&P.

When it comes to bang for the buck, the Jennings Machine Mk lll is hard to beat. I know, shameless plug.

I started with one similar to the one pictured in the video...front sights on my M&Ps all laughed at it.

recycled that, and found a used M.G.W. on ebay.

learned about the Jennings machine after buying the mgw (sorry epj...I suck.)

This one has worked great for me. And yes, I use green masking tape to protect the parts. The trouble is worth it to me..

I have used this pusher on Sigs and CZs without issue.

Like others have said prep and fitting is key. I also use a dab of blue loc-tite under the new sights. I use a NC Star pusher that has worked fine on my Glocks and 1911s. I'm not saying it's the best, but it does a great job. It retails for $40-$50 on Amazon and come with a case and extras.

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