Dovetail sight removal and installation?

[lrrifleman]

Greetings!

I am soon planning on replacing some handgun and rifle sights. To the best of my recollection, there is supposed to be a unique direction for removal and installation, but I forget which way.

In order to remove a dovetailed sight (when looking from the breech) is the sight drifted from the left to the right, or vice versa?

As always, thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Infidel137]

Most U.S. sights go left to right to remove, right to left to install.

At least some European sights go the opposite direction.

Ask the sights' manufacturer.

 

[WR Moore]

Direction can be brand specific. Factory Colt 1911 sights are installed (looking from slide rear) left to right. S&W auto sights are installed right to left.

Rifle? Soak in Kroil, then pick a direction and see if the sight moves.

 

[a5werkes]

Factory Colt 1911 sights are installed (looking from slide rear) left to right.

I guess I will be the first to say it aloud. ^^^That is nonsense. By convention, they are installed from right to left.
The dovetail width is symmetrical.

There is no mechanical reason they could not be installed left to right. But Why?

Unlike, for example Sig sights that by their standard, are indeed installed left-to-right and even have corner chamfer on the base sights to facilitate their insertion into the dovetail.

 

[WR Moore]

OK, all I can say to that is that I changed a lot of 1911 sights and they came out easier to the left. That was the conventional wisdom back in the last century.