Inusuit
Member
My LGS installs sights for free if I buy from them. Their prices for sights are lower than most retail vendors.
install a sight for $75
- Thread starter shotgunda
- Start date
my lgs was about 25 dollars higher then I got it for which was no big deal as long as they installed it. They were in fact running an M&P promotion with typical crappy prices and the rep from S&W there. Okay fine I picked out a sight and told them it was for a Shield forty fi. They told me we have the slide installer for a 9 but not he 45.( ie not a universal sight tool or they did not know what they were doing) They told me they have this great armor they use who is very reasonable it turned out he wanted 80 to install the sights. I personally do not find that reasonable. The minimum charge for the guy I went to was 40 but he took approximately a half hour to do it while I watched. I think it was worth the 40 the sights have tritium capsules and banging them in was not a particularly good idea. They were really in very tight and again I think it was a smart decision not to diy. YMMV but for me I did'nt want to spend 75 -80 bucks to buy a sight installer for a one off job. I suppose I could have sold it here or on another board for probably half but the hassle factor was high and i had sold some older hobby stuff for a bunch of cash anyway.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
I suspect that the OP has experienced a "minimum shop charge". Gunsmiths, like other small business owners, have a considerable investment (tools, equipment, inventory) and fixed operating expenses (licensing, taxes, utilities, rent, insurance, etc) necessary to keep the doors open.
A good smith I have used for several years charges a base labor rate of $50 per hour, and one hour is his minimum shop charge.
Our HVAC contractor charges a minimum $65 for a service call, which may include minor servicing such as adjustments, etc.
A plumber we have used several times bills his time at $90 per hour, and he gets a lot of work done in an hour or less.
I recently needed some auto body and paint work done. Big sign in the shop advised customers that the base labor rate was $75 per hour. I received a very good result that was within the insurance adjustment amount.
Before I retired I lived in a 2400 sq. ft. home with forced air gas furnace and central air conditioning, and my business was run in a 500 sq. ft. shop building with gas furnace and AC. Utility bills for the shop were always more than my house because commercial accounts are billed at much higher rates than residential accounts.
Not a cheap world to live in these days.
A good smith I have used for several years charges a base labor rate of $50 per hour, and one hour is his minimum shop charge.
Our HVAC contractor charges a minimum $65 for a service call, which may include minor servicing such as adjustments, etc.
A plumber we have used several times bills his time at $90 per hour, and he gets a lot of work done in an hour or less.
I recently needed some auto body and paint work done. Big sign in the shop advised customers that the base labor rate was $75 per hour. I received a very good result that was within the insurance adjustment amount.
Before I retired I lived in a 2400 sq. ft. home with forced air gas furnace and central air conditioning, and my business was run in a 500 sq. ft. shop building with gas furnace and AC. Utility bills for the shop were always more than my house because commercial accounts are billed at much higher rates than residential accounts.
Not a cheap world to live in these days.
yes exactly and I had no problem with the minimum charge as I could not do this particular job without incurring tool expenses which were not justified plus I found a good local smith I will use again as needed. It is funny though I was watching him try to put the rear sight from lef to right and he was having trouble with the action pin on the right sideof the gun. I hesitantly told him that I did not want to tell him how to do it but the rear sight dove tail was not unidirectional and the youtube videos said it was easier to go right to left. He did not get bent and it was easier the other way. I am a retired MD and you sometimes blanch a the Dr.s bill you paid me for knowing how to do it quickly and correctly not for the time I am quite okay with the minimum charge for anyone, still think minimum charge of 80 was a bit much though, as long as you are not limited to one person its okay to ask around politely
Last edited:
mckenney99
Member
Can't answer WHY they are so tight from the factory, however replacement sights, to be installed properly, need to be carefully fitted to the individual dovetail. The male dovetail on most replacement sights are slightly over sized to allow them to be fitted to each individual sight dovetail cut. Dovetail cuts will vary, even with CNC machines, due to tool wear and even slide variances cause tolerance stacking. Yes most sights can be forced into the dovetail, but it's just not the proper way to do the job.
I don't know of any mass market guns that have hand fitted sights. Identical sights are grabbed out of a bin, and driven into identical slides.
That is correct. Utilizing something on the order of a 25-30 ton press. And folks wonder why they are sometimes so difficult to remove. There is no excuse for sights to be that tight. A light interference fit, yes. 30 tons worth, not so much.
And make sure the pusher works/fits each gun.
Not all pushers "fit" all guns. The vise/punch/
hammer method, on the other hand, does.
After I started using fixed sight pistols more and more, I found that a sight pusher helped me replace sights, i.e. suppressor height sights. I actually use it much more to make windage adjustments to the front sight when sighting in the pistols. For me, the sight pusher turned out to be a good investment.
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