Rear Sight Dovetail Issue.

[palmetto99]

All, I recently acquired a lightly used Beretta 92D Centurion. It was left to me by a family member. The former owner had installed an LPA adjustable rear sight. When I first picked up the pistol to inspect it, I noticed the LPA sight was a bit loose side to side, but I found an allen key and was able to tighten the set screw and figured I would check it out later when I had the time.
I was also able to locate the original packaging for the LPA adjustable rear sight and in it was the original factory rear sight. I figured it was an easy replacement.
Once I had the time to take the pistol to the work bench, I loosened the set screw on the LPA sight and could almost slide it out of the sight cut by hand. An easy tap with a rubber mallet was all it took.
I then took the original factory rear sight and went to slide it into the dove tail. It passed right through. Like a train through a tunnel.
It appears that whoever installed the LPA adjustable sight had taken a file to the rear sight dove tail and not the sight.
What are my options to be able to get a new sight to fit in the oversized rear sight dove tail? Thanks for your time.

 

[chief38]

Sorry to hear someone has cut the original sized dovetail (Bubba ?). The easiest way to remedy the situation is to make a steel shim to fit in between the sight and the dovetail that was widened. If you get it properly sized it should hold securely. Blue it prior to installation.

 

[chief38]

BTW all sights are not the same dimensions. As a second but more expensive option, you could measure the new opening and try to find one that is the correct height and will fit. Shimming as I suggested above will work id done properly.

 

[Drm50]

If it were me, I would use brass shim stock cut slightly shorter than the dovetail cut on frame. I would suppose you are going to be dealing with something less than .015" so no need to worry about blue. The softer brass will tend to grab, steel will tend to travel out opposite side while driving sight in.

 

[cndrdk]

If the dovetail space is not to excessive, I have taken sights that are slightly undersized and with a spring loaded punch make several divots on underside of sight. You can also make several divots inside the dovetail on pistol if you want to.

 

[Protocall_Design]

If the sight is still a fairly close fit, you can clean the sight and dovetail with solvent, and use green bearing retainer Loctite. Get the sight where you want it before the Loctite sets, let it cure for a day, and it will stay there till you drift it out with a punch and hammer.

 

[1sailor]

I used red loctite on a loose front sight. It was loose enough that it fell out while I was shooting. I thought it was just going to be a temporary fix. It's been a few years now and still no problem. I may just be lucky though.

 

[Drm50]

Whatever one does to fix minor issues with any gun, do not do any further damage to the gun itself. Shims, lo title, epoxies can be removed at later date. Putting punch marks or staking with chisel are there to stay.
If the angle of dovetail hasn't been ruined a shim flat on bottom of dovetail slot is all you need. As you increase thickness of the shim you decrease the width of the dovetail slot.

 

[WR Moore]

Depending upon how oversize the dovetail is, and it doesn't take much at all to have a jitterbugging sight, there's another way. I expect whoever installed the sight didn't know what they were doing.

A time tested way, assuming the oversize isn't excessive, is to gently peen the top of the rear of the dovetail. This will drive the material forward & down and allow the slight to be properly retained. This is a tap and try system and usually doesn't take much. As the sight is driven in, the slide metal is pushed back to where it started out.

As noted above a shim under the slight can also work wonders, but it depends upon how loose the original sight is in the modified dovetail.

 

[palmetto99]

Thanks for your inputs. I think I have a path forward.