What size Allen wrench for rear sight adjustment?

[bmwproboi05]

I had a problem getting mine out due to tollerance in machining i guess. None of my 1/16 I had work. Husky, craftsman, dewalt, etc. Ended up just taking the hole top off took the barrel out and wen to ace to find one that fit. I tried 6 different ones before one actualy fitted...

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I have good (not cheap) allen (hex) wrenches in various styles including ball-end and case-hardened and they all fit loose in the screw on my M&P Pro. The loose fit and red Loctite from the factory is a problem. I knew that if I just applied brute force I would strip out the screw. I used a propane soldering iron with a tip that just fit into the hex on the screw and heated it up. It came out without any problem when I got it hot enough.

I ordered new screws and they have the same loose fit as the factory.

1/16" is the correct size but be careful and don't strip the nut.

Wow. Red Loctite on that screw from the factory? Unbelievable! (I believe you.) That's insane. There is absolutely no acceptable reason to put red Loctite on that screw. Period.

 

[epj]

Very little need for the set screw at all. Once the screw is out, the journey has just begun.

 

[Rastoff]

Wow. Red Loctite on that screw from the factory? Unbelievable! (I believe you.) That's insane. There is absolutely no acceptable reason to put red Loctite on that screw. Period.

There is some kind of red something on the screw, but I don't believe it's LocTite. The screw on my .45 came loose without much effort and no heat. That wouldn't be possible if it were red LocTite.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Very little need for the set screw at all. Once the screw is out, the journey has just begun.

Damned good point.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

FWIW, the ones on my M&P 22s had blue loctite on them. I haven't seen any sign of any on my other M&Ps. Of course, YMMV.

 

[epj]

I took the set screw out of my Shield prior to attempting to remove it. It wouldn't budge until I applied heat. I put some penetrating oil down the screw hole and used one of my JMT sight pushers to remove the sight. It's important to use some penetrating oil and let it sit for a little while. Longer is better. The Shield sights are tight, but not any tighter than most 3rd generation S&W autos. Biggest problem is that they have little surface area for a pusher to engage. I developed a special push pin for the JMT pusher just for the Shield. Other brands like MGW that pull on the sight rather than push, must have a Shield specific slide bar to fully engage the Shield sight. I went a different route, utilizing a push pin that sits on the second ledge of the sight. It would be better if it were dead on the bottom, but the second "step" works better in the long haul.

 

[curlysir]

There is some kind of red something on the screw, but I don't believe it's LocTite. The screw on my .45 came loose without much effort and no heat. That wouldn't be possible if it were red LocTite.

There was something red visible on the screw on mine. The screw would not budge until I got it very hot, then it came right out with minimal effort. Acted just like red LocTite.

 

[epj]

Agreed. If it wasn't red Loctite, it was a damn good imitation.

 

[steveac1]

1/16. I purchased replacement screws and the wrench at Speed Shooters. The original screw and 1/16 wrench was sloppy and I worried about stripping it.

 

[Rastoff]

Agreed. If it wasn't red Loctite, it was a damn good imitation.

Maybe mine was just poorly applied. My set screw came loose easily and the sight was easy to move. I guess my .45 is unique in this respect.

 

[curlysir]

I'm not a BIG fan of single purpose tool kits but this may be something handy to have, if you don't have the tools and want to ensure you have the right tool for the M&P. IF the tools are a decent quality, it's not INSANELY priced

Smith & Wesson® Armorer Tool : Cabela's

FYI: I bought this kit from Amazon and the hex wrench in my kit is a 1.5 mm as near as I can tell. It measures .058" and 1.47 mm, for sure it is not 1/16 in. The punches appear to be ok.

 

[smokindog]

So are you saying it's not worth the $$ and this isn't quite true?

Smith & Wesson's professional-quality, universal Armorer Tool comes with a variety of punches, pins and wrenches to simplify your gunsmithing tasks. All the tools are contained in the center chamber of the tool and are simple to swap. The tool includes a 1/16" Allen wrench; 1/8" and 1/16" roll-tip and flat-tip punch pins; a slave pin; 1/16" and 1/8" brass flat-tip punch pins; 1/8" brass roll-tip punch pin; 1/32", 1/16" and 1/8" cut-tip punch pins. The tool is secured in a MOLLE-compatible sheath.
​

FYI: I bought this kit from Amazon and the hex wrench in my kit is a 1.5 mm as near as I can tell. It measures .058" and 1.47 mm, for sure it is not 1/16 in. The punches appear to be ok.

 

[Rastoff]

FYI: I bought this kit from Amazon and the hex wrench in my kit is a 1.5 mm as near as I can tell. It measures .058" and 1.47 mm, for sure it is not 1/16 in. The punches appear to be ok.

Let's see, you bought a $35 tool and the allen wrench is off by about .004" and this surprises you?

This is not uncommon with these tiny wrenches. Sometimes they are just made too small or big. You want precision, you need to spend more money.

 

[curlysir]

Let's see, you bought a $35 tool and the allen wrench is off by about .004" and this surprises you?

This is not uncommon with these tiny wrenches. Sometimes they are just made too small or big. You want precision, you need to spend more money.

I was just posting information on what I found. The free hex tools I have got with my night sights fit better then this. The hex tool is supposed to be 1/16" but it spins freely in the set screw.

 

[curlysir]

So are you saying it's not worth the $$ and this isn't quite true?

Smith & Wesson's professional-quality, universal Armorer Tool comes with a variety of punches, pins and wrenches to simplify your gunsmithing tasks. All the tools are contained in the center chamber of the tool and are simple to swap. The tool includes a 1/16" Allen wrench; 1/8" and 1/16" roll-tip and flat-tip punch pins; a slave pin; 1/16" and 1/8" brass flat-tip punch pins; 1/8" brass roll-tip punch pin; 1/32", 1/16" and 1/8" cut-tip punch pins. The tool is secured in a MOLLE-compatible sheath.
​

All I am saying is that the 1/16" allen wrench in my Armorer Tool is not 1/16", more likely 1.5 mm. Worth $35? I don't know. The rest of the tools appear to be ok. I don't know that I would want to use it to knock out a real tight pin.

 

[Shield44]

If you have a pic of your sight removal tool setup it would be appreciated....

I took the set screw out of my Shield prior to attempting to remove it. It wouldn't budge until I applied heat. I put some penetrating oil down the screw hole and used one of my JMT sight pushers to remove the sight. It's important to use some penetrating oil and let it sit for a little while. Longer is better. The Shield sights are tight, but not any tighter than most 3rd generation S&W autos. Biggest problem is that they have little surface area for a pusher to engage. I developed a special push pin for the JMT pusher just for the Shield. Other brands like MGW that pull on the sight rather than push, must have a Shield specific slide bar to fully engage the Shield sight. I went a different route, utilizing a push pin that sits on the second ledge of the sight. It would be better if it were dead on the bottom, but the second "step" works better in the long haul.

 

[bobelk99]

You want precision, you need to spend more money.

I am pretty new here, but I have found your posts to be informative and well though out.

That said: What source would you recommend for 'tools' that are true to size (precision)?

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Even if you have a perfect wrench, variances in the hex in the set screws purchased in bulk by the thousands are going to ofset the wrench anyway. At the end of the day, it's a **** shoot. Find something tight (Metric or SAE) and take the dingin' set screw out.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Really?? LMAO