Sight Adjusting Tool

[flatnose]

Any suggestions for a front sight adjusting/pushing tool that will work for round, octagonal and ramp front sights for M71 etc.
I was looking for something other than a hammer and punch.

[Chuck 100 yd]

Mine only works on ramps. I have never heard of one that will work on barrels of different configurations. Well, yes I have, a vice,hammer and drift. Sorry !

I glue pieces of leather to plywood vice jaw protectors to prevent damage to barrels and use brass drifts ground to the best shape to fit the dovetail base of the sight and be sure to use enough hammer. Pounding the stuff out of it with a tiny hammer just causes mistakes and damage.

[AJMD429]

I've 'made' various ones using a ViceGrip as the force, by using appropriate size shims and so on so one jaw of the ViceGrip pushes on the sight base or barrel, and the other on the sight itself. The great force of the ViceGrip combined with the controllability allows good incremental movement.

[Pete44ru]

Any suggestions for a front sight adjusting/pushing tool that will work for round, octagonal and ramp front sights for M71 etc.
I was looking for something other than a hammer and punch.

I'm with Chuck - I've never heard of a commercially available sight pusher for sights set directly in a barrel dovetail, but mayhaps one of the tools touted for 1911 slides might work (IDK).

I would suggest googling "1911 sight pusher", as there are many different ones available.

I bought a Williams (ramp) Sight Pusher over 30 years ago, and it's paid me back many times over by not fudging up sights or ramps ( I'm constantly switching out issue sights for something I like better, like fiber-optic sights).





BTW, there's nothing wrong with using a hammer & drift (NOT a punch), provided they are used properly - clamp the barrel near the sight in the padded jaws of a bench vise, use a non-marring (brass) drift pin, use a heavy hammer (not as heavy as a sledge, however), and hit the drift pin like it owes your money.


.

[flatnose]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The williams pusher would work on the ramp sights.
I managed to swap out the sight on my 1886 octagon last night. I fitted a Lyman globe front sight. Lost my brass drift, so I used a few168hpbt bullets as makeshift drifts, and a lead hammer. New sight was too tight, so I ended up sanding a couple of thou off the sight base. Tight fit and no damage to fingers. All is good, and hopefully the new sights will help my poor vision.

[marlinman93]

I was admiring this one on Ebay, and thinking I could easily make something similar (or buy this one) and make it work on all sorts of guns. Need to put some leather on the clamping part to protect the barrel, but it looks like it could work with all sorts of guns. I'd probably use a finer threaded bolt if I made it, so precise sight pushing would be easier.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Handgun-Sight-P ... xyUfFTk6xt

[.45colt]

AJMD429 wrote "I've 'made' various ones using a ViceGrip as the force, by using appropriate size shims and so on so one jaw of the ViceGrip pushes on the sight base or barrel, and the other on the sight itself. The great force of the ViceGrip combined with the controllability allows good incremental movement "........ Thanks for posting that Doc, the light bulb sure was bright when it went on in My Head. .