Sight Installation
How we install sights
Tools
Using the rights tools is essential to doing the right job. We use a professional grade sight mover made by Maryland Gun Works called the Sight-Pro. This tool utilizes a unique clamping shoe that uses the rails on the slide to clamp it in place. A white nylon spacer block is used to lock the slide in place and 4 side pads help support the slide. Addition nylon spacers are placed along the slide to prevent any damage to the slides finish. The sight mover also has interchangeable movers that are designed for various sights such as angled, straight or low profile. The bottom of the tool is cut so it can be places in a bench vise for additional support.
Dovetail Sights
Most firearms have what is called a dovetail cut which is the type of cut used to install most sights. This cut has been used in woodworking for thousands of years because it is known to be one of the strongest joints. The cut gets its name because it looks similar to a dove’s fan shaped tail. Firearm manufactures adopted this design to firmly secure their sights and it has become the industry standard. Special tooling is required in order to install these sights properly. Taking a hammer and a metal punch is a good way to damage your sights or worse, your slide. By using a sight mover, this damage can be avoided. The sight mover uses constant force and moves in a parallel direction of the cut. This assures the sight will be installed correctly. Usually the sights are made from a softer metal so when installed, the sight will lose excess material to ensure a precise fit. This process is known as a press fit.
Fitting
Now most sights are plug-n-play but some manufactures require fitting of their sights. Trying to install these sights by simply using the sight mover can damage the sights or the dovetail on the slide. These sights are oversized intentionally for tolerance variations or for precision fitting. Filing is required to remove most of the excess material but not all of it. As stated before, dovetail sights are a press fit so some excess material is required. Removal of too much material will result in a lose sight that will not secure properly to the dovetail. Using adhesive is not the correct way to fix the lose sight, the sight must be replaced. Having a professional gunsmith fit your sights will avoid any headaches. The gunsmith will file the sight down carefully until the sight has a proper fit to the dovetail.
Staking
Staking is a method used to attach sights to some handguns. More commonly used in the 1911 platform, staking is used to affix the sight to the slide. The sight fits into a hole cut into the slide then staked to the slide. The staking process utilizes a punch or special tool in order to deform the boss (staking point) on the sight so it can enlarge and affix to the slide. Once the boss has been enlarged by deformation, any excess material is removed by filing or grinding. This process ensures a permanent fix to the sight. This process is recommended to be performed by a professional gunsmith to prevent any damage to the slide or sight.