Drifting a Sight

[DanTheFarmer]

Good Evening,

I believe I will need to adjust the rear sight on my R51. It is "drift adjustable". I've read that term many times but haven't done it myself.

I do have a cheap tool kit with a variety of punches and mallets, some of which are non-marring.

Any advise before I start whacking away?

Thanks.

Dan

 

[Bama59]

Cover the wacking area with masking tape and use a brass punch with a heavy hammer

 

[drband]

The most important point is to secure the slide in a real vise with non-marring jaws. If the slide is not secure, all the whacking will produce is a mangled slide and sight!

 

[250-3000]

Mark a line on the sight and slide with a pencil so you can tell if it moved, and how much, shoot and adjust from there. Don't have to move much to make a big difference with a short sight radius.

 

[Mk VII]

+1 on that. I found white paint or typing correction fluid worked well.

 

[chicharrones]

Does that R51 have the rear sight with the small allen set screw to hold it in place? If so, it will probably just push over once the set screw is loosened.

 

[kemikos]

Does that R51 have the rear sight with the small allen set screw to hold it in place? If so, it will probably just push over once the set screw is loosened.

But make sure you make your witness mark before you loosen the set screw...

 

[AZAndy]

A basic inexpensive bench block is what I use for that. After I got it, I wondered how I'd ever lived without it. It's a really handy tool. I take it to the range with me, fire a couple from an impromptu rest, remove slide, tap tap tap, fire a couple more to check, and repeat until right.

Here's a strange but true story: I replaced the front sight on a Ruger 1911 a few months ago and went to the range with the block and hammer and punch to do my thing, but it was already perfect. I'd just done it by eye, no marking or measuring or anything. Whenever something unlucky happens, I remember that I used up several year's worth of good fortune in that one event.

 

[ClemY]

Brownell's has a number of sight adjustment tools that let you make adjustments without using a hammer.

 

[Ramone]

Brownell's has a number of sight adjustment tools that let you make adjustments without using a hammer.

I'm a bit uncomfortable whacking a firearm with a hammer, so the few times I've drifted a sight, I've used a C clamp and a small bolt for a spacer/punch. Worked for me, your milage may vary.

 

[Chuck R.]

I used the hammer method for years, till I finally broke down and bought a dedicated sight pusher, I won't go back to a hammer/punch.

Problem was, my eye and hammer whacks weren't quite calibrated enough to get the sight where it needed to be. I use a B&J Machine universal sight pusher, but it's expensive at over $300. It does ever pistol I own (17), both front and rear sights. With addition to the guys at work I've installed 50 or 60 sights with it. I take it to the range and zero pistols while shooting.

There are cheaper options, especially when you get into the dedicated pusher for 1 pistol. Right now Midway has the Wheeler Engineering Universal pusher on sale right now for $139.99, and it's gotten some good reviews:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...ng-armorers-front-and-rear-handgun-sight-tool

Chuck

 

[Milt1]

I used the hammer method for years, till I finally broke down and bought a dedicated sight pusher, I won't go back to a hammer/punch.

Problem was, my eye and hammer whacks weren't quite calibrated enough to get the sight where it needed to be. I use a B&J Machine universal sight pusher, but it's expensive at over $300. It does ever pistol I own (17), both front and rear sights. With addition to the guys at work I've installed 50 or 60 sights with it. I take it to the range and zero pistols while shooting.

There are cheaper options, especially when you get into the dedicated pusher for 1 pistol. Right now Midway has the Wheeler Engineering Universal pusher on sale right now for $139.99, and it's gotten some good reviews:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...ng-armorers-front-and-rear-handgun-sight-tool

Chuck

Springfield XD owners, you need to read the reviews on the Wheeler before you purchase!

 

[JohnKSa]

Some sights are easy to drift, some sights are hard to drift. The harder they are to drift, the more chance of damaging something in the process.

When it comes to moving sights, I've done it both ways and I like sight pushers a lot more than hammers.

 

[maint1517]

Definitely make a witness mark, and use something that wont easily come off. I reblued my m43 firestar. Made a small witness mark using a silver grease pencil. When I did my reassembly, the mark was gone! What a PITA! Still don't have it sighted like it was before

 

[d2wing]

I like a sight pusher better.

 

[RA40]

I have the Wheeler pusher V2 version and it works well. There are going to be some slides that the sights are very tough to work with. The Browning MkIII is one I have yet to make any progress on, has been oiled, smacked with a punch-hammer, nada. No experience on a Springfield which has been mentioned.