Removing old Ameriglo sight from a G43 slide is becoming a real challenge. Any tips?

whatnickname

whatnickname

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I’ve got a G43 Glock with an old Ameriglo front sight that is burned out. Having a heck of a time getting the old front sight off. The hex bolt will not turn loose. Heated it with a soldering iron and a match and it still won’t turn loose. I’ve held the soldering iron on it until that end of the slide became uncomfortable to touch…still can’t break the screw. What’s the solution here? Heat it longer? Drill it out from the top down or bottom up? Recommendations would be appreciate.
 
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A lot of aftermarket sights like XS use a screw to take up the slack and then use something like Loctite blue to lock it in place. Check for a small hex set screw or two in the top. My general method is to clamp the slide in a vice (use rubber) and use a delrin punch to drive from right to left. I'm assuming you're talking about a rear sight as the front has a hex bolt that holds it in from underneath.
 
whatnickname said:
I’ve got a G43 Glock with an old Ameriglo sight that is burned out. Having a heck of a time getting the old front sight off. Heated it with a soldering iron and a match and it still won’t turn loose. I’ve held the soldering iron on it until that end of the slide became uncomfortable to touch…still can’t break the screw. What’s the solution here? Heat it longer? Drill it out from the top down or bottom up? Recommendations would be appreciate.
Click to expand...
Do you have a small socket or nut driver sized to fit the front sight screw? If I remember, it has a hex head…
 
whatnickname said:
I’ve held the soldering iron on it until that end of the slide became uncomfortable to touch
Click to expand...
If thread lock is your problem, that's not hot enough. I'd avoid flame unless it's a last resort, but get it hotter with your iron.

Also, my ultimate appeal for stuck threads, just before a grinder or drill, is torch and Kroil to quench the sizzling, repeatedly. You boil the Kroil down into the thread, and defeat most any thread lock or corrosion.
 
Clamp the sight blade in your bench top vice. Use your special screw driver on the nut.

I have one like this:


This one looks like you might be able to put a socket wrench on it:


Not sure why amazon links aren't showing? Screen shots:

OK
Front sight tool.JPG

Better
Hiviz Glock Sight Tool.JPG
 
Being as the hex nut head is typically quite thin, I believe you could drill it off. You might try this:

Use a marking punch to put a small indent directly in the middle of the nut. Drill in maybe 1/16" to 3/32" deep with a small bit. Then use progressively larger bits until the hex head pops off and the sight comes loose.

If you have a similar front sight spare and can measure the screw diameter, you'll have a good idea what sized bit to start with.

Edit: I should probably have said "bolt" rather than "nut", but I think you guys all understand what I meant.
 
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Sorry, didn’t catch front sight. Must have been installed with LocTite.

I keep a small butane torch on my bench that gives a pencil point blue flame. You can pick them up in craft stores and hardwares. I would focus on the base of the sight To try and get the female thread to open up a hair.

A heat gun might work.

I’d try my MAP gas torch on the sight.

Buggering the hex would be bad news.
 
RE my above post - resist the temptation to grab the slide and turn it. I buggered the front sight hole on an aftermarket Glock slide doing that.
 

Contact Us | AMERIGLO.com

Contact the team at AMERIGLO® for your self-defense night sights and red dot sights needs.
ameriglo.com ameriglo.com

May want to have a conversation w/ Ameriglo. If that sight is aluminum alloy and LocTite Red was used, that's almost a permanent lock. .
 
drobs said:
I buggered the front sight hole on an aftermarket Glock slide doing that.
Click to expand...

I've seen reports of poor/no heat treat on some of the aftermarker Glock slides. Never had an issue snapping off an old sight on a 1911. I've done it on one genuine Glock slide with a seized sight.
 
Sorry to be so late in replying…had some unexpected health issues.
I finally called Ameriglo. Interesting conversation. He recommended getting a thin-wall 3/16” socket. Rather than trying to unscrew the wafer thin bolt underneath the front sight, he told me to tighten down on it to break the bolt. Said they make that sight and bolt out of soft metal for that very reason.

He also said that he didn’t recommend this next procedure to anyone, but, on his pistols he clamps the slide in a padded jaw vise, attaches a set of vise-grip pliers to the front sight and rocks it back and forth (longitudinally) to shear the head of the bolt holding the front sight on. Said the metal in the slide is much harder than their sights.

I went with the second method and it worked just fine. Just grab the sight up high enough to where you aren’t digging into the slide with the pliers. Popped the screw right off and installed a set of XS Big Dot sights. These sights are not intended for precision target shooting, but then neither is my G43 Glock. My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. These sights are 10X easier for me to pick up.

033CBF5C-1582-4C24-B82A-4483A97CC100.jpeg
 
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whatnickname said:
Sorry to be so late in replying…had some unexpected health issues.
I finally called Ameriglo. Interesting conversation. He recommended getting a thin-wall 3/16” socket. Rather than trying to unscrew the wafer thin bolt underneath the front sight, he told me to tighten down on it to break the bolt. Said they make that sight and bolt out of soft metal for that very reason.

He also said that he didn’t recommend this next procedure to anyone, but, on his pistols he clamps the slide in a padded jaw vise, attaches a set of vise-grip pliers to the front sight and rocks it back and forth (longitudinally) to shear the head of the bolt holding the front sight on. Said the metal in the slide is much harder than their sights.

I went with the second method and it worked just fine. Just grab the sight up high enough to where you aren’t digging into the slide with the pliers. Popped the screw right off and installed a set of XS Big Dot sights. These sights are not intended for precision target shooting, but then neither is my G43 Glock. My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. These sights are 10X easier for me to pick up.

View attachment 1169732
Click to expand...
I knew of the vise grip trick but was afraid to recommend it to you. Glad it worked!
 
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0
drband said:
I knew of the vise grip truck but was afraid to recommend it to you. Glad it worked!
Click to expand...

i had already started to booger up the head of the bolt with my sight installation wrench. The Vise-grip method was a calculated risk. I just went slow and took my time.
 
whatnickname said:
Sorry to be so late in replying…had some unexpected health issues.
I finally called Ameriglo. Interesting conversation. He recommended getting a thin-wall 3/16” socket. Rather than trying to unscrew the wafer thin bolt underneath the front sight, he told me to tighten down on it to break the bolt. Said they make that sight and bolt out of soft metal for that very reason.

He also said that he didn’t recommend this next procedure to anyone, but, on his pistols he clamps the slide in a padded jaw vise, attaches a set of vise-grip pliers to the front sight and rocks it back and forth (longitudinally) to shear the head of the bolt holding the front sight on. Said the metal in the slide is much harder than their sights.

I went with the second method and it worked just fine. Just grab the sight up high enough to where you aren’t digging into the slide with the pliers. Popped the screw right off and installed a set of XS Big Dot sights. These sights are not intended for precision target shooting, but then neither is my G43 Glock. My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. These sights are 10X easier for me to pick up.

View attachment 1169732
Click to expand...
Thanks for that follow u! Appreciated.
 
whatnickname said:
I finally called Ameriglo. Interesting conversation. He recommended getting a thin-wall 3/16” socket. Rather than trying to unscrew the wafer thin bolt underneath the front sight, he told me to tighten down on it to break the bolt. Said they make that sight and bolt out of soft metal for that very reason.

He also said that he didn’t recommend this next procedure to anyone, but, on his pistols he clamps the slide in a padded jaw vise, attaches a set of vise-grip pliers to the front sight and rocks it back and forth (longitudinally) to shear the head of the bolt holding the front sight on. Said the metal in the slide is much harder than their sights.
Click to expand...

Wow! I was just about to order a set of Ameriglos, looks like it's time to do a rethink on that!
 
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