Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger #1 front sight question

When you depress the plunger on a Ruger #1 front sight, should it just slide out easily or do you still need to tap it - and does it need a hard tap or just a light one?

I got my new #1S .30-06 last night and am thinking I might replace the front sight. I tried to remove it but just pressing the plunger didn't seem to work so I figured to ask here before screwing something up.

I have a Lipseys limited run Ruger Hawkeye RSI with open sights,
The front sight is snug just tap it it will come out.

A drop of Kroil might help a bit. Be sure the plunger stays below flush while you tap! The sight on a 1S I had was stuck, but after it let go, it moved freely thereafter.

Jim, the only one I've removed was pretty darned tight. Carefully used a brass punch and tiny hammer to remove it without damage.

Replaced it with a larger bead from NECG and it was pretty tight going in.

Thanks to all for the info, I was able to get it started out. That's something that really needs three hands - depressing the plunger with one tiny punch and then using another one to lightly tap out the sight. I only got it moving far enough to see what it takes and then gently tapped it back in place.

Another question - if a taller sight is needed I may just get a Ruger replacement since I believe they have different heights for different calibers. The manual only shows one part number but has anybody called Ruger to get a different height sight and if so, what code words did you use to get what you needed?

Many years ago when I had to replace a few Blackhawk front sights the customer service lady knew just what I was talking about and got the correct height for me, but nowadays it seems the folks on the line have minimal product specific knowledge.

NECG sells a variety of front sights, white bead, gold bead, fiber optic, etc. I put a red fiber optic on my .458, tgether with a NECG rear peep sight, and it worked well.

I believe most measure the height of the sight from the bottom of the dovetail to the top of the bead, so if you measure yours, you have a baseline for ordering a replacement.

The NECG sights are very nice, if a bit pricey, and they have a true Sourdough which combines a flat top and a shiny aiming point.

I recently ordered a few goodies from Willams Gunsight for playng around with my new Browning .44. They make an open sight, the WDOS, that slides into the dovetail and tightens up with a setscrew (no hammering). It accepts various blade styles and heigths. One blade I ordered is actually an aperature with two tiny fiber-optic dots at 3 and 6 o'clock, which will line up with a bright front bead pretty well, fiber-optic or not. The dots are very subdued, not at all like some you see. The sight picture is very nice and easy to align. I'm going to wring out the various combos at the range to see what flies. Once the base is installed, blade changes and adjustments require only a fine-bladed screwdriver.

I also ordered a shallow, British-style v-blade, but it may be too fuzzy for my old eyes.

I like the NECG Sourdough myself. With a proper square cut rear sight it gives a very crisp, Bomar-like, sight picture. I have my old tang Whelen set up so.

Going to order a NECG for my Ruger RSI what height is the
Ruger factory front sight?

It varies, but it isn't too hard to measure the original while it's still on the rifle.

Measure from the bottom of the dovetail to the top of the sight. Even if it's still installed, you should be able to measure close enough to see where you are now.

If you're going to change the rear sight, add a peep perhaps, the front sight may need to be different in height from the factory one. In that case, try the new rear with the original bead, before you order a new one. The Skinner site has some good info on how to calculate the change needed.