Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Drifting a Rear Sight

Up until now I have found it easy enough to drift rear sights with a brass punch without hitting it too terribly hard. Unfortunately I now have a CZ85 and an M&P which refuse to budge. Yes I've checked for and removed the set screw, but no-go unless I pound on them more than I'm comfortable with. Any suggestions on how to move them other than buying a sight-pusher I'll never use again or paying a gunsmith more than that cost?

tia

I've used the hammer & punch method for decades. Some of the Euro guns can be obstinate. I put the slide in a padded drill press vise and in the worst cases, spray them with nut-buster and play a propane torch over them. Think I ruined one rear sight in 44 years- but they all moved.

Maybe put some Kroil on it and let it set overnight.

Then put the slide in a padded vise, and use some card stock or similar to pad between the sight and punch.

M&P's are known to be fitted tight, peened, welded and then staked in place.

Well maybe not to that extent, but they are usually very tight. I bought a cheap universal sight pusher after gouging a sight in a Shield. Luckily I was changing them anyway.

Does it have a right to left or left to right orientation? Just an FYI, I have put a spent .22 rimfire over the end of a steel punch and used that to keep from damaging the sight. The extra surface area can be a good thing too.

You'll probably use that sight pusher a lot more than you think.

If nothing else, take it to the range and charge people $5 per gun to help them get zeroed.


Okie John

Those CZs sometimes have VERY tightly fitted rear sights that take a lot of force to move. When they are that tight, they definitely come out easier in one direction than the other; if you look closely you may be able to tell which end of the sight went in first; push it back out in the reverse direction.

When they are that tight, you may just bend/break your sight tool. Mounting the slide very solidly in a good vise and using a flat punch and large hammer is what I prefer.

Sakoluvr, "I have put a spent .22 rimfire over the end of a steel punch", that's a great idea. Wish I thought it, definitely going to use it . Thanks

Think those are bad...try and move Kimber sights...they are put in with a hydraulic press... Tried to replace the front sight on a ProCarry and ended up having to send it back to the factory...

I have had this one for about 10 years and it has done an excellent job on everything I have tried it on...usually use it a half dozen times a year but a valuable piece of kit...

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...p500-universal-sight-tool-prod17840.aspx

This is what I had to do to move an immovable front sight on a Winchester 1885. I used Liquid Wrench and let it sit for several hours, that did the trick. Kroil is probably better but any kind of penetrating oil like that will definitely help.

Thought I'd follow up on this. I (1) soaked the sights in Liquid Wrench for about 5 days, (2) put a .380 case on a steel punch as Sakoluvr suggested and (3) got a bigger hammer. Worked great! The rear sights didn't move easily, but they did move.

Thanks everyone.