[proximo]

I recently purchased a set of Heinie night sights to replace the stock sights on a Kimber Pro CDP. As best I can tell, the stock Kimber sights have been glued on with Loc-tite and refuse to budge even when using a sight pusher (and, yes, I've removed the set screw which is how I could tell loc-tite had been used). I'm curious if anyone has had to remove Kimber sights before and has any suggestions? I know that heat will defeat the loc-tite but I'm afraid of heating them with a torch and damaging the tritium capsules. It also appears that the sight pusher, which pushes on the rear of the sight a good 1/3" behind the dovetail, may be causing the sight to twist in the dovetail rather than slip out. I'm hoping somewith with experience can help me avoid damaging these sites removing them. Thanks.

 

[Hilton Yam]

The MGW sight pusher is very strong and great for moving rear sights. When I did my Kimber, I stuck the slide in a vice and hammer the sights out with drift punches. The front sights are often trashed b/c of their very tight fit and low engagement area for punches. I used a steel punch to get enough bite -- brass and aluminum punches just dented themselves. My rear sight didn't even have an allen screw, it was in so tight. Have some dovetail files handy, as the Heinies will need fitting to get into the slide.

 

[mike357]

i just removed the sights from my goldmatch, i used a padded vise and a piece of 1 1/2 inch diameter teflon roundstock and a 3lb deadblow hammer.i used the teflon as the punch and beat on it with the hammer. they were definately put there to stay. but after i "talked" to them awhile they came out unscathed and i'll be able to reuse them once i'm ready to go back in with them.

 

[proximo]

Thanks guys. I defintely don't want to damage these sights because I plan to re-use them in a Custom Classic. I've taken a half-hearted stab at knocking them out with a nylon punch but they really don't want to budge. I'm using an MGW sight pusher, which only works on the rear sight anyway, and it won't budge the thing. I pushed that thing till it seemed something was going to break and it still wouldn't move. I may try throwing the slide in the freezer, then heating it slowly to see if I can get the it to expand and loosen the dovetail slot a bit.

 

[Hilton Yam]

mike357:
where'd you get the teflon stock? MSC has all sorts of stock, but I don't need a 6-8' section of it. It would seem that round stock of G10, polycarbonate, or some other superhard, nonmarring synthetic would make a fabulous set of sight drift punches.

 

[mike357]

hilton, i got my teflon from where i work, i generally go thru their scrap pile and find stuff such as this.
teflon works great, but you can "cut it up" pretty easily by hitting edgey things such as sights.
polycarbonate would probably be too brittle to do any good.
nylon would probably work ok.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mike357 on 2001-09-09 01:44 ]</font>

 

[Steve Morrison]

I have been told the Kimber sights are installed with a hydraulic press. The fit can be extremely tight.

Try a judicious application of heat and/or freezing them. Sometimes they just will not come out and you have to cut them out. I know people who have broken their sight pushers trying to get the sights out.

 

[Dane Burns]

I know people who have broken their sight pushers trying to get the sights out.

So do I :grin:

Now I lock 'em in the vice and they get heat first. Then it on to a brass punch and a good brass hammer. haven't had to cut one, YET.

 

[proximo]

Dane, how and where do you apply the heat?

My thinking right now is to freeze the whole slide so the sights and slide are very cold then apply heat to the area of the slide near the dovetail with the hopes that that area will expand before the sights do thereby loosening the sights. I don't know if that will work or not.

 

[Shay]

I just took a set off yesterday. the rear was easy but the front broke the tip off my brass punch. then i went to a steel punch for revenge and moved the sob out.

at least you now the sights will never come out by accident :smile:

shay

 

[Dane Burns]

I put MAP gas right on the sight dovetail from the top. You'll kill nite sights doing that but I seldom care about the sights I am removing....something worth thinking about!