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Rear and Front Sight Drift Tool

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Mistered
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Re: Rear and Front Sight Drift Tool

Post by Mistered » Mon Sep 23, 2019 3:19 pm

Something is very wrong here.
I have never had a sight, front or rear I could not remove and I have removed and installed many. Some have been very tight and rusted but I have never had one I could not remove.
Did you have the barrel in the vise jaws centered on the sight you were trying to remove (I hope so) and were you tapping from the left TO the right to try remove it?
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roddy
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Re: Rear and Front Sight Drift Tool

Post by roddy » Mon Sep 23, 2019 3:21 pm

I use a piece of 5/16" aluminum rod and a hammer. Sometimes, you just have to hit them harder. Any marks that the aluminum leaves on the sight or barrel can be wiped off with bore solvent (the same goes for brass punches).
I do have the Williams sight pusher tool, but it is intended for front sights that are on a ramp, or in a raised portion of the barrel, like a 10/22. Using it on a sight that is dovetailed directly into the barrel won't work well, and may chew up your barrel.

Don't forget...sight adjustments are opposite front to rear...to move the POI right, move the rear sight right, and/or the front sight left.

It sounds like Cooper has noticed, but others may not have...the rear sight on the H015 is windage adjustable via a screw. I would make sure the front sight is centered first, then revisit the rear one. Don't be afraid to give it a little more than a tap...just make sure to use a 'punch' made of a softer material than your barrel/sight. UHMW plastics, aluminum, and brass all work good. I picked up a 3' length of aluminum rod at Home Depot for next to nothing, and cut off a 6" piece to use as a punch. If I ever lose it, there's 5 more in that chunk of rod...
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Re: Rear and Front Sight Drift Tool

Post by The Wiz » Mon Sep 23, 2019 5:16 pm

welcome to the site, Cooper!
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Cooper
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Re: Rear and Front Sight Drift Tool

Post by Cooper » Tue Sep 24, 2019 2:17 pm

Yes, for the most part I had the barrel in the vise, which is why I removed the barrel from the receiver. I did not remove the forearm from the barrel. I did not clamp onto the wood during the process. And yes, I did strike them from the left going to the right, since that was the direction I needed to go.

--Cooper

Mistered wrote:
Mon Sep 23, 2019 3:19 pm
Something is very wrong here.
I have never had a sight, front or rear I could not remove and I have removed and installed many. Some have been very tight and rusted but I have never had one I could not remove.
Did you have the barrel in the vise jaws centered on the sight you were trying to remove (I hope so) and were you tapping from the left TO the right to try remove it?
0 x

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Cooper
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Re: Rear and Front Sight Drift Tool

Post by Cooper » Tue Sep 24, 2019 2:21 pm

Thanks for the info that the Williams Sight tool is for ramped sights. I did not catch that in my research. I saw one on Ebay that I almost bought. I don't understand why there are so many pistol sight pushers but none for rifles. A drifting tool such as this would be perfect for gradually moving the sight instead of knocking it all the way out.

I will try and track down a UHMW rod. Though my punch kit does have some plastic punches that might be UHMW.

--Cooper


roddy wrote:
Mon Sep 23, 2019 3:21 pm
I use a piece of 5/16" aluminum rod and a hammer. Sometimes, you just have to hit them harder. Any marks that the aluminum leaves on the sight or barrel can be wiped off with bore solvent (the same goes for brass punches).
I do have the Williams sight pusher tool, but it is intended for front sights that are on a ramp, or in a raised portion of the barrel, like a 10/22. Using it on a sight that is dovetailed directly into the barrel won't work well, and may chew up your barrel.

Don't forget...sight adjustments are opposite front to rear...to move the POI right, move the rear sight right, and/or the front sight left.

It sounds like Cooper has noticed, but others may not have...the rear sight on the H015 is windage adjustable via a screw. I would make sure the front sight is centered first, then revisit the rear one. Don't be afraid to give it a little more than a tap...just make sure to use a 'punch' made of a softer material than your barrel/sight. UHMW plastics, aluminum, and brass all work good. I picked up a 3' length of aluminum rod at Home Depot for next to nothing, and cut off a 6" piece to use as a punch. If I ever lose it, there's 5 more in that chunk of rod...
0 x

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Cooper
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Re: Rear and Front Sight Drift Tool

Post by Cooper » Tue Sep 24, 2019 3:56 pm

Update...The rifle sights are now much better. The drifting attempts with the punches appear to have moved either the front or the rear a small amount and now my bullets are striking more on the vertical axis of the bullseye, with a good number of bullets in the bullseye.

Thanks again everyone for helping me through this.

Still wish it was easier to adjust and less violent...
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