I have a P229 and want to replace the sights with XS Big Dot sights. I have a lyman Accusight Allignment Tool. I can't get the rear sight to move (I haven't tried the front sight, yet).

I put some Kroil oil on the sight, let it sit for 15 minutes and placed the slide into the sight pusher. After checking to see that I would be pushing on the sight and not the slide I commenced to twist the handle. The sight won't move.

I'm not in the "Need a bigger hammer" mode with my amateur gunsmithing. I've watched a number of YouTube videos and this seems to be an easy process.

Any suggestions on how to go forward?

Thanks for your help.

Most are easy but some can be stuck and take a lot to get them moving and will make a popping or cracking sound when they release.

I'm not familiar with your style of sight pusher but I have always used the MGW type pushers that hold by the rails and push on the sight.

I have never had a factory sight break on me. Good luck!

The Lyman tool looks pretty robust and is similar to the MGW, so I would think it’s up to the job. Some SIG sights are very tight, and it’s just a matter of brute force. I would let the Kroil work for longer than 15 minutes, though. Heating the slide by the sight might help, but you’d have to avoid overdoing it. I don’t know what might work safely other than, perhaps, a heat gun.

I'd try putting the slide in the freezer rather than heating it.

You sight pusher is similar to mine by Wheeler. Make sure you have oiled the sight pusher before use. I would first try freezing the slide. If that does not do it and the sight is still too tight I use a 6" hollow steel bar slid over the sight pusher handle to add leverage as I turn it. Works every time.

Do you guys think it matters. If I push from the left or right? I've tried each way without success. I was thinking about using a cheater bar to increase my leverage, but I'm afraid I'll damage the slide.

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabibill:
Do you guys think it matters. If I push from the left or right? I've tried each way without success. I was thinking about using a cheater bar to increase my leverage, but I'm afraid I'll damage the slide.

Technically, removal direction should not matter, however, I suggest removing them opposite to the way they were installed. So remove them from right to left. You will damage the tool before the slide, although I can't speak for the Lyman. I have only used the MGW 307 which holds the slide by the rails.

The sight pusher crowd won't want to hear this...but.

I use hammer/punch for all my sight installations. If you have the following available, this will work...unless it's welded in.

1) Need heavy bench vise on heavy bench.

2) Drift punch. Ideally, nylon/brass.

3) Medium size hammer, preferably ball peen.

Tape/protect the vise with tape or something. Should be a substantial vise mounted on a reasonably heavy bench. Put slide in vise and tighten firmly. Place RH side of slide away from you. Sight direction, per prior post, is right to left.

Start with nylon punch. Stabilize punch with free hand near where it contacts the sight. Tap towards you. Be careful. Don't flail with heavy hits. Use sharp, decisive, moderate hits. Try a few times. See if anything moves. If no movement at all, change to brass.

Put piece of masking tape on face of brass punch. Repeat as above.

If you have the equipment, rear sight removal is baby stuff. Unless you're a total klutz, there is no real risk of damaging anything. Take it slowly and feel/observe what is happening.

The heavy vise/bench is critical, since any movement will screw up the process. Once the sight initially breaks loose, you can finish the removal with the sight pusher if desired. The advantage of this is the initial quick/sharp blow that breaks the sight loose from the dovetail. The pusher gradually applies pressure and may break if pushed past its limit.

I use a Wheeler and if I load it up as tight as it will go by hand and it doesn't move I use a nylon punch and smack the driver to pop it loose.

My 365 took that method the entire way for both sights.
I cranked and smacked it more times than I cared to and replaced the hardware on the tool after that one.

I've done everything I have the courage to do. In the freezer, heat gun, whack-a-mole with my special SIG FORUM Shooboy hammer, and I replaced the hand knob of my sight alignment tool with a nine inch wrench, locked it into my vise... Nada.

Maybe God wants me to keep those sights on the gun. This didn't seem like it would be this much of an ordeal when I decided new sights would improve the gun.

Cooling the slide by putting it in a freezer causes the metal to contract, to include reducing the size of the dovetail cut for the sight. Heating does the opposite: it expands the size of the slide, and that increases the size of the cut, thereby putting less pressure on the sight. That may seem counterintuitive and that the expansion should reduce the size of the cut, but it’s true.

For a demonstration of something similar, see the below video (skip to about 1:00 to see the demonstration).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVIwjAkv0Oc

The video also demonstrates that if a metal ring is cooled, the hole in the middle becomes smaller; the same thing would happen to the sight cut dovetail on the slide if put in a freezer.

If the slide could be heated enough without also heating the sight, sooner or later it would loosen up. The problem, of course, is to avoid heating the sight and to not damage something in the process.

Added: If you’re going to try the punch and hammer method, I recommend reading the post by Nipper. It will require much more force than the little gunsmith hammer is likely to provide. As I recall, Chris Orndorff also recommends the hammer and punch method for stubborn sights.

Added, part deux: MGW specifically warns against doing anything to increase the turning power of their sight tool, such as using a longer rod or other method like putting a wrench on the screw, so be careful with yours.

I was sitting in my home office and my wife asked, 'What's wrong?". "That damn SIG! I can't get the sights off". "Why don't you take it to a gunsmith?", she asks me.

Well, after beating on the sight with a ball peen hammer and breaking a brass punch I finally realized a man has to know his limitations. I looked up a gunsmith (it was 6:30 pm), called and he answered.

I went to his shop this afternoon. In 20 minutes he had removed the old sights and installed the new ones, which seem to be great. Peace has been restored to the kingdom.

He used an MGW tool and it moved the sight without much trouble. Obviously, the Lyman tool isn't suited for sights that are recalcitrant.

I really appreciate the advice you provided to me. Thanks!!

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabibill:
I was sitting in my home office and my wife asked, 'What's wrong?". "That damn SIG! I can't get the sights off". "Why don't you take it to a gunsmith?", she asks me.

Well, after beating on the sight with a ball peen hammer and breaking a brass punch I finally realized a man has to know his limitations. I looked up a gunsmith (it was 6:30 pm), called and he answered.

I went to his shop this afternoon. In 20 minutes he had removed the old sights and installed the new ones, which seem to be great. Peace has been restored to the kingdom.

He used an MGW tool and it moved the sight without much trouble. Obviously, the Lyman tool isn't suited for sights that are recalcitrant.

I really appreciate the advice you provided to me. Thanks!!

I have the MGW device have had it long enough to loan it out many many times. Anyway, they really want to be lubed, really really want to be. I tell users of it that half of the ones I take off make the good awful that makes you sure you broke something. hasn’t yet that I know of. I have to replace maybe three sight sets on my Sigs and it will be the same way. Hopefully, I won’t have to go to reflex sights like the romeo on all of them. We shall see.