Wanted night sights on my P320, soon to be others. Amazon had the Wheeler sight tool for $25 off.....

Bought some trijicon HD XR sights for Sig 600866 (says includes P320)

Front sight will not go in correctly - it got scratched/gouged & seems to be bent. Although it might have had that bend from the beginning, when I was looking at it before pushing, it didn't look perfectly perpendicular, but I thought it was just my eyeball.

The stock sight pushed out fine (L to R, as you aim the gun). I tried to push the new sight L to R as well.
1. It didn't seem to slide in by hand as far as the stock sight. It is ever so slightly thicker than the stock front sight (vertically)
2. I might have had the pusher up slightly higher than when removing the stock sight. You have to re-adjust when you re-seat the top clamp & I didn't notice that the push bar raises slightly as you tighten. That could have been my problem, BUT I pushed the factory sight back in with no problems with the same height (didn't remove the upper clamp when I tried that) so I don't think so.

1. Could this be the wrong sight? Are there similar dovetails that are not compatible? The markings are some type of picto, then "H3" (tritium?) & "18" (mfg year?)
2. The front sight is slightly taller than the stock (stock is #6)
3. Rear sight went out & in fine, also L->R.
4. Did I do something wrong? I've watched a few videos & don't think so, but I've never done this before. If I made a $100 mistake, so be it, but I don't think so. Driving a dovetail isn't rocket science.

Not sure about figment, but if you push a sight out L to R, then the new one needs to go in the opposite direction, R to L.

Not that it matters since you already removed it, but SIG sights should be removed R->L, and be installed L->R. It's documented in the armorers manuals. Also, there is sometimes a slight bevel on the leading edge (right edge) of the new sight which helps you push it part way in before using the pusher, so try L->R for install.

It also may be that the new sight needs some slight fitting, as in a VERY small amount of material removed from the bottom, to help it seat prior to pushing it in.

Try R->L installation first.

quote:

Originally posted by beltfed21:
Not sure about figment, but if you push a sight out L to R, then the new one needs to go in the opposite direction, R to L.

I strongly disagree. Some sights are even chamfered on the leading edge, so they must go in from the left side.

quote:

Originally posted by beltfed21:
Not sure about figment, but if you push a sight out L to R, then the new one needs to go in the opposite direction, R to L.

Reason? Not doubting, just want to file that tidbit of knowledge away for future reference.

quote:

Originally posted by stoic-one:
Not that it matters since you already removed it, but SIG sights should be removed R->L, and be installed L->R. It's documented in the armorers manuals. Also, there is sometimes a slight bevel on the leading edge (right edge) of the new sight which helps you push it part way in before using the pusher, so try L->R for install.

It also may be that the new sight needs some slight fitting, as in a VERY small amount of material removed from the bottom, to help it seat prior to pushing it in.

Try R->L installation first.

Could be my problem. The stock sight slides in so that the post is flush with the side of the slide, either way (L/R or R/L). The Trijicon will slide that far R->L, but will only barely go in L-R by hand. When I did the L->R, I probably bent it or made it worse.

new sight is visibly bent now, so if there was a mfg issue, my ham-fisted trials this morning to see if I could get it to go have hidden that.
$100 lesson learned (maybe).

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:

quote:

Originally posted by beltfed21:
Not sure about figment, but if you push a sight out L to R, then the new one needs to go in the opposite direction, R to L.

Reason? Not doubting, just want to file that tidbit of knowledge away for future reference.

Don't bother, it's actually specified in the armorers manual. R->L removal, L->R install.

I believe, if you look very closely at the slot, it has a slight angle to it. Most do. And if the manual says.......

Regardless of which side you removed the old sight, you are inserting the new one from the left, as recommended (FWIW, I installed my HD XR's on my 229 L -> R also). If your sight pusher doesn't push at the base of the sight blade, you have the potential to place torque on the blade and cause a bend in the sight base. I did this once with a MGW sight tool and a Dawson fiber optic that I hadn't taken enough material off of. I noticed it early in the install process, and was able to back it out, straighten it, and get it in straight after removing a little more off the base.

If your sight is starting to bend, it may need to be fitted (remove some material) before you get it in easily.

Yes you probably bent it. The XD’s are easy to bend if you don’t get the pusher very low on the blade. As for Dawson FO sights they actually tell you to never use a pusher. They send an aluminum dovetail block and you are supposed to “fit”the front sight and then drive it with supplied block and hammer.

Don't feel bad. I mangled a set of Dawson's trying to get them into my 320. The whole "fitting" concept hadn't dawned on me and I was just trying to push them right in.

It was so easy with the Glock....

Thankfully the slide is much harder steel and it just cost me a set of sights that I got off the forum for $50.

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:

quote:

Originally posted by beltfed21:
Not sure about figment, but if you push a sight out L to R, then the new one needs to go in the opposite direction, R to L.

Reason? Not doubting, just want to file that tidbit of knowledge away for future reference.

Because the sight was pushed out from L to R and in doing so it works the sight channel ever so slightly. It’s like threading a bolt... one way off, opposite way on.

Sig rifles always required R to L off, but that was because the front sight grove was tapered. I’ve never heard of or seen such a requirement for the pistol sights. But if the manual says that is the way to do it, then that must be right.... manuals are never wrong.

Don’t feel bad. I destroyed the front sight of a set of Ameriglo Hack sights. The rear went in just fine but the front bent as I was trying to push it in. I’ve replaced a lot of sights with the hammer and punch method without issues but using a pusher and this particular sight didn’t work out so hot even though I tried fitting it. The flange on the new sight bent so I tried tried to straighten it in a vise and “SNAP” followed by copious use of the F-word. This was totally my bad since apparently the front dovetails on the 320 are pretty tight and I should have done a better job fitting the new sight before shoving it in. Sight pushers can exert so much force on a small area that you have to be really careful when using one.

Anyway, it wasn’t all bad since the original front went back in with no issues and I left the plain all black rear Hack sight in place. I’m actually liking the tritium front with the all black wide channeled black rear.

Got it done, but had a little bit of a problem with the replacement. Knew what to look for, so didn't try to force it.

I think the 1st front sight had a burr or was too think - it wouldn't go in the L side of the channel very far by hand & I didn't know any better than to just try & press it in.
1. The 2nd went as far as the stock sight by hand.
2. Tapped the sight in with a hammer flush to the slide, per the (now deleted) comment above.
3. The sight tool started twisting the sight right away, similar to what the 1st sight did but not as bad. I stopped.
4. Polished the finish off the bottom of the sight, don't really think this did anything, but made me feel better.
5. Tapped the sight in a bit with a brass punch, with a little english to push the sight down into the dovetail. marred the sight a bit, but don't care. Only went about 1/8-3/16", then the pusher moved it relatively easily.

I'm always amazed at myself forgetting that how it 'should work' isn't the same as 'does work'. I deal with that shit everyday as a quality engineer, maybe I just block it out.

quote:

Originally posted by Berg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWOSYaf8tlY

that sight in the video is way to loose for me.

First time I replace the sights on a P226, I screwed it up, with a borrowed pusher from another member. Fixed eventually when I had it refinished with new sights put on professionally from a well regarded member here. When I did 2 P2000SKs, pushed them out L>R, then installed R<L, all was well with both pistols. I don’t think the front sight dovetails on either are meant to be pushed out past the R>L position...

Please clarify for me: remove right to left and install left to right is that while looking from the rear of the gun?

quote:

Originally posted by Stroonz:
Please clarify for me: remove right to left and install left to right is that while looking from the rear of the gun?

Yes. Normal terminology for “left” and “right” of a gun is when holding and looking at it as a shooter would.

And there is an old myth that that dovetails for sights are sometimes tapered, i.e., they are wider on the end that the sight is inserted into and narrower at the other end. Think about that for a second or two, and we realize that would mean the sight would go in loose and easy, but then stop, and no left/right adjustment of the sight position would be possible.