JusticeOfToren Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 The Dawson front sight on my S2 and Limited Pro are both loose. They can slide back and forth and wobble by 1/2 mm as far as I can tell. However, due to the set screw they have not come off the slide totally so far after about 20k rounds. I have called Dawson and they told me it's normal due to the manufacturing variance of these Tanfo guns. I asked about oversize front sight but Dawson has no plan to make oversized sights for Tanfo. So far I have tried these: - Green loctite between the sight and the slide in the initial install - Red loctite on the set screw (this seems to be holding well) - Super glue into the gap between the sight and frame (becomes loose again after about 500 rounds or so) I was told by Dawson that the problem with green loctite and super glue is that when you keep shooting the gun without letting it cool down a bit in between, the slide becomes rather hot and they lose effectiveness. Does anyone have any suggestions to secure their Dawson front sights permanently? Has anyone switched to other sights, Extreme, Henning, etc? Do they hold tighter? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaep1911 Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I had the same problem and tried many potential solutions to no avail. I have eventually switched it to Henning's. So far so good. The Henning's required quite a lot of filing to fit the sight but it was worth the time. It has a larger set screw which is secured against the metal, instead of through the hole. It stays tight with a red loctite and preload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-Money Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 The Dawson sight has the set screw in the wrong place, and it is too small. My Dawson sights on my Stock 2s have problems like the OP is experiencing. One was so loose that I got some aluminum sheeting from a Coke can and used that to shim and take up some of the space in the set screw hole on the slide. That sight is solid, the one I haven't done it to is not but I am considering replacing both with Henning sights down the road. Oddly, a Dawson fits very tight on my Stock 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryridesmotox Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Mine did it as well. I use vibratite on my Odin Works AR barrel nuts, it's a 2 piece but system. The receiver threads get aeroshell, the nut/nut (get your minds out of the gutter) gets vibratite. An AR barrel gets WAY hotter than our tanfos. I beat on my ARs like they owe me money. To that end, I took some extra vibratite and filled the screw hole, and the dovetail. Slid the sight on, with the screw out. Let set for half an hour, doesn't even need set screw, tightened set screw anyways. Try that and see if it helps you. Vibratite cures almost like a rubber. So it's not a thread locker. Its more like, putting a silicon or something in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbu Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) Guns are the variation. Two dawsons pealed metal going in and (shock!) they are still tight. Another was a slip fit and it loosens. Locktite 294 is good to 450F. But like many, are dissolved by brake cleaner etc. Edited January 29, 2017 by johnbu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polymer Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I use red loctite for front sight. Then where the dimple is in the slide for the set screw, i stacked a couple pieces i cut from used primers to fit that hole. Now the set screw digs into that instead of the large hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tt350z Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 My Dawson was always loose in my limited custom xtreme. I could slide mine all the way back with just finger pressure. No amount of loctite would keep it from coming loose. I just used some smooth parallel jaw pliers to mushroom the dovetail a smidge. This time I had to use a soft faced hammer to tap it in place. It hasn't come loose since then. So that was my fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 (edited) 9 hours ago, johnbu said: ... But like many, are dissolved by brake cleaner etc. I clean my guns with brake cleaner. Let it also be known that it dissolves the fiber optic element itself. I discovered that the hard way when getting into IDPA with my Glock 34. Wet a rag down and scrub the slide around the front sight, and you won't have issues with dim fragile green inserts, or dissolved loctite. Edited January 30, 2017 by MemphisMechanic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronArcher Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 I filled in the original set screw hole with some epoxy putty. Then the tiny set screw Dawson gives you has something to hit. That and some green Loctite have held for going on 500-7000 rounds. still like a rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 My gun was actually properly machined with no hole under the setscrew. I guess I got off easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-Money Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 2 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said: My gun was actually properly machined with no hole under the setscrew. I guess I got off easy. One of my Stock 2s (older one) had the hole all the way through the slide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JusticeOfToren Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Same here. It's my match gun. I did not see any problems though. Shoots well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JusticeOfToren Posted February 26, 2017 Author Share Posted February 26, 2017 What is the best way to remove the Dawson set screw that is on with red loctite? I bought the henning front sight to try. Would heat gun 550 degrees work without damaging the slide? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryridesmotox Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 (edited) Soak it in Hoppes9 or brake cleaner, or similar solvent. Then heat it. That little set screw will strip out really easy if you try to force anything. Or you could do it like the BOLO and just hog it out Edited February 26, 2017 by ryridesmotox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 You're not going to hurt the slide by putting it in an oven around 225 degrees, if you decide to go that route. It's all steel, no plastic. I cerakote steel firearm parts regularly, and that's roughly the temperature they get baked at in order to cure the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JusticeOfToren Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 I soaked the front portion of the slide including the sight in a bowl of hoppes9 for few hours. Then I blew it with heat gun on high setting for 5 min. I used a kitchen digital thermometer to see how hot it was. Around 350 degrees on the sight itself. Tried with the tiny thin Allen wrench Dawson provided but after ruining 2 of them, which got twisted easily, the screw still would not turn a single bit. The screw did not strip. It held as tight as when I started. I heard that when red loctite cures it forms air tight surface between the threads. Maybe liquid cannot even each the chemical? I probably will just leave it like this until maybe the vibration gets it loose... Hopefully not in a match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryridesmotox Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Try something stronger then... You probably need to let it go for a day or 2. I this illustrates why I don't loctite threads on small fasteners. That's why most people locktite the interface of the slide and the sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryridesmotox Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Try repeated heat and solvent cycles to get the solvent to draw into the joint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniperboy Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Been there. Use a butane torch and directly heat the set screw. Don't force anything because once you strip the screw head then you will have no choice but to take a drill to hog it out carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCTaylor Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Funny thing, I was thinking about loctite on a trigger over travel screw during my drive home last night. I was worried about the exact condition you're dealing with. Light bulb went off in my head, did it years ago for boat motors.... Put the allen wrench in the screw, heat the allen wrench with minimal heat input to the slide, this will apply indirect heat directly to the screw. With how small the allen wrench is, might be smart to grab a sacrificial wrench or two from Harbor Freight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skelt11 Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Has anyone ever tried Rockset? Heat cures it and it can come off fairly easily with soaking it for a few hours. Pretty standard for muzzle breaks which take a beating. I've also run it on a few areas of some of my suppressors that have come loose on me while firing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbu Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 9 hours ago, JusticeOfToren said: I soaked the front portion of the slide including the sight in a bowl of hoppes9 for few hours. Then I blew it with heat gun on high setting for 5 min. I used a kitchen digital thermometer to see how hot it was. Around 350 degrees on the sight itself. MINIMUM release temperature is 500F. And needs to be held at or above that for minute. Best result is unscrewing it while it is above 500F. 350 is nothing to locktite red. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JusticeOfToren Posted February 28, 2017 Author Share Posted February 28, 2017 I begin to think the wobbling sight may not be a problem after all (except for my OCD), probably will last through the slide's lifetime. Already 20k+ through it. Maybe I should just drip some more red loctite into the small gaps between the slide and the sight to cure my OCD... Or, is J-B cold weld stronger for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JusticeOfToren Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 I finally got the red loctite loosened up at around 500 degrees. Putting on the henning sight, I realized the set screw in the henning, though huge compared to Dawson set screw, does not align to the hole in the frame. I called and learned that the set screw on the henning is only meant to touch the frame and hold by friction, not actually go into the hole.I am debating whether to fill the hole with JB cold weld then put the Dawson back in, or use the henning... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniperboy Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 My condolences. If I were in your shoes I would be in a corner crying by now. ..after I threw the pistol (unloaded) against the wall. Admittedly I have wanted to do that on more than one occasion. Have you considered drilling a new hole/divot? At least for the new set screw to lock into. Might salvage what last bit of dignity you have after all the pain and effort you went through. : O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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