Interchangeable Front Sight Smithing

[gr7070]

The pin on my "new" 627 is only seated in one side of the hole. It misses the other side by a hair - light comes through that side and shines into the sight cavity. I'm unable to move the pin at all to line it up.

Are there any techniques I should try? Something beyond pushing on it hard from the top slot (where the sight would be placed into). Brute force isn't working. Atleast not by hand. I haven't tried a small hammer or anything beyond hand pressure on a punch.

I haven't shot it yet so I have no idea if it'll vibrate out. The original owner only shot about 100 rounds through it so it hasn't had to hold up against plenty of use.

It seems to hold the sight in still as intended.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Edited August 16, 2011 by gr7070

[Toolguy]

You will need a small hammer and punch to move it. Remove the front sight first to make it easier to line up the pin. When the pin is in place it should be flush or a little below flush with both sides of the barrel. If it's flush on one side and not reaching the other side, it is too short and needs to be replaced.

[gr7070]

Thanks Toolguy!

The pin looks like the right length. It sticks out a decent amount on the other side and is just touching the inside wall of the sight cavity; so the pin looks right.

I assume you guys use a "gun vice" to do this kind of work. I'll play a little more to see if I can make it work. If not I'll use it as is for now, and may send it out at some point if the sight comes off.

The pin misses the hole to the rear less than the full width of the pin. So the pin sits behind hole. It takes some effort getting the sight in and out; not sure if that slightly smaller length due to the pin misplacement makes it just a bit tougher or not.

Edited August 16, 2011 by gr7070

[Toolguy]

In that case, it sounds like the pin is bent. Punch it out with a pin punch and straighten it. Then it should go back through both holes with no problem. While you have it out, shorten it a little with a file or grinder, then once it's back in place, stake the hole openings with a center punch to keep it in. You can hold the barrel in a sturdy bench vise using leather or a folded up shop rag to keep the jaws from marking the barrel.

[gr7070]

The pin is offset just slightly. I do suspect you are correct that it is bent. The pin is all the way against the frame, and it lets light in through the pin hole, so it definitely is not lined up perfectly with the hole. It is a small amount of offset, I'll take a closer look at it - once I get a punch small enough; my smallest is just a hair too big to remove it.

Thanks again for the help!