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Shadow 2 Carry Optics... Front Sight Removal/Grinding Down


rbx

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I just purchased a Shadow 2 Optics and want to remove the front sight.  I read in an old post about grinding it down or cutting off with a Dremel.  It also mentioned that there is no replacement spacer and that the gun should not be used without the sight or some kind of spacer.

 

I am looking for more input before i do anything!

 

All replies are appreciated...

 

Roy

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1 minute ago, rbx said:

I am looking for more input before i do anything!

No one sells a plug for the front sight cut. At around $40. for a front sight what I did was remove the fiber and presto I haven't noticed it once while running around shooting the targets. With CO a shooter needs to be "target focused" and bring the dot to the intended point on the target for the shot. 

I guarantee after a bit of practice you won't even notice the sight.

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Appreciate the reply, but I see no need to anything that might impair my view.  My friend has an RMR on his and it comes 1/2 up in his view!  I am leaning towards cutting if off with a Dremel at this point in time...

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10 minutes ago, rbx said:

I am leaning towards cutting if off with a Dremel at this point in time...

My Shadow 2 was milled by CGW and the SRO is really low. My previous CO gun also had the SRO mounted as low as possible and I removed the front sight, so I too was worried the Shadow sight would be annoying. Didn't want to destroy a $40 sight (of course I milled the slide so really that's pointless) after removing the fiber I can assure you I never noticed the post once. It's a non-issue for me. 

 

However, I have seen people cut it off and file it smooth. I admit visually it looks better that way on the gun.

 

Since guns are personal, make it yours.

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Thanks HesedTech.  I too am going to use an SRO and the wait at CGW is months and I want to shoot it, that Dremel is looking better moment by moment.

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I ground down a regular factory sight on my Shadow 1.  Had it in a small vice, used a cutoff disc for the most of it and the grinder for the rest then put in slide.  I think the Shadow 2 has the same slide cutout, but if you ever need another Shadow 2 front sight probably not hard to find.

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1 hour ago, rbx said:

Appreciate the reply, but I see no need to anything that might impair my view.

 

Have you ever shot a handgun with a red dot sight and standard iron sights?  I don't think you have because if you did you would know this is a non issue

 

You will not see the sights in the optic's field of view unless they're taller than standard.  In any case your focus needs to be on the target, so even if you saw a sight sticking up a little in the lens your brain would ignore it.

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3 minutes ago, Nathanb said:

If you’re target focused you won’t even notice it.  

I completely agree.  Also . . . . Dawson Precision sells fiber optic inserts in both black and white.  Replace your red or green one with one of those, and the front sight is potentially less distracting.  

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1 hour ago, rbx said:

My friend has an RMR with his front site still in place.  It sticks up about half way in the windows, so yes I have shot one.

 

There is no way that front sight you saw is the original one.

 

I have two P-10s (a C and an F), a P-09, a Glock 17, and a Glock 19 all with Trijicon optics and the original sights that came with them.  I can't see the front sight through the optic in any of them.

 

The Shadow 2 is no different.

 

You know what, knock yourself out getting rid of the front sight.  I'm not going to argue with someone who's sum total experience with pistol mounted optics is putting a mag or two through someone else's gun.

Edited by Johnny_Chimpo
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22 minutes ago, Johnny_Chimpo said:

You know what, knock yourself out getting rid of the front sight.  I'm not going to argue with someone who's sum total experience with pistol mounted optics is putting a mag or two through someone else's gun.

You know this comment is really uncalled for. The poster wanted ideas about options and got them. Now it’s up to him to decide how the gun will be set up.  Be civil please. 

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I made plugs from old SP01 front sights I had laying around.  They’re cheap if you want to hang onto the oem front for later.   I use a plate so my optic is up pretty high, but I kept snagging my hand on it and it served no purpose.

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I removed the front sights on both my S2s.


One is a stock slide, and only requires that the front sight pin be replaced because it holds the barrel bushing in place.  Important.

 

The other is an Accu that has the CZC 1911-style barrel bushing which doesn’t require any pin at all.

 

I have no “filler” in the spot where the front sight was previously as it’s purely cosmetic at this point.  I do appreciate not seeing the posts though, as they were clearly visible through my DPP optics (CZC plate mounted).

Edited by fyaman43
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shooting my S2 with out a front sight for over a year.

Ditto on the comment, if your are target focused, you will not notice anything else.

also try occluding the dot, lots of info out there about that technique to become target focused.

 

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My front sight is at the exact same height as the bottom of my Vortex Venom window.

The dot is in the middle. I does not interfere

When I mounted my red dot I also wanted to remove the front post and cut down an old front sight that I had laying around and soon found out that this was a useless action.

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1 hour ago, rbx said:

when I get the adapter plate and mount my SRO...

rbx, mount your dot and go shoot, the best way to figure out what you like. 

 

But, don't forget the "bling." These guns are also personal, so make it look and function the way you want it to.

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I guess I have been pretty lucky. I have been shooting two Shadow 2s and I pulled the front sight off both (replacing the barrel bushing pin) with no issues. Maybe all the carbon and range dirt have been keeping the pin locked into place :D 

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I probably could have managed just fine with a full front sight on my Shadow with a red dot.  But it was rather pointless as well since the slide milling for the optic removed the rear sight, so it wasn't a huge effort to just cut and grind it down.

 

On a Sig P226 with an optic, I'm fine with the tall suppressor height sights that came with it with one modification...they were three white dots and that was distracting as all my irons essentially have blacked-out rears (maybe with tritium vials with they're night sights).  So I filled I the rear black dots with some black paint, and the dot works well I conjunction with the sights in case the dot ever goes out.  But if I couldn't keep a rear sight on that gun I would have taken out the front sight as well.

 

So essentially, if there's a front sight with no rear sight to line up with, it could be a distraction for me because of so much muscle memory shooting irons and naturally lining them up.  Part of me by habit is not searching for the rear notch to even out with the lone front sight (even though I'm used to just a front on a shotgun).  And that's exacerbated if the front sight is 'normal' height, because then I'm raising it even more.  But if front/rear suppressor-height sights are there and don't take up much window, then they already line up naturally so it's fine.  Especially on a Sig which has always lined up and pointed naturally for me almost without even trying.

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I'm new to the Shadow 2, been shooting Legions last several years. I have an SRO low mounted in a slide cut, so low my smith had to cut a flat so the "snorkel" of the SRO would not touch the slide. My front sight was taking up so much space in the lens, I thought I'd try shooting with it off. What is the harm in shooting with the front sight out of the dovetail? Does the pin hold the bushing in? I know nothing of the mechanics of this gun, but love shooting it.

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