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How to thin a heinie FS for glock?


WARDOG

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After a great deal of array (it seems that NOBODY ship sights outside USA) I managed to have a Heinie slant pro set for my G34.

I acquired the set after having read positive reviews in this forum, prior I used arotek target sights.

I Installed the set but the front sight is WAAY too fat.

Ordering a dawson FS is out of question (nobody ships sights in Italy it seems..) so I have to thin the heinie one.

How to thin the sight to .100?

Any input gladly welcomed.

Another question: how everyone seems to prefer the slant pro sights? I tried then today and I think that the way the rear sight is slanted, reflect light like crazy, I find It distracting, I'm having this huge serrated panel very bright and a somewhat dimmed front sight.

Thanks for any advice!

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After a great deal of array (it seems that NOBODY ship sights outside USA) I managed to have a Heinie slant pro set for my G34.

I acquired the set after having read positive reviews in this forum, prior I used arotek target sights.

I Installed the set but the front sight is WAAY too fat.

Ordering a dawson FS is out of question (nobody ships sights in Italy it seems..) so I have to thin the heinie one.

How to thin the sight to .100?

Any input gladly welcomed.

Another question: how everyone seems to prefer the slant pro sights? I tried then today and I think that the way the rear sight is slanted, reflect light like crazy, I find It distracting, I'm having this huge serrated panel very bright and a somewhat dimmed front sight.

Thanks for any advice!

Mount the sight on the slide, then find someone with a mill/machine shop. They can mount the entire slide in a fixture and move the cutting bit to take off a little material. (Sorry I don't know the technical names for the machine parts.) I had mine narrowed down to .100 this way.

Good luck!

Seiichi

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Wardog, try to order from Dawson or Brownells. I to live in europe, (Sweden) and have bought sights and other things from them.

I use Heinie .125 front sight and Heinie Slant Pro with .156 notch instead of original .125. Since Heinie doesn´t export I made a special order from Brownells. I have tried .105 Dawson fiber optic front sight and .125 Heinie Slant Pro rear. I like the .125/.156 setup best on my Glock 17.

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Seems like the Warren/Sevigny sights are .115 front and .140 rear notch. I've modified the Heinie to the same proportions by opening up the rear slot. As someone else said mount the sight on the slide and mount the whole slide in the mill. IIRc the Heinie notch is .125 so a little careful work with a file would get you to the same place.

Keith

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I know I've talked about this in the past (do a search for more/better info).

I still run the Heinie sights that I started with. As I recall, the width of my Slant Pro front sight (as I got them from Brownells) was 0.125

I put a file flat on my bench. Measured the sight with my calipers. Then...after doing the math...I worked one side of the sight only. I run it along the file, measuring along the way. Then, once it was where it needed to be, I did the other side.

I took mine down to 0.115

I think I could get down to 0.110, but you are pretty close to getting into the "boss" that goes down into the sight hole and holds the sight to the slide.

Further than that, and you should go with a "stepped base". As mentioned, you can get it milled. Or, buy the ones that are out there like that already.

Try the file with the Heinies if you have them already. If you don't like them...

If you don't have them yet, you can buy your way to the same sight picture. (I'd go with the Sevigny sights)

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Thanks everyone for the replies!

This afternoon I tried at the range some stages for an incoming match, with stock front sight, knocking down a plate at 25 yds was difficult, I was accustomed to my old FS that was .100.

I've just did the flexmoney way, laying a swiss file flat on my bench I thinned either side of FS until I reached .115

Now I have a much better sight picture!

I have just discovered that dawson sights are distribuited in Italy..the dealer ask 187 euros for a FO set (that's over 220 USD), I can't afford this amount right now, I'll try to find a USA dealer willing to ship a FO .100 FS oversea!

Thanks everyone again, this place is a vault of knowledge!

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  • 2 weeks later...

install the Heinie front sight

run a strip of masking tape down each side of the slide (this is just a habit, doubt you could mess up the Tennifer finish

level the slide in the milling machine vise... vertical mill ... sharp cutter

lower the cutter, so that a .025 or so feeler gage will pass beneath cutter and top of slide, this will leave a step in the sight, lock in place

ink sides of sight with majic marker

feed in "y" axis until cutter touches front sight and removes ink, complete pass

measure how much was taken off if you screw up, add additional to take off a total of .012

repeat on other side

touch up edges with good flat file, recut serrations with checkeing file

bead blast, touch up with cold blue... BirchWood Casey sheath

to make a file to lower front sight, glue a piece of smooth "mica" near the handle of a good quality file. Lay this formica piece on the top of the rear sight, and carefully remove the material off the front sight, this will keep the front cut level with the rear sight

regards Les

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Sounds like you've already solved the "thinning the front sight" problem. About the "slant" to the Slant Pro reflecting light, I had the same impression. If you ever get the chance, try the Warren Tactical Series-Sevigny Compeition. The rear face of the sight is back drafted, i.e. it's been cut so the top of the sight extends further to the rear than the bottom of the sight, so the rear of the sight blade is, under almost all lighting conditions, in shadow. It's a really neat set-up.

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