New rear sight on Commander

[flanman]

Well while my son was home at Thanksgiving we went down back to put a bunch of shots down range. About half way through what we planned on shooting he looks back at me and says what was that. He had noticed something come flying off of the slide. A quick look brought the realization that my teenage son had just broken my semi-auto or so I told him. In fact the rear sight which was an adjustable sight had suffered a broken screw and came a part with the top piece flying backwards at him while he fired a shot. The local gun shop was able to remove the base and then the owner and I looked to see what a replacement piece would cost- outrageous! So off to the Colt Mfg website go I and find a fixed sight for $15. Now that I have received it( long story but Colt forgot to include it in the package with the other items I bought). Anyway the question- how do I slide the rearsight into place without marring it up. I am hesitant to just hammer away for fear of scratching or inflicting other dings.

flanman

[dfariswheel]

Possibly you have a local gunsmith or gun shop who has a sight press device.

I not, here a procedure to do it yourself.

First, cover the slide with some tape to prevent scratching anything. Leave only the sight dovetail open.

Lube the sight and dovetail to ease installation.

Start the sight in the dovetail, making sure it enters on the right side of the slide, and that you have the sight the right way around.

Have someone help you hold the slide down on a firm work bench or even a concrete floor, covered with a cloth to protect the finish.
You can lock the slide in a vise, but this is risky unless you have a big vise firmly mounted so it won't vibrate, and you have to be very careful not to squash the slide or allow it to move and scar it up.

Use a larger brass or nylon drift to tap the sight into the dovetail with a small hammer. A larger drift works better. I made my drifts from brass bar stock about 1/2" thick by 3/4".
Make sure the sight enters the dovetail straight. If it's slanted it may be difficult or may damage the dovetail.
As you tap it in, watch closely for any signs the sight or dovetail is deforming or raising burrs.

If you use a large brass drift it will leave brass marks on the sight. Use a copper solvent to remove the marks.

"Usually" a Colt sight will install in a Colt slide with no problems.

[flanman]

Thank you I will give er a go this weekend.

flanman