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This is regarding HOW to tighten the rear sight within the topstrap. This method is the CORRECT method in my mind. I tried explaining it to Colt Customer Service and they didn't want to hear about it. I have done several this way and it has worked very well. Kudos to those that have presented methods with shims or with enlarged roll pins, but I do not feel that shimming or using larger pins is the correct methodology. If the sight is loose, it needs to fit tighter on its own.
Yes, I have borrowed images from elsewhere. Thank you!
I will not go into rear sight removal and so on because that's previously been addressed. I will say that placing a small magnet on the sight is a good idea. The elevation screw has a detent ball underneath of it. This ball is NOT secured and "small" doesn't even begin to describe its lack of size. If you lose this ball, you have more than likely lost this ball forever, hence the magnet.
After you have removed the rear sight, you will notice that the underside of the sight looks like this:
![731524]()
You will notice that the topstrap looks like this:
![731525]()
From these viewpoints, it's easy to see how the sight fits onto the revolver. Please observe the sight in the upside-down position. The raised portions of the sight-tang (where the retaining pin passes through) will determine how snuggly this sight fits. You will need a pair of Vice Grips. On the underside of the sight, you want to clamp the vice grips to the sight where the retaining pin goes. You only want to cover up about half of the holes' size. Adjust the Vice Grips so when you squeeze the grip together, this area is only compressed a little bit once the Vice Grips are locked. Now check the sight in the topstrap. Did it slide in there easily with no resistance? If so, you have more compressing to do. Adjust the Vice Grips a little bit tighter. Try it all again. You want to take baby steps! Keep going until the compressed portion is resistive when trying to place it in the topstrap. Once the sight-tang is compressed enough that it is quite hard to get it in, tap it into the topstrap, tighten the screw, install the retaining pin. When tightening the adjustment screw make sure the detent ball is in its little "pocket", otherwise it will spin around in circles with the screw. When everything is together the sight is nice and tight! The sight-tang appears to be made from a spring-steel so the tension should be long-lasting. I did this to my sight about 9 or 10 months ago. It was the lab rat. I've had my sight up and down more times than I can count and it's still tight.
If you have your New Python here for action and trigger tuning, we can tighten the rear sight for $20. It takes a little over a half-hour and I ordered 1,000 ball bearings that are the same size as the microscopic, unsecured detent ball so if we lose it, we can rapidly replace it. While your sight is apart we apply a light dab of gun-grease to the adjustments for smoother operation and wear prevention. If you choose to do this yourself and lose your detent ball, the size needed is .1 mil and be prepared to order a pack of like 250 of them, but they don't cost much. Amazon sells them and they're warehoused in the U.S. unlike the balls on ebay that ship from China.
This method has been proven to work extremely well. My sight returns to absolute zero every single time I move it around. The feedback from my customers has been very positive. There are no shims to wear out or break. Personally, I feel they should be doing this at the factory. I may continue on my quest to work my way past Patrick, the "horses a**" customer service manager. If this was done on the assembly line at the time of sight installation, it would add less than 1 minute. Good luck!!
Yes, I have borrowed images from elsewhere. Thank you!
I will not go into rear sight removal and so on because that's previously been addressed. I will say that placing a small magnet on the sight is a good idea. The elevation screw has a detent ball underneath of it. This ball is NOT secured and "small" doesn't even begin to describe its lack of size. If you lose this ball, you have more than likely lost this ball forever, hence the magnet.
After you have removed the rear sight, you will notice that the underside of the sight looks like this:
You will notice that the topstrap looks like this:
From these viewpoints, it's easy to see how the sight fits onto the revolver. Please observe the sight in the upside-down position. The raised portions of the sight-tang (where the retaining pin passes through) will determine how snuggly this sight fits. You will need a pair of Vice Grips. On the underside of the sight, you want to clamp the vice grips to the sight where the retaining pin goes. You only want to cover up about half of the holes' size. Adjust the Vice Grips so when you squeeze the grip together, this area is only compressed a little bit once the Vice Grips are locked. Now check the sight in the topstrap. Did it slide in there easily with no resistance? If so, you have more compressing to do. Adjust the Vice Grips a little bit tighter. Try it all again. You want to take baby steps! Keep going until the compressed portion is resistive when trying to place it in the topstrap. Once the sight-tang is compressed enough that it is quite hard to get it in, tap it into the topstrap, tighten the screw, install the retaining pin. When tightening the adjustment screw make sure the detent ball is in its little "pocket", otherwise it will spin around in circles with the screw. When everything is together the sight is nice and tight! The sight-tang appears to be made from a spring-steel so the tension should be long-lasting. I did this to my sight about 9 or 10 months ago. It was the lab rat. I've had my sight up and down more times than I can count and it's still tight.
If you have your New Python here for action and trigger tuning, we can tighten the rear sight for $20. It takes a little over a half-hour and I ordered 1,000 ball bearings that are the same size as the microscopic, unsecured detent ball so if we lose it, we can rapidly replace it. While your sight is apart we apply a light dab of gun-grease to the adjustments for smoother operation and wear prevention. If you choose to do this yourself and lose your detent ball, the size needed is .1 mil and be prepared to order a pack of like 250 of them, but they don't cost much. Amazon sells them and they're warehoused in the U.S. unlike the balls on ebay that ship from China.
This method has been proven to work extremely well. My sight returns to absolute zero every single time I move it around. The feedback from my customers has been very positive. There are no shims to wear out or break. Personally, I feel they should be doing this at the factory. I may continue on my quest to work my way past Patrick, the "horses a**" customer service manager. If this was done on the assembly line at the time of sight installation, it would add less than 1 minute. Good luck!!
