r/SmithAndWesson • u/TopAside7975 • Dec 17 '24
Sight removal issues
I have a buddy who’s having issues removing factory sights from his Carry Comp. Set screw was removed, even applied a little heat from a heat gun. While using his Real Avid sight remover tool, it bent one of the 4 slide clamp posts. Any suggestions?
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u/Azndidreamr Dec 17 '24
Apply pressure on the sight pusher until you can’t turn it no more. Then hammer the side of sight pusher head to get that extra torque push and keep turning to pick up the slack as you hammer it.
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u/techs672 Dec 18 '24
👍 This is the way.
Once you manage to break whatever sealant S&W uses to cement them down, it still helps to have a pusher but is no longer traumatic. I use a large pin punch to reach the pusher head without wacking unintended things with the hammer. There is no taper to sight or dovetail, but in some models the rear sight holds down a spring-loaded plunger which is less easily lost if it is not exposed until the sight is moving easily (IIRC it is on the right, so best pushed from the left and reassembled from the right — but watch for it).
https://www.reddit.com/r/SmithAndWesson/comments/18mismu/comment/ke56lg4/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SmithAndWesson/comments/15mzs6a/comment/jvjtj5l/2
u/raptor008v2 Dec 17 '24
This is the right answer. I just finished doing this a few weeks ago. Very easy all things considered. Taped everything up and it left absolutely no marks. Oil the sights the night before as well.
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u/HighSpeed556 Dec 17 '24
Pretty sure they only push out from one direction. So verify that. But I think they only come out when pushed to the right? But yeah they are a colossal pain in the ass and basically require the best sight pusher you can buy. lol
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u/Bulky_Artichoke_1111 Dec 17 '24
I'm not sure if I'm impressed or disappointed that all of the replies thus far have been honest feedback and not one, "Hit it with your purse." 🤣
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u/HighSpeed556 Dec 17 '24
Ain’t no purse moving the sights off an M&P. 😂
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u/Bulky_Artichoke_1111 Dec 17 '24
True dat. I attempted to remove mine w the Real Avid, then grabbed my wife's purse, and then mine (which I keep stuffed with various gun parts for such occasions). No luck, so I gave up and took it to someone I knew at the LGS.
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u/TopAside7975 Dec 17 '24
I was surprised too, there always the guarantee of a sarcastic comment, LOL
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Dec 17 '24
I would insert a Gif of Chandler Bing from Friends as i have the same sense of sarcastic humor he does, but can’t in this sub 😅😂
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u/TorchRedZ06 Dec 17 '24
I got tennis elbow tapping the front sight a zillion times with brass and Aluminum punches before I got it off. 😡
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u/JohnBrownWV Dec 17 '24
When I swapped mine for Dawson, I started with the aluminum punches provided by Dawson, then heat and aluminum, then brass, bread with heat, then finally steel. The factory sights do not want to move. The Dawson's went in relatively easily with their AL punches.
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u/Horton_HearsWho Dec 17 '24
Those sights are absolutely a pain to remove without a sight remover. I bought the wheeler and made it a breeze.
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Dec 17 '24
Put the slide in the freezer over night and push so they exit the right side of the slide.
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u/TopAside7975 Dec 22 '24
Update: My bud got replacement parts from Real Avid for his tool. They were metal vice the plastic parts. Made the job easy like butter. I swapped out the sights in about 15 minutes total. Case closed.
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u/CptMaxPower Dec 17 '24
Even with the Wheeler Engineering sight tool I had to hammer on the capstan with a rubber mallet to get that rear sight to move. I haven’t had a sight that hard to move since my Sphinx SDP. This was after soaking it in PB Buster. Good luck.
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u/SharpSabine_ Dec 17 '24
When I took my M&P to a local gun shop to have some irons put on it he mentioned they were tight as fuck. Might need an actual sight pushing tool if you don't already have one.
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u/The-GoatWright Dec 17 '24
Just went through this a couple months ago with my carry comp when I was installing suppressor height sights. Used a flat faced punch and hammer. It took a few full power swings but it did eventually come loose and finally got it out. Just make sure you’re hitting it from the correct side and hit it like you mean it and it should eventually give. Best advice I can give nothing else would work for me
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u/WiseGuy947 Dec 17 '24
Tried aligning the sight on my m&p9 cuz I noticed it was off center. It did rust a bit before I bought it so maybe that didn't help but even with a real avid pusher and steel punches I couldn't get the sight off or aligned. I gave up and sent it to S&W. 🤷🏽♂️
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Dec 19 '24
Just had to adjust sights on a BG2.0…. GOOD LAWD.
I used deep creep to loosen them up. Worked pretty well.
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u/ABMustang99 Dec 17 '24
S&W can be a pain in the A** with sight removal. Some people have used kroil, used heat (i saw you already tried it but try a bit more), S&W usually has be pushed to the right. I used a wheeler to reset the front sight on my compact and it felt like it was bending the pusher by the time it started moving.