Dovetail sight pusher tool

[Fastleo]

I’m looking for a sight tool that pushes out dovetail sights, what do you have and how are your experiences. I’m not interested in brass punches and hammers.

thanks

 

[deermanok]

Never used one myself. Midway USA has a few different types.
Brownell's might have also.

 

[pmccoywss]

These are well regarded in the BPC shooting. https://www.wyomingsightdrifter.com/store

 

[doubleset]

Just curious about why you don't want use a brass or plastic punch? It's really easy and effective. I use them all the time with either a Lyman "Tapper" hammer or a cheap brass/plastic head hammer I got at Harbor Freight.

I had a sight pusher once for a SIG 9mm. It was pretty expensive and I only used it once. In general, real "pushers" are expensive and you have to be careful not to mar your gun with them. They're often designed for specific guns or kinds of guns. But here's one that MIGHT work if you're careful with it: Universal Sight Pusher ...

 

[Old Hawkeye]

I’m looking for a sight tool that pushes out dovetail sights, what do you have and how are your experiences. I’m not interested in brass punches and hammers.

thanks

There is no one sight pushing tool that will work for all circumstances. The one I have is designed to work with front sights installed in ramps. It won't work on dovetails cut in barrels. I did see one that would work on Octagon barrel dovetails but can't remember where & I know of none for a round barrel. A properly filed & fitted front sight will install quite easily without a special tool. I tap mine around with a brass punch & a 4 oz hammer. If it takes more force than that it is not filed & fitted properly. Good luck! Let us know if you find a tool. BTW, remember that all sight dovetails have a taper & go in from right to left & push out from left to right.

 

[doubleset]

... remember that all sight dovetails have a taper & go in from right to left & push out from left to right.

This used to be pretty much universally true, but things have changed recently and a number of the more "contemporary" dovetails are fully symmetric (the one on my Crockett rifle is). But it's still a good practice to follow.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

This used to be pretty much universally true, but things have changed recently and a number of the more "contemporary" dovetails are fully symmetric (the one on my Crockett rifle is). But it's still a good practice to follow.

To be clear, I'm talking about the (male) dovetail on the sight insert, not the barrel. All barrel (female) dovetails are straight cut or "fully symmetric", as you call them, & always have been, just like your Crockett. All barrel dovetails are also cut slightly undersized from the 3/8" nominal width, so the sight insert is filed to fit. Every single sight insert I have ever bought & am still buying is "tapered". If the industry has changed this spec it's news to me & every other gunsmith I know.

 

[doubleset]

Every single sight insert I have ever bought & am still buying is "tapered". If the industry has changed this spec it's news to me & every other gunsmith I know.

Yes, I misspoke about the dovetail. And I used to believe as you do -- and my experience for a number of years backed that up. However, ...

There are always problems of the precision of measurement to some degree, I suppose. But I am sitting with four dovetail sights in front of me, and a pair of digital calipers. The results are:

1. Original Lyman GPR front blade sight circa 2005: tapered, about 0.25 mm difference from one side to the other.
2. TOW full buckhorn sight: no taper
2. TOW tall blade sight: no taper
2. Original Traditions Crockett front blade: no taper

For the TOW blade and the Crockett sight you can also see quite clearly by positioning the long (tapered) sides of the base between the flat jaws of the digital caliper that there's no taper: no light shines through. You can't do this for the TOW buckhorn because there is some sprue on it that prevents this. For the Lyman, there is an obvious taper when viewed this way.

So I don't know quite what more to say about this. I can't make a claim about the beliefs of every gunsmith. But certainly in threads like Removing & installing dovetail front sight, on this forum, you can see different opinions expressed about this. I have to go with my own experience in driving various sights in and out of the dovetails. There appears to be no real standardization about this at this point in time. And I don't know that tapering the base was ever an industry "standard" or a "spec", though it was at least a common practice.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I’m looking for a sight tool that pushes out dovetail sights, what do you have and how are your experiences. I’m not interested in brass punches and hammers.

thanks

Just take a small C clamp. Place a brass spacer in and turn the C clamp screw. Simple!
Larry

 

[leadhoarder]

These are well regarded in the BPC shooting. https://www.wyomingsightdrifter.com/store

I bought one of those and it works really well.

 

[user 48679]

I bought a Williams Gun Sight Co sight pusher (tool) many decades ago, and it stopped me from damaging my guns ever since.

However, most sight pusher tools are designed to push sights that are ramp mounted, and not mounted directly in a barrel.

Due to the body design of the pusher, they either don't have enough reach to accept the top of the barrel-mounted sight fully, and ergo have no flat surface to push against.

And, no - the sight pusher throat isn't deep enough to reach down to the side flats of an octagon barrel for purchase.