A2 front sights on AR-15

H

HAMMER1DOWN

New member
I have a stag arms Ar-15 and i DO NOT like my A2 sight and thought about taking a grinder to it!!! I was just wondering if there is a cheap alternative to the grinding blade of the makita??? And if i do cut it off would it hurt the barrel from the heat or no?
 
First things first... there should be no need for a grinder here.

Now what don't you like: the front sight base or the front sight post?

If you don't like the front sight post, you can replace that with a thinner match post.

If you don't like the front sight base you can replace it with a low profile gas block, a picatinny base gas block or flip-up front-sight gas block.

The standard FSB is held in place by two taper pins which are driven out from left to right. Make sure that the barrel/FSB is SECURELY held in place before you start whacking away...those pins are probably going to be tight.
 
i want to get a folding front sight but they are so darned expesive and i want to be able to use my sun shade on my scope i have a flat top reciever and already have a riser rail but it gives me an uncomfortable cheek weld i justwant to cut off the sight portion but leave the gas block part.
 
It's most certainly possible to cut down the FSB. You'll also probably want to refinish the FSB to prevent any corrosion from the cut/grind marks.

I'd still remove it from the rifle before I started cutting on it.

Good luck!
 
Ouch.
Take a peek at some of the Yankee Hill products over at Brownells. I think CDNN Sports has some blocks and folding sights too.

They're really not that expensive, and you'll likely feel better about yourself for doing a quality job instead of a bubba job later on down the road.

Replacing these parts really aren't that big of a chore. Holler back if you want/need some tips and/or guidance- there are folks on here who've imparted tremendous info for some of my projects.
 
There is no reason to hassle with the front sight since there are so many cheap replacements of all kinds.

Years ago when all we had was the A1 type ARs, and the front sight was where you made all your elevation changes, we found many were bent. As you change your elevation, you changed your windage, wheather you wanted to or not.

On our combat team A1's I took the front sights out and turned them down on a lathe, trueing them up and making them a bit thinner. Worked then, but not worth the effort now.
 
Im thinking about hacking off my sight tower aswell. id rather replace the gas block, but my flash hider is pemanetly attached, and I dont want to go through the trouble of having it removed. whats the best way of doing this?
 
Im thinking about hacking off my sight tower aswell. id rather replace the gas block, but my flash hider is pemanetly attached, and I dont want to go through the trouble of having it removed. whats the best way of doing this?
Click to expand...

Milling Machine
 
Hacking of front sight

i hacked mine off with a hand held makita grinder, but unless you are good with one i wouldn't do it but right after i did that i got a yankee hill folding sight gas block. But it hasn't come in yet. I almost bet you could use a hack saw but you would have to finish it with a file and put some kind of protectant on there to keep the rust off
 
Mounting a 1.5X5 scope on upper with A-2 Front sight.

Purchased a Daniel Defense upper with a A-2 front sight/gas block. I have also purchased a Yankee Hill gas block with a fold over front sight. Viewed a number of video about how it is done. My main problem in my mind is that the factory A-2 has some black stuff sealing the unit to the upper. I am afraid of not being able to loosen the A-2 without damage to my barrel. Any suggestions on what I am getting into. Is that black stuff easily removed?

Lemmon
 
No, it's really not all that easy if it's old carbon. But either way, it can be done. Once you get your pins or screws out, set it up on your bench muzzle down, drizzle kroil around the sight and keep it wet for about a day before you intend to really start the process. Once it has soaked, take a wooden hammer handle or something of the sort and just start whacking the crap out of it. Chances are real high that it was press-fit on and then finished as a whole. No, it does not seem like a sensible thing to do- but love taps ain't going to get it to move. You want forceful straight downward strikes and not off at assinign angles so you don't put any influence on your bbl. Oh, and keep your muzzle device on until you get the sight knocked loose- and then take it off. This will help protect the crown of the bbl. Use a 1/16" quality punch to remove the gas tube retaining pin.

Once you get the old sight off- take a sharp pencil and mark centerlines both longways and sideways of the gas hole in the bbl. Put likewise marks on the upper portion of your new sight/gas block. Those holes really need to be lined up or else you'll have a single shot. If you don't have a retaining plate that would hold standard A-2 or M4 type handguards on, you will need to hold the new sight/gas block 7/32" (I THINK!) off of the barrel shoulder- that is the distance allowed for the thickness of those plates. If the gas tube didn't fall out on it's own (with pin removed)- you may have to hold the gas tube with the sight hanging straight down and tap it off as well.

Once you have your sight/gas block/gas tube on and centered- just before final tightening- wrap a fired ctg with about three layers of electrical tape and gently insert in into the chamber to make a seal. Now, blow into the bbl and place your finger inside the receiver over the gas tube- you should be able to feel/hear the air coming out of the gas tube against your finger. If not, you'll have to re-inspect your witness marks or slowly move it around with trial and error until you get maximum airflow. Once that is achieved- tighten everything down per instructions.

Go shoot.

Oh, you may have gotten more feedback on you post if you had not attached to a post over 2yrs old- just sayin. Good luck!
 
10-96 Thank you for responding to my post about removing A2 sight on my brand new Daniel Defense upper. I have only shot it about 15 times so carbon buildup is not the case. My thinking is that the stuff is a sealer applied by the builder of that upper. The upper was purchased by a dealer but was shipped directly to me by Daniel Defense. My old eyes are not as good as they used to be. I have used a peep sight (iron) for years with my old Benjamin pellet rifle when I was younger and killed many squirrels with it along with a few crows. I plan on using a 1.5X5 and I like using a low power scope and the A2 front sight will interfere with my sight picture.

Thank you again..I appreciate your taking time to answer my question..... Lemmon
 
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