"Drift adjustable", my foot!

You could selectively heat that sight with a heavy duty soldering iron. It would actually expand the metal and loosen it as it cools. it would also help to break down any gunk that is holding it to the slide.
 
dahermit said:
The reason I would not take the gun to a gunsmith to adjust drift adjustable sights is the same reason why I would not take my car to a mechanic to change the brake pads. "Take it to a gunsmith", is a "Captain Obvious" answer that offers little to any firearms enthusiast. If "take it to a gunsmith", is appropo for such a basic issue then there would be little justification for a gun-related forum at all, in that almost all firearm concerns could be answered in such a pedestrian manner.
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for something as simple as changing brake pads even a home mechanic has to own the correct tools for the job, or take it to a mechanic who does. This is not a "captain obvious" answer, there has been plenty of experienced replies in this forum describing why your sights could be extra tough to move and you have rejected the idea of buying the right tool for the job...

in this case a sight pusher... which every gunsmith has, and you don't.

Just being brutally honest, there are only 2 options for the task you describe... get the proper tool and DIY, or take it to a gunsmith who does.
 
dahermit, FWIW, the first time I had dovetailed sights changed on a pistol years ago, the "professional" scraped up the top of the slide on my recently purchased pistol. He was not concerned at all about it. I don't blame you for intending to do it yourself. Thing is, if your luck is anything like mine, your odds are not good for finding an actual skilled gunsmith who can do a professional job on a Hi Power. Seems like gun owners trust anyone who says they are a gunsmith to actually have some knowledge and skill. Not so. There are no requirements, other than obtaining an FFL and business license, for one to claim they are a gunsmith and begin screwing up people's guns. I have seen guns ruined by some of these "gunsmiths". Trouble is the public doesn't know the guy is an unskilled butcher until the damage is done.

As you're a machinist, I have little doubt you can successfully adjust or replace that NOT-so-easily drift adjustable sight;)
 
Gunsmiths are not magicians.
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At 73 years of age...
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I am a machinist...
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A 73 year old machinist who doesn't understand that sometimes having the right tool can make a really hard job so easy it seems like magic?

Sure, you can do it. And you may even be able to do it without marking up the gun or breaking something. It's very simple.
  • Position/fix the slide in place so it can't move or twist.
  • Position the slide against a solid surface that won't absorb energy by deforming or flexing.
  • Get a very sturdy punch with as large a surface area as possible that will still engage the sight without touching anything you don't want it to.
  • Position the punch against the sight.
  • Hit it really hard with the biggest hammer you have.
  • Do your best to shield everything so that nothing gets marked up or damaged when (not if) the punch slips.
  • Hope that you don't have to hit it so hard that the punch damages the sight.

I had to keep working my way up until I finally used a 5lb short-handled sledge to get one sight to move. Hit the punch while I was standing on the slide with both feet to keep it from moving. Victory!

Well, sort of... The sight moved but the punch also tore it up in the process. I ended up sending it to a gunsmith with a hydraulic press who replaced the sight and positioned it properly. That cost me more than I would have paid for a quality sight pusher...
 
Make sure you are using a brass punch. The next thing you need is the right hammer. It has to be bigger than the standard gunsmith hammer. I use a 16 oz hammer and have no problems moving sights.
 
Myself, I find working with drift sights annoying. Hammer to the left, check. Hammer right, check. Left, right, left, right, over and over, every time driving out to the range and testing.

I have just started keeping a card looped onto the trigger that tells me how much to correct.
 
I never use a hammer. I'll use a belt-leather padded "C" clamp to fasten the (stripped) slide to a solid work top, then use another "C" clamp to drag the sight down. If I go too far I turn over the slide and drag it back a bit. It takes a while but when you have it, you have it for ever.
-SS-
 
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