TruGLo TFO sight install

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sargents1

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
365
Location
Maine
Its been a while since I posted here on Ye Old Rugerforum, but fear not, I still love you guys.

hold up, I gotta get another beer...
..
...ok, thats better.

Right, so I was going to tell y'all about putting new sights on my pistola.

So, first up, you need to lay out your fix'ns.

- Field Stripped pistol slide.
- rear sight pusher
- front sight tool
- new sights
- thread locker
- 1 Daddy sized liquid patience beverage (strictly speaking, not required)





I got the sight tool from Glockstore.com (Lenny Magill!). I gotta say, I love the videos ol' Lenny makes. Very instructive and not nearly as mind numbing as some of the gun related videos out there (cough, Nutnfancy, cough, cough). So I ordered up a set of TruGlo TFO (Tritium Fiber Optic) sights for my Glock 20SF from Amazon (78$ I think) and got the sight tool from Glockstore for about 70$. I figure if I use that tool three times I will have broken even vs going to a shop and paying them to do it. I usually like to get a tool and do it myself and there are enough pistol owners in the family that there is a good chance I will get plenty of use out of the tool. I also ordered the front sight tool, which is actually just a 3/16in nut driver, off amazon. I think it was 8$ plus shipping.

Once you have your stuff laid out, you want to wrap your slide with something to protect the finish. I used a bit of the paper from the invoice sheet that came with the sight tool.

I also used a charcoal pen to mark the centerline of my sights for future reference. This was a good idea, but as you will see, the new sights hang over the sides of the dovetail so much that the mark was obscured. Full marks for a good idea, no marks for execution. Oh well, I just eyeballed it in the end and I am confident that it is pretty close (I verified that the POA is close to the POI of my laser, so I know its within a few inches).




the front sight on these (glocks) is a little tricky, you want to push the little 3/16" screw thru the hole and then thread the sight onto it from the outside whilst holding the screw stationary with your finger. Once you get it started, you can use the nut driver to pull the sight into the slot. I had to tap the front sight in with the handle (which is Plastic) of my knife while using the screw to pull the sight to get it seated. YMMV. Dont forget to lok-tite the sight threads. The interwebs are certain the front sight will come off if you dont.

Once the front sight is on, the rear sight is a breeze. Get the new sight started in the slot with finger-pressure. Then clamp it up using the paper to wrap the slide. NOTE: Make sure you don't clamp the slide too tightly. If you are not careful you can compress the slide so much that you effectively crush the slide rails together. So Dont be dummy. Then make sure the pusher tool is aligned with the sight and then crank it in.



One thing I learned from doing this and watching the Glockstore video is that Lenny Magill is one ripped MOFO. He makes it look super easy. It actually takes a fair amount of effort to drift the sight into place. I ended up clamping the sight tool in a vise and using a ratchet to drive the tool. Just go slow and take 'er easy and it should be fine.


Note the 3/4" socket and ratchet.


Here is a good overview pic

I packed up my old sights and the other doo-dads that came with the new sights in a plastic baggie. Turns out these things are good for something other than carrying your stash around (You learn something new every day if you aren't careful).

And here is the finished product.


It will probably be a while before I get out to the range, but once I do will try to remember to post an update on how this all worked out.

Cheers,

- S
 

roylt

Hunter
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
3,100
I really appreciate write ups like this. It is fun to "smith" your own pistols in my opinion.

I do have on request though. Any more detail on how to remove the old sites?

I doubt I will do this to my glocks but still nice to see.

Thanks,
 

sargents1

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
365
Location
Maine
Removing the old sights is easy. Use the nut driver to remove the screw that retains the front sight, then push the front sight out with a pen. The rear sight gets drifted out with the sight tool. I think you are supposed to remove the rear sight left to right, but i did it right to left...so maybe it doesnt really matter. I did replace the rear sight right to left.

One thing i like about glocks is they are stupid easy to work on.

This is important for me because of my natural handicap...i went to engineering school.
 

22/45 Fan

Hunter
Joined
Dec 8, 2001
Messages
2,123
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
IIRC, Glock factory sights are plastic and the front is staked in place. So a pair of pliers and a twist takes off the front sight and the rear drifts out with a brass rod and a hammer and not much effort. Installing real metal sights is easy in front with a thin wall 3/16" socket (included with many replacement sights) but the rear requires fitting and a bit of force to install.
 

sargents1

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
365
Location
Maine
22/45 Fan said:
IIRC, Glock factory sights are plastic and the front is staked in place. So a pair of pliers and a twist takes off the front sight and the rear drifts out with a brass rod and a hammer and not much effort. Installing real metal sights is easy in front with a thin wall 3/16" socket (included with many replacement sights) but the rear requires fitting and a bit of force to install.

I wouldn't say the front sight is `staked` in place. That implies that the metal around the slot is deformed around the tenon of the front sight or that the front sight tenon is peened over. That is not the case. On the glock, the front sight has an oblong tenon that fits a slot in the slide. If you twist it (the front sight) i worry that you might break or deform the tenon. That is why i said to remove the retaining screw and then push the front sight out from the inside using a pen.

The factory rear sight can be removed (and installed ) using a hammer and brass rod as described but the replacement sight i bought has the tritium lamps and i think the directions specifically say you void your warranty if you dont use a proper pusher tool. I guess you could take a chance and pound the rear in place, but if you rupture the tritium vials and the gas escapes you will no longer have night sights. I dont know how likely it is that you might actually break the tritium lamps...they have to be fairly durable to survive being slammed back and forth on a slide that reciprocates at eyeblink speed, but i didn't want to take the risk.

As for `fitting` the rear sight... I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean removing material? With mine i just pushed it into place.
 

22/45 Fan

Hunter
Joined
Dec 8, 2001
Messages
2,123
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
sargents1 said:
22/45 Fan said:
IIRC, Glock factory sights are plastic and the front is staked in place. So a pair of pliers and a twist takes off the front sight and the rear drifts out with a brass rod and a hammer and not much effort. Installing real metal sights is easy in front with a thin wall 3/16" socket (included with many replacement sights) but the rear requires fitting and a bit of force to install.

I wouldn't say the front sight is `staked` in place. That implies that the metal around the slot is deformed around the tenon of the front sight or that the front sight tenon is peened over. That is not the case. On the glock, the front sight has an oblong tenon that fits a slot in the slide. If you twist it (the front sight) i worry that you might break or deform the tenon. That is why i said to remove the retaining screw and then push the front sight out from the inside using a pen..
The Glocks I've owned (Gen 2 17 and Gen 3 19) didn't have a retaining screw for the OEM plastic front sight. They were "staked" in place and by that I mean the plastic tenon had been heat melted to rivet it in place. A twist with a pair of pliers was all it took to remove them and I wasn't concerned about ever reusing them. All of the aftermarket sights I used were metal and were held by a retaining bolt inside the slide
 
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