First on my list was a front sight upgrade to my Mossberg 590.
This type of sight is "simply" epoxied over the existing bead. That is, if things fit properly. Things did not go simply, because there was a little hexagonal base on the existing bead sight, and the bead a little taller than it was supposed to be. Out came the rotary files for the base, and a little bit of handwork for the bead.
The sight really isn't epoxied to the barrel as much as the cavity is filled with epoxy, and the sight squished on over the bead. I used some Loctite super-strength epoxy, and left everything clamped for 24 hours. Prior to that, I did my best to keep the original bead from exiting the premises by using some good ol' Loctite green thread sealant. The real test will come with firing. Here's the newly updated business end:
Since I'm giving my nephew my unfired Glock 19 for his 21st birthday, I figured half-off meant Trijicon upgrades for both the Glock 19 and the 21. Along the way, Saint Barbara must have whispered something in my ear, because I bought a $90 Glock sight pusher, too. The savings from these two sets of sights pretty much paid for the tool. I could have also taken the slides to a gunsmith who would eventually install the sights with the same kind of tool, and charge me the price of another sight pusher.
Out of all the mini-projects this week, this turned out to be the easiest part, because the tool proved itself to be a real lifesaver.
Below it is a broken-off dental pick that works well in removing the original Glock front sights, as well as a factory rear sight that was removed with the sight pusher.
The rear sight dovetail on a Glock tapers inward in the middle, proving strong, or vey strong pressure to keep the sight in place. No matter what some "experts" say about using a drift punch to move the sights, they ain't moving without a heavy-duty sight pusher, which this one certainly is. Here it is in use, having just pushed the replacement sight to its final position:
Since this was a new tool for me, I figured I'd test it out on my Glock 21 first, before tackling my nephew's Glock. It was a piece of cake, removing and installing the sights easily. Then I went to work on the Glock 19.
For some reason, the original sight dovetail was so tight, it was hard to get it off, even with the pusher. Getting the new one on was even tougher. I gave up holding the sight tool in my right hand while cranking with my left. Fortunately the tool is so heavy duty, I clamped it in the vise, and then used both hands to turn the screw. It turned out fine, and there was no way on earth that could have been done without a tool like this.
Things got stickier putting on the replacement front sights. They seemed to be a snap in theory, just screwed on with a tiny bolt from the inside of the slide. A teeny tiny bolt, with a hex head so thin (little room for clearance) that you're almost guaranteed to round it off while tightening it. But using my smallest 3/16 socket and lots of Loctite Green, I think they're on good and tight. The proof, again is in the firing.
Here are the update Glocks, which also have tungsten guide rods, third-generation extractors, grip pugs with lanyard rings, extended slide stops and mag releases, and takedown latches 2mm wider than the factory (Gaston, how could you have missed that one?). Now they also have sights that you can find in the pitch black of night. Just look for three green glowing dots.
And if your sights don't light up, just light up the target, instead. The FN FiveseveN is the first handgun I've owned that has an accessory rail. So I installed the new SureFire X300 LED light. It uses two CR123 batteries, and is tremendously bright.
I figure the longer battery and lamp lives, and the cooler temperature, should make it more durable than a halogen bulb, which gives off a lot of heat, and has a fragile white-hot filament. The ambidextrous controls are well thought out for both momentary and constant on-off use.
If you can't light up your sights, light up your target.
Now that I've had some trigger-time with the FN, I've replaced my old S&W 60-NY with FiveSeveN and light as my "hot" weapon in the electronic hideaway safe. It's a lot bigger, although still comfy in my hand. But I now have 20 rounds of high-lethality, low-penetration ammo on hand, and a light I never had before (unless I grabbed by little combat light).