[Rigidarm]

Help wanted on removing front dovetail sight. Tried drifting left right left right but no movement. Is it staked? Don't want to beat it to find out but need to remove it to mill the top to put in some top serration. I hit it sharply in vise with a copper drift but zero movement. Bigger hammer?

 

[huntershooter]

If it's dovetailed, it will come out.
I've yet to see a pinned in place, dovetailed FS on a BHP.

 

[Rigidarm]

If it's dovetailed, it will come out.
I've yet to see a pinned in place, dovetailed FS on a BHP.

Thx for info. Under lighting and magnification I thought I could see a small peg in the 7 thou gap under the sight front bottom to the slide and a .003 feeler stopped there too (to what felt like a peg like radius). Now I'll feel better with that bigger hammer. I'll post pics so as to be of help to others because I searched the net but found no concise info or pictorial.

 

[BBBBill]

Is there a 1/16" hole in the top of the sight blade?

 

[BHPshooter]

My Novak's front sight is pinned in place in its dovetail, but I'm unaware of any factory dovetail sights that were pinned.

As BBBBill mentioned, if it is pinned, you should clearly be able to see the hole/pin.

 

[kp321]

I changed sights on a couple of Mk III HP's that were so tight, maybe rusted a little too, I had to put them in the mill and cut a narrow slot to relieve it.

 

[Rigidarm]

All good info Thx. No visible 1/16 top hole or pin peening marks at all.... but a good metal smith can hide that fairly easily, which is why I thought there could have been a pin hidden in the end. Tomorrow I'll drive the front sight out and post pics soon.

Wes,
Gonna need another fine holster with lining for this HP like the 1911 holster you made me.

 

[Burgs]

*

 

[Rock185]

Rigid, the MKIII fronts are not staked or pinned. But, I have never encountered one that was not installed VERY TIGHTLY in it's dovetail. It is not at all unusual for fronts to be damaged, if they can be drifted out at all. Like kp321, I have had to mill out one or two....

 

[Rigidarm]

*

It worked! Solid vise, leather wrap, and a big hammer. I did a grind on a 1/4" bar stock and made a good fitting drift. Then a good dead-blow and it came out in three progressively softer hits.

To those after me there was no pin just very tightly fit. To those before..... thanks for the advice.

(Burgs Hammerman pic was suppose to be here)

 

[Burgs]

I like to help out whenever I can...