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Posted: 6/23/2009 6:04:23 AM EDT
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I'm trying to replace the sights on my son's 10/22.
After searching high and low for someone who had a brass drift punch in stock locally, I finally found one. Now I've supported the barrel and tried my damndest to drift the POS front site out ( Working from left to right as the instructions stated) I pounded on the blasted thing for over 10 min and there is zero movement where the front site dovetails into the FSB. Are they really fitted in there that tight or am I missing something? |
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Make sure you have the area around the front sight supported adequately. Of all things, I used a roll of black electrical tape, laid on it's side, because it was exactly the right size to surround the front sight. Pad the receiver area with a towel or something. Be sure you are on a sturdy table.
Second, make sure you are pushing the sight out the same way a spent shell ejects from the gun - in other words make sure the charging handle side of the gun is down. I used a medium size steel punch and a small ball peen hammer. I wrapped my punch in a rag, but I wasn't really concerned with re-using the sight. It came right out after a pretty good whack to get it started. Don't chicken out when you hit it. 
If all else fails you might want to apply some Kroil or even WD-40 (not as good) and allow it to soak for a while. Good luck |
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What he said, particularly about supporting the barrel right around the sight.
I would be willing to bet that the FS is rotating a bit under iimpact, and that is impeding you. Try this: Get a thin strip of leather or some such material, and fit it into a U-shaped channel inside the open jaws of a bench vise. Clamp the FSB into the vise securely, adjusting things to that you have a secure set-up and a good shot at the dovetail. Whack the dovetail of the FS; it should at least move, if not be removed altogether. You could also use a piece of 2x4, gouged out with a chisel to relieve around the FSB. Use an assistant to keep the rifle from rotating under impact. |
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Quoted:
I pounded on the blasted thing for over 10 min and there is zero movement where the front site dovetails into the FSB. Are they really fitted in there that tight or am I missing something? Yes, they are. I thought I was going to bust up the barrel I had to slam the punch so hard. I used a cloth to help protect the front sight base / dovetail from any errant hits. Support the barrel evenly and so that it does not rotate, as mentioned above, and hammer away. Once you get it started and it budges a bit, it gets easier with every hit. |
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