Just annoying & cosmetic, or should I have the sight re-done?

[Doc Safari]

I had a set of XS Big Dot sights put on my Glock 17. The rear sight looks perfectly centered, but eyeballing the front sight it looks like it points to the right by the thickness of a piece of paper or a playing card. I know it's not much, but I'm used to my regular gunsmith being a little more meticulous than that.

This was one of those "buy the sights and we install them for free" shops. Next time I'll have my favorite gunsmith do it.

I haven't been to the range yet. The sights are so new the loctite has only had about two days to cure.

Will this tiny crookedness affect the sighting in enough that I should care? The XS Big Dot sight is the "dot the 'i'" type, so I'm thinking the installer should have taken a few extra seconds to get the calipers out and line up the front sight better.


Should I just "go shoot the gun" first, or should I have my real gunsmith re-do the front sight before I waste ammo?

[Texaspoff]

I had a set of XS Big Dot sights put on my Glock 17. The rear sight looks perfectly centered, but eyeballing the front sight it looks like it points to the right by the thickness of a piece of paper or a playing card. I know it's not much, but I'm used to my regular gunsmith being a little more meticulous than that.

This was one of those "buy the sights and we install them for free" shops. Next time I'll have my favorite gunsmith do it.

I haven't been to the range yet. The sights are so new the loctite has only had about two days to cure.

Will this tiny crookedness affect the sighting in enough that I should care? The XS Big Dot sight is the "dot the 'i'" type, so I'm thinking the installer should have taken a few extra seconds to get the calipers out and line up the front sight better.


Should I just "go shoot the gun" first, or should I have my real gunsmith re-do the front sight before I waste ammo?

If the front sight is slightly off, it may or may not make your POI/POA off. If you want to straighten it, take a small crescent wrench and align it. Glocks front sight cut is typically slightly larger than the base of the sight and when the front sight screw is tightened, it can cause a cant to the front sight. Some one who installs a lot of Glock sights should know this and should have corrected it before they gave it back to you.

Either way it is a super easy fix, and you don't have to loosen the front sight screw at all. Just give it a slight nudge and it will align.

TXPO

[WickedWillis]

I would definitely say have it redone. Especially because it is the I-Dot setup and it may effect POA/POI

[mizer67]

It's a Glock. The front is only held in by a small set screw.

If you don't want to invest the $3 in a front sight tool, grab a pliers and a small piece of cushioning so you don't mar the finish and give it a twist in the right direction.

[MStarmer]

I'd have it redone personally. If it bugs you enough to post about it, it's apparent that it will bug you from this point on. I'm right there with you, I can't stand things that are off. I've installed a couple dozen Glock sights, it's not difficult and surprising that the smith didn't get it straight to begin with. I use a couple of methods, I measure the slide with a set of calipers and the sight. Deduct the sight width and divide by 2, this gives you what kind of measurement you should be looking for from side to side. I always degrease the sight and the area and glue it down with loctite so I want it straight to begin with. One I have the screw tight I check for straight, first by eye and then check the measurement. I usually will use a parallel bar or some other type of stock to make sure that I get a consistent side to side measurement. If needed I "gently" twist with a small set of 90 degree needle nose with tape on them to keep them from marring anything.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg68/mstarmer/IMG_0273.jpg (http://s245.photobucket.com/user/mstarmer/media/IMG_0273.jpg.html)

[midnight son]

Have them fix it. I run XS big dots on my edc Kahr P45.....too good of sights for them to be canted OR for you to lose confidence in.

[K1tt3n5]

I'd have it redone personally. If it bugs you enough to post about it, it's apparent that it will bug you from this point on. I'm right there with you, I can't stand things that are off. I've installed a couple dozen Glock sights, it's not difficult and surprising that the smith didn't get it straight to begin with. I use a couple of methods, I measure the slide with a set of calipers and the sight. Deduct the sight width and divide by 2, this gives you what kind of measurement you should be looking for from side to side. I always degrease the sight and the area and glue it down with loctite so I want it straight to begin with. One I have the screw tight I check for straight, first by eye and then check the measurement. I usually will use a parallel bar or some other type of stock to make sure that I get a consistent side to side measurement. If needed I "gently" twist with a small set of 90 degree needle nose with tape on them to keep them from marring anything.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg68/mstarmer/IMG_0273.jpg (http://s245.photobucket.com/user/mstarmer/media/IMG_0273.jpg.html)

Nice setup, and mitutoyos too!

[MStarmer]

Thanks, I would say those calipers are over 20 years old at least. Cost a fortune back when I bought them but have served me well. I worked for Boeing back in the 80's and 90's, had to provide all your own tools and they had to make it thru cal-cert.

[GregP220]

Try shooting it first. If POA/POI is deadnuts on stop worrying about what your eye thinks it sees.

[Doc Safari]

Try shooting it first. If POA/POI is deadnuts on stop worrying about what your eye thinks it sees.

This turned out to be the best policy. I finally had a chance to shoot it yesterday and it's "minute of soda can" at 25 yards, and seems to shoot to POA at closer distances.

I seem to remember that the OEM rear sight was pushed more to one side than the other, but the replacement sight is perfectly centered. I'm wondering if the gunsmith who installed the replacement sights deliberately made the front sight a little crooked so that the rear sight could be centered. I may have to give him more credit than I thought.

[mx5rcr]

Gunsmiths with foreskin for eyelids are annoying. They install everything cock-eyed.


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