Night Sight installation Instructions

[wyntrout]

I was perusing the Kahr.com site and ran across a pdf instruction sheet for installation of night sights. The file is available for download here:

https://www.kahr.com/Night_Sight_Installation_Instructions.pdf

It's pretty simplistic... DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO REMOVE THE FRONT SIGHT... or the rear... and removal is from left to right using a non-abrasive sight press.

Kahr emphasizes NOT using a punch and NOT pushing on the posts of the sights, to preclude damaging the delicate glass vials holding the Tritium gas. Any pushing of the sights should be done as low as possible on the BASES with great care taken to NOT damage the dovetails or the sight/slide finish.

Any sizing adjustments should be made to the sights, not the dovetails... with the exception of deburring the entrance edges of the dovetails.

I copied and pasted the page here and edited/corrected the layout, as it did not paste in normal layout.

I hope this is helpful. I've used a minimal press to change and install sights, BUT... I don't recommend anyone do this. It would be best to let real experts do night sight installation. Saving $30 or $40 won't seem like such a great idea if you damage the sights and/or your pistol!

If you don't have a "Non-marking sight press", FUGEDDABOUTIT!

Wynn:)

"Night Sight Installation Instructions

Tools required:

1.Non-marking sight press

All of the following steps should be done with care using a non-marking, non-abrasive sight press. All work should be completed by a certified gunsmith. Please read and understand all instructions before attempting to install sights.

DISASSEMBLY OF FIREARM:

1. With the pistol pointed in a safe direction, remove the magazine and ensure that there are no rounds in the chamber. Visually inspect to ensure that the pistol is completely unloaded.

2. Remove the slide from the pistol.

3. Remove the barrel and recoil spring assembly from the slide.


REMOVAL OF THE EXISTING FRONT SIGHT:

1. DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO REMOVE FRONT SIGHT. THIS WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE SIGHT AND THE SLIDE.

2. Place the slide in a non-marking non-abrasive sight press designed to hold the slide in a fixed position.

3. With the muzzle end facing away from you, press the sight (from the base only) from left to right out of the dovetail. *

DO NOT press on the post section; this will damage the sight and or the slide.


REMOVAL OF THE EXISTING REAR SIGHT:

1. DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO REMOVE REAR SIGHT.
THIS WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE SIGHT AND THE SLIDE.

2. Place the slide in a non-marking non-abrasive sight press designed to hold the slide in a fixed position.

3. With the muzzle end faced away from you, push the rear sight from left to right out of the dovetail. Be careful not to scratch or damage any part of the slide.


INSTALLATION OF THE NEW FRONT SIGHT:

1. DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO INSTALL FRONT SIGHT. THIS WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE SIGHT AND THE SLIDE.

2. Place the slide in a non-marking non-abrasive sight press designed to hold the slide in a fixed position.

3. With the muzzle end facing away from you, press the sight (from the base only) from right to left into the dovetail. *DO NOT press on the post section; this will damage the sight and or the slide.


INSTALLATION OF NEW REAR SIGHT:

1. DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO INSTALL REAR SIGHT. THIS WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE SIGHT AND THE SLIDE.

2. Place the slide in a non-marking non-abrasive sight press designed to hold the slide in a fixed position.

3. With the muzzle end faced away from you, push the rear sight from right to left into the dovetail. Be careful not to scratch or damage any part of the slide.


DISCLAIMER NOTICE:

Failure to properly install this sight on your Kahr pistol may result in personal injury, death, damage to the sight system, or damage to your firearm.
Kahr Arms is not responsible for any damages as a result of the installation of this sight system.
Accordingly Kahr Arms factory warranty will void due to improper installation and or damage to the firearm."

[garyb]

Too late for me. Had I read this years ago, I would have sent my gun back to Kahr for an adjustment. I had to adjust the drift on my night sights on my PM because they were most definitely off to the left (consistently from a bench with varied ammo). They were extremely tightly fit. So much so that I HAD to use a punch to drift them to zero. In fact I damaged a brass punch on them and went to a steel one. I taped up the end of the steel one and I did mar the bases a little, but did not damage the glow tubes at all. The marring is barely noticeable but I know what I did. I was worried that I'd never get the drift correct. After about 5 trips from the home adjustment (in a vise) to the range...I got it zeroed. I guess perhaps I was just "DUMB" LUCKY!....HAHA. Thank GOD. It is zeroed now.

[gb6491]

Thanks for posting that Wynn:)
My own experience:
I've used both pushers and brass punches to remove Kahr sights.
Neither style tool caused any damage to the slide or sights.
If I had my druthers, I'll use the punch to remove the sights or at least to get them started moving. Installation: fitted sights and a sight pusher every time.
Regards,
Greg

FWIW, I slightly damaged one of my sight pushers trying to get a CW45 rear sight to move. I finally had to use a punch to get it off.

[muggsy]

You violated the most basic rule of gunsmithing, Gary. Never force anything! Always get a bigger hammer. I've gone to a twenty pound dead blow hammer for adjusting the sights on my Kahr Pistols. If there's one thing that I learned over the years it's that gentle persuasion beats whacking the hell out of it almost every time. Particularly if one of your ten thumbs gets in the way. :)

[garyb]

You violated the most basic rule of gunsmithing, Gary. Never force anything! Always get a bigger hammer. I've gone to a twenty pound dead blow hammer for adjusting the sights on my Kahr Pistols. If there's one thing that I learned over the years it's that gentle persuasion beats whacking the hell out of it almost every time. Particularly if one of your ten thumbs gets in the way. :)

Your are right. I forgot to mention that I went to a bigger hammer too. Man am I ever a dumb @$$. But my gun is on zero now.

[garyb]

Thanks for posting that Wynn:)
My own experience:
I've used both pushers and brass punches to remove Kahr sights.
Neither style tool caused any damage to the slide or sights.
If I had my druthers, I'll use the punch to remove the sights or at least to get them started moving. Installation: fitted sights and a sight pusher every time.
Regards,
Greg

FWIW, I slightly damaged one of my sight pushers trying to get a CW45 rear sight to move. I finally had to use a punch to get it off.

Kahr must be using a good locktite product on them or something. They are the tightest fit I have ever seen.

[TucsonMTB]

LwMBj2Rj0s0

Greg mentions "fitting" the sight to the dovetail. This video illustrates the value of that step in the process, which requires removing material from the sight base to fit into the dovetail more easily. No, a 1911 is not a Kahr, but the principle is the same. ;)

Like Greg, I had to resort to a punch to get the sights off both of my PM40's while they were each carefully secured in a vise. In my opinion, if Kahr were a little more careful to achieve a proper fit during their assembly process, their sights would be easier to change. Whatever.

And, I probably over reacted to the difficult removal experience. During my fitting of the replacement Trijicon night sights, I removed a little more material from their bottom edges than was necessary. Oops! :o

No worries! That made them easier to install without breaking anything. Then, during the first range session, after verifying that they were in the right place, a dab of Loctite made sure the sights wouldn't move unexpectedly.

They work great! :)

http://viewsfromtucson.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Night-Sights-PM40.jpg

[garyb]

I've got the same sights on my PM....not too bad. Wish the rear was flat black and front was FO. Maybe someday I'll change them out...when the night sights fail.

[Foxrep1]

What sight pusher tool did you use? I have read that not all universal pushers work with the Kahr's.



I was perusing the Kahr.com site and ran across a pdf instruction sheet for installation of night sights. The file is available for download here:

https://www.kahr.com/Night_Sight_Installation_Instructions.pdf

It's pretty simplistic... DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO REMOVE THE FRONT SIGHT... or the rear... and removal is from left to right using a non-abrasive sight press.

Kahr emphasizes NOT using a punch and NOT pushing on the posts of the sights, to preclude damaging the delicate glass vials holding the Tritium gas. Any pushing of the sights should be done as low as possible on the BASES with great care taken to NOT damage the dovetails or the sight/slide finish.

Any sizing adjustments should be made to the sights, not the dovetails... with the exception of deburring the entrance edges of the dovetails.

I copied and pasted the page here and edited/corrected the layout, as it did not paste in normal layout.

I hope this is helpful. I've used a minimal press to change and install sights, BUT... I don't recommend anyone do this. It would be best to let real experts do night sight installation. Saving $30 or $40 won't seem like such a great idea if you damage the sights and/or your pistol!

If you don't have a "Non-marking sight press", FUGEDDABOUTIT!

Wynn:)

"Night Sight Installation Instructions

Tools required:

1.Non-marking sight press

All of the following steps should be done with care using a non-marking, non-abrasive sight press. All work should be completed by a certified gunsmith. Please read and understand all instructions before attempting to install sights.

DISASSEMBLY OF FIREARM:

1. With the pistol pointed in a safe direction, remove the magazine and ensure that there are no rounds in the chamber. Visually inspect to ensure that the pistol is completely unloaded.

2. Remove the slide from the pistol.

3. Remove the barrel and recoil spring assembly from the slide.


REMOVAL OF THE EXISTING FRONT SIGHT:

1. DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO REMOVE FRONT SIGHT. THIS WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE SIGHT AND THE SLIDE.

2. Place the slide in a non-marking non-abrasive sight press designed to hold the slide in a fixed position.

3. With the muzzle end facing away from you, press the sight (from the base only) from left to right out of the dovetail. *

DO NOT press on the post section; this will damage the sight and or the slide.


REMOVAL OF THE EXISTING REAR SIGHT:

1. DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO REMOVE REAR SIGHT.
THIS WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE SIGHT AND THE SLIDE.

2. Place the slide in a non-marking non-abrasive sight press designed to hold the slide in a fixed position.

3. With the muzzle end faced away from you, push the rear sight from left to right out of the dovetail. Be careful not to scratch or damage any part of the slide.


INSTALLATION OF THE NEW FRONT SIGHT:

1. DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO INSTALL FRONT SIGHT. THIS WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE SIGHT AND THE SLIDE.

2. Place the slide in a non-marking non-abrasive sight press designed to hold the slide in a fixed position.

3. With the muzzle end facing away from you, press the sight (from the base only) from right to left into the dovetail. *DO NOT press on the post section; this will damage the sight and or the slide.


INSTALLATION OF NEW REAR SIGHT:

1. DO NOT USE A PUNCH TO INSTALL REAR SIGHT. THIS WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE SIGHT AND THE SLIDE.

2. Place the slide in a non-marking non-abrasive sight press designed to hold the slide in a fixed position.

3. With the muzzle end faced away from you, push the rear sight from right to left into the dovetail. Be careful not to scratch or damage any part of the slide.


DISCLAIMER NOTICE:

Failure to properly install this sight on your Kahr pistol may result in personal injury, death, damage to the sight system, or damage to your firearm.
Kahr Arms is not responsible for any damages as a result of the installation of this sight system.
Accordingly Kahr Arms factory warranty will void due to improper installation and or damage to the firearm."

[wyntrout]

I used a Sight Master Sight Pusher Tool


T1003
1
$59.95


That I got from glockstore.com

It was "specifically" for Glocks with the angled pusher, but it had a straight side as well, and I used it on Glocks and Kahrs. It had to be held securely in a vise and use 3/4" wrenches or sockets... VERY carefully... to keep from damaging the sights (Tritium vials!) or the dovetails on the slide.

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m620/wyntrout/New%20glock%20G43%20pistol%20for%20Wifey/G43%20TruGlo%20TFX%20Pro%20sight%20installation/IMG_7537.jpg

I used fiberboard to built up the slide's height to position it and to hold it securely without damage.

I'll try to find the post on that. http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?28961-Sights-for-Wifey-s-new-Glock-43-finally-arrived!&highlight=sight+pusher




http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m620/wyntrout/New%20glock%20G43%20pistol%20for%20Wifey/G43%20TruGlo%20TFX%20Pro%20sight%20installation/IMG_7538.jpg

These work if you're VERY CAREFUL and CONTINUALLY make sure that you're not damaging your sights or the slide. There's a lot of force being exerted and you can easily cause damage.

I used these sights, but there are others available on Amazon.com and from Google searches.

I've bought several other sets now and have sold all but the NcSTAR sight pusher that came in yesterday. I want to do a review and post on it, but I could see right away that the pusher part will only push against the part of the sight higher than the frame... NOT the lowest part of the sight within the dove tails as I would like. I think that this will wind up on the table at the next gun show. I'm dreading spending the money, but I still think the Wheeler Engineering Sight Pusher Tool is the best... except for use on Springfield XD's... that gave me pause when someone reported shearing the screws that hols the "pusher" part on the first attempt to move XD sights... notoriously hard to remove... evidently, more difficult than Kahr sights!

That one is $240 retail, but I've seen it for about $185 delivered. You have to do a lot of sight installation or adjustment to justify that price. There ARE more expensive setups. If there had been one in stock ANYWHERE, I would have bought one, but now I've bought several $50 sight pushers and have been disappointed in them enough to resell them without even trying them.

I would advise anyone to use a local COMPETENT gunsmith to have sight work done... especially if you don't need that service a lot.

Wynn :)

[b4uqzme]

That one is $240 retail, but I've seen it for about $185 delivered. You have to do a lot of sight installation or adjustment to justify that price. There ARE more expensive setups. If there had been one in stock ANYWHERE, I would have bought one, but now I've bought several $50 sight pushers and have been disappointed in them enough to resell them without even trying them.

I would advise anyone to use a local COMPETENT gunsmith to have sight work done... especially if you don't need that service a lot.

Wynn :)

That was the advice you gave me when I first came here. It was good advice then and is good advice now. $30-40 for a gunsmith is cheap compared to the price of a really good pusher. Let the smith buy that thing.

If I cannot get the sights to move in a good vise with a punch, I'm calling the smith.

[berettabone]

I just paid to have the sights moved on my M&P. $25.............worth every penny.....

[wyntrout]

I like to be able to do things myself, but I have a past history of not using the correct tools, or using them improperly in a hurry. I learned to slow down with the sight removal and installation.

I'm awaiting the arrival of the Wheeler Engineering Sight Tool today. After I ordered it, I was looking at the pictures and see that it doesn't put the force at the bottom of the base of the sights as I desire, but it does have a flat and an angled pusher and can do front sights.

Amazon had them for just under $175 delivered Amazon Prime... not cheap, but I had to pay another 12 something in taxes. I hope that I'll be satisfied with it. I have to fiddle with the sights on my two P40's. I'll see how it works and do a review on it. I'm no expert, but I've done maybe a half dozen or so pistols now.

Wynn :)

[dustnchips]

I paid $40 to a gunsmith to change the back sight on my CW380. He bore sighted and test fired it to. I would have burned that much up in gas and ammo to get them right and been frustrated in the process.

[fuzzy4life]

I had read several places where it says not to use a punch but i have always used a brass drift on handgun sights and never had a issue. I may finally break down and make me a sight pusher this week at work before i put the sights on my CM9, but the hard headed side wants to use a drft just so i can say i did lol. Im also still having all kinds of trouble deciding on a F/O front sight or night sight front. Also having a issue deciding on all black rear or a night sight rear the only thing i have decided is that my sight will come from dawson precision because no one makes a sight for the CM9 that has FO and NS all in one.

[Genin]

I just installed my TruGlo TFX sights on my MK9 and it was not a problem at all. I used a cheapo Amazon sight pusher too and they were just as easy/hard as any other sight I've installed on a pistol. I'd say just take your time and adjust the tool when needed and you'll be fine. You can see the process and pics in this thread I posted:

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?29987-TruGlo-TFX-on-my-MK9

[PBJ]

Hi Wynn, I have the TFX Pros on another firearm and love them.

Tru Glo says they don't have the Pros for a P380, has anyone found them designed for a different model that will also fit on the P380?

Thanks