Softer than brass steel?

[ilcop22]

Good morning,

I attempted to install a set of Meprolight TruGlo sights on a Springfield XDm 40 last night. I had no issues removing the factory sights (they were extremely tight, as expected), and no issue drifting in the rear sight. The front sight, however, was severely damaged by my brass drift punch. The steel sight acted like lead being hit by a ball pein hammer! I e-mailed Meprolight, but I don't expect they'll offer a replacement. Anyone else run into this before? :groner:

[Mooseman]

Maybe it is the reason why Gunsmiths use sight Pushers on front sights !

[deltaenterprizes]

Are you sure it is steel and not blackened aluminum?
I did run into a 22 LR barrel on an old Winchester that deformed when I was tapp it into the receiver after recrowning and had to do the crown again and tap on the receiver to reinstall the barrel, held the barrel in the vise

[hickstick_10]

Good morning,

I attempted to install a set of Meprolight TruGlo sights on a Springfield XDm 40 last night. I had no issues removing the factory sights (they were extremely tight, as expected), and no issue drifting in the rear sight. The front sight, however, was severely damaged by my brass drift punch. The steel sight acted like lead being hit by a ball pein hammer! I e-mailed Meprolight, but I don't expect they'll offer a replacement. Anyone else run into this before? :groner:

All the time!!!, brass/bronze hammers will put a good dent in alot of steels. I always used lead, copper or aluminum for tapping and bashing steel parts at work. When I was younger I made the brass mistake as well.

Everyone does it, just dont do it twice!!!![smilie=1:

[MBTcustom]

Use aluminum.
Also, you shouldn't have to beat the ever-loving ****e out of it to get it in if you properly fit it with a sight base file. It should be tight, but if you are ruining the driving face of your aluminum drift (more than reason that is. They all get dinged up.) then you need to tap it out and take another short stroke with the sight file.
Also, buy one of these:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=24775/Product/PRESTO-reg-GUN-BLUE-PEN
The chemical in that pen dissolves aluminum galling/abrasion marks from parkerized/blued steel surfaces. I do mean dissolves! I had a good barrel spin in my barrel vice once, and left rings of aluminum around the barrel. It took a while, but I used the pen to remove every trace of aluminum from the barrel and the bluing was unmolested!
I use the pen to clean up the sights when I am finished installing them, and it looks like they were born there.

[HollowPoint]

I don't know if this applies in this case but, on some dove tails either the sight itself or the dovetail you're trying to slide it into have a small end and a large end.

For example, on the 44 mag I recently sold the rear sight had to be drifted in from left to right. If I tired doing it from right to left the very sharp corners of the dovetail would snag the metal on my sight and I'd end up beating it to death.

The same holds true for some front sight dovetail setups.

By the way; there is a steel referred to as 12L14-steel that is very soft. It's not likely but, possible your sight was machined out of this specific metal.

HollowPoint

[KCSO]

File on the sight not the hardened slide and it souold be a snug drift fit. At the first sign of deformation iit's time to FIT the sight if not before. Even a pusher will deform a sight if it is just too big. As to how the STEEL bends you are using a large mass to move a small mass and the smaller mass will deform. You don't nootice the deformation in the punch because you don't care about it.

[akajun]

Brass hammers and punches work harden ( this is why we anneal brass cases remember?) And can dent/crash unhardened steels. As stated before use aluminum, lead, plastic, etc.

[Multigunner]

Are you sure it is steel and not blackened aluminum?
I did run into a 22 LR barrel on an old Winchester that deformed when I was tapp it into the receiver after recrowning and had to do the crown again and tap on the receiver to reinstall the barrel, held the barrel in the vise

Winchester made a few .22 RF barrels from a non ferrous alloy. It was not a true stainless steel. I forget the composition, but it was not a brass barrel like that used by Hamilton. The Hamilton barrels had a steel outer jacket.

Some Winchester steel .22 barrels are notably soft as well. The older soft steel or iron barrels can get bulged chambers if modern .22 ammo is used.

[MBTcustom]

Some Winchester steel .22 barrels are notably soft as well.
You aint just whistling Dixie! I had to crown a barrel and the brass tipped screws on the spider were trying to dent the barrel steel (1935 vintage) mental not to self: always use copper shim stock.

[JIMinPHX]

Some steel, like (easy machining) 12L14 is pretty soft. Some brass, like half hard, is actually pretty hard & will easily dent soft steels.

[ilcop22]

Thanks for the info and tips, gents. I started a new job and forgot about this thread. [smilie=b:

I ordered a second set (trying to return the first set still) and didn't have the same issue. Alls well that ends well!

I will look into some aluminium punches if I end up with any more sights to install in the future. My pusher is a PITA, and I don't much feel like spending the money on a new one when I rarely swap sights.