[Dirty_J]

Boy was that fun! Potentially the most challenging sight removal I've ever experienced!

I used a pusher from SightPusher.com

A buddy had a stock Springfield FO front laying around after he swapped to Trijicons, so he just gave them to me. Figured I'd slap'm on my XDm 4.5

I'd read all the posts about how tight they are fitted and man... they weren't kidding!

It was very challenging to get the slide lined up in their jig, but I was able to get it going. It actually deformed the nose of their pusher and slightly bent the edge of my stock sight.

The new FO would go only about 3/16" in to the dovetail, so I elected to do a bit of filing to fit it a bit better. A few swipes of the file and it would go about 1/4 of the way without force. The sight pusher had no trouble getting this one in and centered.

So while not impossible, I certainly don't think it's feasible to do it without a pusher of some sort and a great deal of finesse!

 

[lexpbeltran]

Front sight was kinda wide to my liking, not much light in coming from the L and R side, Im having a hard time hitting targets 15 yrds and above, especially if its a half USPSA metric or classic target with half of it painted as no shoot or hard cover exposing only the A zone.

Removed my sight the hard way, DIY. Dremel and Dawson aluminum punch did the trick, didnt mar, ding or scratch the slide. Just drilled straight in the middle, and when I can see the black of the slide exposed in the thinned out FS I stopped. Then pushed it using the aluminum punch. Had to soak it for a while for 20 minutes in ATF/acetone mix before I started hammering away.

 

[bigdawgbeav]

When I replaced the FO on my 5.25 for a thinner one, mt smith had to actually cut out the original.

 

[Dirty_J]

I got mine off "mostly" intact.

 

[lexpbeltran]

Replaced mine with a .115 Dawson FO

 

[Codydog]

@Dirty_J. Ha, I wished some of the dozen or so I've removed and installed looked so good. I wound up making a 3/16" punch ground flat on the bottom, with a concave notch that cups the dovetailed blade. It works like a charm, where pushers have broken the sight blade or marred the sight or frame.