Well, sorta.
So, I pick up a new set of Truglo TFO sights from Pistol Gear. They arrive 3 days after ordering (All the way up here in Alaska, no less). I'm really impressed with their service and turn around, BTW. I pop in Don's Guide rod and a 22 lb. 1911 Compact spring. Nice, there's a good deal more resistance when I work the slide.
Then I go onto the meat of my day's modification activity, the sights.
Holy cow. I read a bunch of threads here saying how much of a bear they are to remove off an XD. I have a black 4" model. Good grief! I've broken two brass punches, found an excuse to go buy a new drill press vice so I can do this sort of work, completely ruined a perfectly good plastic mallet, and broken a steel punch on the sights.
End result: My sights are beat to hell, but I've been careful and only barely messed up the finish on my pistol. The sights are dented all over, and the darned thing probably won't shoot straight -- maybe. I'll give Springfield and the Croatian designers credit, the sights can take a beating. They're dented, but still straight and have not moved at /all/.
Any other tricks and tips? I've frozen the slide for 10 minutes to two hours, and used a soldering iron to try to hear the loctite up to melting point. Nothing's worked. I'm almost embarassed to bring this mess to a gunsmith at this point, and would like to get the new sights installed before my range day tomorrow.
So, I pick up a new set of Truglo TFO sights from Pistol Gear. They arrive 3 days after ordering (All the way up here in Alaska, no less). I'm really impressed with their service and turn around, BTW. I pop in Don's Guide rod and a 22 lb. 1911 Compact spring. Nice, there's a good deal more resistance when I work the slide.
Then I go onto the meat of my day's modification activity, the sights.
Holy cow. I read a bunch of threads here saying how much of a bear they are to remove off an XD. I have a black 4" model. Good grief! I've broken two brass punches, found an excuse to go buy a new drill press vice so I can do this sort of work, completely ruined a perfectly good plastic mallet, and broken a steel punch on the sights.
End result: My sights are beat to hell, but I've been careful and only barely messed up the finish on my pistol. The sights are dented all over, and the darned thing probably won't shoot straight -- maybe. I'll give Springfield and the Croatian designers credit, the sights can take a beating. They're dented, but still straight and have not moved at /all/.
Any other tricks and tips? I've frozen the slide for 10 minutes to two hours, and used a soldering iron to try to hear the loctite up to melting point. Nothing's worked. I'm almost embarassed to bring this mess to a gunsmith at this point, and would like to get the new sights installed before my range day tomorrow.