No.4 MkI methods to tighten a loose front sight blade.

[Towarzysz_Beagle]

Hello,

I have a front sight that has started to wander in the base. It isn't super loose but can be moved by hand with a little effort.

It's the solid style sight base (so no tightening screw) paired with the front sight with the split dovetail base (correct sight for this base).

I had an idea on how to correct it but wanted to run it by the brains trust. Could I simply but the sight upside down in a vice and hammer something into the split in the base to widen it and thus widen the dovetail, increasing the tightness of the fit?

If that's not an option my next best idea is shim stock, however I am open to suggestions.

Information

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[Steve H. in N.Y.]

I did the hammer and vise method once and it worked well. You don't have to hit it very hard.

[Doco overboard]

That’s as good as any I suppose glad it worked.
Sometimes , a light stippling of the dovetail slot will raise just enough metal to give an extra purchase to prevent unwanted movement.

[Brian Dick]

Take a small hammer and just tap the front and rear edges of the top of the dovetail on the sight base until it holds the sight blade tight again.

[Mk VII]

I would just change the sight blade, and if that didn't work, the sight base as well.