Another Loose Rear Sight

[boomer656]

The sight is back on .... and good to go. The fix only involved one unplanned trip to the store. I thought I had a tube of blue loctite on hand, but found that what I actually had was a blue tube of red loctite.

[Brian Dick]

I've tightened them up by just peening the edges of the dovetail with the flat end of a ball peen hammer. It works for any dovetail and eliminates having to use a prick punch or Loctite, glue.

[WarPig1976]

I've tightened them up by just peening the edges of the dovetail with the flat end of a ball peen hammer. It works for any dovetail and eliminates having to use a prick punch or Loctite, glue.

Same point I made except one can peen the sight itself and leave the receiver alone. A tiny divot is all that's needed.

[Brian Dick]

If you carefully peen the whole length of the dovetail, it'll last forever. You can stake it again like the military did, preferably in the same spot if it's already been done before. The problem is the receiver dovetail, not the sight.

[Jefe]

I agree w previous poster- Blue Locktite.
Clean off sight/ sight base well. I use brake cleaner.
Works.

[boomer656]

Thanks to everybody for all the good advice. I've gone with the blue loctite 'solution' to the problem. If it comes loose again, then I'll try one of the other approaches. As it is now, the sight is positioned right on the original stake mark and seems to be working well.

Attachment 93237

Now I just need to spend more time on the range.

[DaveHH]

With all due respect: peening the entire dovetail is an irreversible undertaking. You bend a piece of steel that may break and you can never go back if the sight breaks or becomes unusable. If you have to take it out, you will beat it out and the new one will have to be hammered in. Fresh Loktite will hold perfectly and can be removed chemically.

[Brian Dick]

No offense taken here. It's simply the correct way to do it and I've done many with no problems over many years. The problem is a loose dovetail and the fix is as old as firearms have been in existence. If you want to glue things, that's your choice but it's not a correct Armorer's repair. You don't need to beat the crap out of it in the process either. "Nuff" said.

[INLAND44]

I think some do not understand what we are saying about peening the sight base dovetails rather than the receiver dovetails. It is simply standing the sight base up on one end or the other with the 'down' end resting on the pointed edge of the dovetail on an anvil. Then you gently peen the upper edge, flattening it a very small amount. Now when you push it back into the receiver dovetail, it will be tighter. You may have to do it again, depending on how loose it is.
In this way, you are not harming anything, in particular the receiver, and taking the sight back out or simply adjusting it will not be a problem. If you get it too tight, you just take it out and file a tiny bit of the peened steel off.
You are not working on the receiver sight bridge at all, only the base of any of the carbine sights.
Usually this is a VERY SMALL peening that will never be noticed.