Removing Ruger 10/22 front sight

[Prepper]

I'm trying to replace the Ruger 10/22 sights with tech sights but I can't get the stupid front sight off of it first. It says to hit it with a brass punch; I asked the guy in the hardware store if they had any brass punches and he looked really shocked that anyone would request such a thing and pointed me at the steel punches. I got one of those steel punches but its not doing any good; the sight won't budge. I also don't have a vise or any other way to clamp it still. Laying it on the carpet sideways isn't sufficient.

Is it bad to put WD-40 on the sight? Would that hurt anything? I've never put WD-40 on a gun before and I suspect its a bad idea.

How about a dremel cutting wheel? I'm sure that'd cut through, but is that going to do me any good if I can't get the new sight back on? How tight is this thing going to fit?

If a vise is really necessary for this, what's something that I can buy locally (like at Home Depot) that'd suffice for work like this, rather than wait a while longer for yet another package? And I have no workbench so I'm not sure what I'd clamp it to.

 

[matt]

I was able to get mine out with a few good whacks from a plastic mallet. Set it up on the counter with the muzzle against the counter to and give it a good whack. You may need another set of hands to hold the hammer, punch, and rifle all at once.

When using the steel punch, be careful not to peen the sight down into the dove tail.

WD-40 shouldn't hurt anything.

Dremmel and gun don't belong in the same sentence generally speaking, IMHO. Particularly in this situation.

Matt

 

[jar]

I had a friend hold the barrel down to the table (resting on a pad), and gave it a few good whacks with a hammer and steel punch. Brass punches seem to be a specialized gunsmith tool, hardware stores don't carry them. I had to hit it much harder than I was expecting. Once I started having trouble, I did put some CLP on it, which seemed to maybe help.

 

[dwarven1]

Prepper, you can use steel punches - you'll never need the old sight again, and the new sight will go in easily - you need to make sure that you can LocTite the screw to hold it in place, though.

If you want, I do have brass dowels that work fine for punches - if Marlboro's not too far to drive, you can come down and we'll put your 10/22 into the vice and go to work on it at my place. PM me and let me know.

 

[Garys]

Prepper,

Get a set of punches and a small hammer from Midway USA. The punch you want to use is in there. Put the rifle on a counter and be sure to support the barrel. I'm probably over paranoid, but when I did mine I was afraid of bending the barrel. Even a slight, inperceptible bend might effect accuracy. Use the punch and hammer and tap, tap, tap, until it comes loose. Take your time and be patient. I didn't use a vice, but you could as long as you support the barrel.

Gary

 

[dsm]

I had to beat the piss out of mine. Tap, tap, tap as someone else suggested was not doing a damn thing.

I supported the barrel end in a v-notch in a piece of wood so that the dovetail part was well supported. Started with piece of stout brass rod for a punch and kept hitting harder, all I ended up doing was mushrooming the end of the brass. Switched to a steel punch and it did eventually move. Figured I was never going to use the old sight again anyway, but it actually came out pretty well unharmed.

It looked to me like there was some sort of locking compound in there so I also tried some modest heat and soaked some acetone into the joint. I don't think the heat helped, but I do think the acetone might have.

 

[JonJ]

I took the action out of the stock and laid it down on it's right side on a couple of pieces of 2X4. I put my knee on the receiver to hold it flat and the to hold the sight above the 2X4. Once it broke free, I moved the front of the barrel off the edge of the 2X4 to clear the sight and tapped it out the rest of the way.
I didn't have a brass punch so I used a brass machine screw. It took a couple of good whacks to get it to budge. Don't be afraid to hit it. Make sure you're driving it out from the left side.
I'd be interested to hear how tight the new front sight sits in the dovetail. Mine is loose. The new sight goes in from the right side.

 

[dsm]

I'd be interested to hear how tight the new front sight sits in the dovetail. Mine is loose. The new sight goes in from the right side.

Mine is very loose, I can actually insert it from either side. Setscrew with threadlocker seems to be holding fine though, the sight is solid in mine.

 

[JonJ]

Mine is very loose, I can actually insert it from either side. Setscrew with threadlocker seems to be holding fine though, the sight is solid in mine.

Mine will go in either side as well. I don't like how loose it is. There's a noticeable gap on the front of the sight in the dovetail when I socked down the set screw.

 

[hminsky]

I installed the Tech Sights on my Ruger. It took some progressively harder whacks, with a brass punch, and the end of the punch was a little flattened when I was done. I really did hit it pretty hard, and I was being as careful as I could to not bend the barrel.

I got the front and rear sights on, and the front sight centered as close as I could on the barrel. When I took it to the range, I needed to crank the rear aperture over quite close to the left end of its travel, to sight it in. So I'm a little concerned that I might have bent something a bit. But on the other hand, the thing is super accurate, I can hit clays on the berm at 50 yards pretty well, so I'm happy with the setup.

 

[Prepper]

Wow... no amount of banging is even making this budge at all. I did succeed in breaking the handle of the punch though with all the hits from the hammer.

The front part of the sight is pressed firmly against the barrel but the back part has a gap... looks like the sight may have originally been slightly warped before it was forced in here. That'll make it more difficult to get out.

Are you sure a dremmel is a bad idea? I've cut through padlocks with the thing; worked really well except for breaking a few cutting wheels. I just don't want to accidentally cut past the sight and into what holds it; that'd be bad.

 

[dsm]

Wow... no amount of banging is even making this budge at all. I did succeed in breaking the handle of the punch though with all the hits from the hammer.

The front part of the sight is pressed firmly against the barrel but the back part has a gap... looks like the sight may have originally been slightly warped before it was forced in here. That'll make it more difficult to get out.

Mine didn't move either, until it moved. Does that make sense?

The reason there is a gap is not because it was warped, it's because they peened the rear bottom of the dovetail on the sight. The metal was upset there, that's why it fits so tight. I was going to take a picture of mine to show you what you are fighting against but I can't remember where I put it!

 

[Prepper]

Mine didn't move either, until it moved. Does that make sense?

The reason there is a gap is not because it was warped, it's because they peened the rear bottom of the dovetail on the sight. The metal was upset there, that's why it fits so tight. I was going to take a picture of mine to show you what you are fighting against but I can't remember where I put it!

It does make sense actually.

I'm putting the sight problem aside for now and switched to trying to modify the trigger group (hammer, springs and extended mag release) for the someday-to-be LTR. The good news is I got it all apart... the bad news is I now have a pile of tiny pieces sitting on a shelf. The mag release and plunger are the only parts I managed to get back into it. For some reason this web site everyone recommends only shows how to take it apart and not put back together:

http://www.alpharubicon.com/leo/triggerruger1022(two).htm

 

[dsm]

I'm putting the sight problem aside for now and switched to trying to modify the trigger group (hammer, springs and extended mag release) for the someday-to-be LTR. The good news is I got it all apart... the bad news is I now have a pile of tiny pieces sitting on a shelf. The mag release and plunger are the only parts I managed to get back into it. For some reason this web site everyone recommends only shows how to take it apart and not put back together:

Here's one that shows how to put it back together:

http://www.ruger22.com/newpages/hammer-in.htm

There's a lot of interesting stuff from the top of that site at http://www.ruger22.com

I just ordered a replacement hammer and sear, so I will be going through the trigger group myself when that comes in.

I took mine out Sunday and shot metallic silhouettes for the first time (for both me and the gun). Had some fun and did ok I guess for a first-timer, I got 24 out of 40. Would have done better if I had access to a 75-yard range in advance, I had to work that distance out at the actual shoot, whereas I was prepared for 25, 50, and 100 years. Kind of fun to actually knock something over instead of just putting a hole in a paper target. I'll be going back next time.

 

[Prepper]

Thanks for that link; I glanced at it briefly and it looks much clearer. Will try tonight. But, I don't see anything about the big "hammer cocking spring"... my kit came with one... should I replace it? If so, how? Does that little disc at the end of it pull off to the side? It looks like it is under a lot of tension so this could be tricky.

 

[Prepper]

No matter what I did, I couldn't get that front sight off using the recommended ways. So, I resorted to a dremel cutting wheel and managed to cut the thing off. I only slipped once, and that's just a cosmetic problem. But then guess what! The Tech-Sight was actually wider than the dovetail base! No way was this thing going in as-is. So, a few more minutes of dremel, and I'm able to tap in the sight with the punch and hammer.

Trigger housing is all assembled too, thanks to those helpful links. That part was actually pretty easy once I know what needs to be done. I hate getting the charging handle and bolt back in though -- argh!! Nice trigger pull now... to the range tomorrow.

 

[dwarven1]

to the range tomorrow.

Harvard for the mini Appleseed, I hope!!

Ross

 

[Prepper]

Harvard for the mini Appleseed, I hope!!

Ross

Oh there's one today? Nope, not yet... so what's the schedule for the mini Appleseeds? BTW, I haven't got the sling in yet... I'm a bit nervous about drilling holes in my stock.

 

[dwarven1]

Not sure what the schedule is, but there is one from noon to 6. I'll have a couple of LTRs with me if you want to borrow one. And, of course, even if you don't have your sling, we can show you positioning and the six steps to firing a shot anyway - do NOT let the lack of a sling stop you from coming out!!

 

[Prepper]

Not sure what the schedule is, but there is one from noon to 6. I'll have a couple of LTRs with me if you want to borrow one. And, of course, even if you don't have your sling, we can show you positioning and the six steps to firing a shot anyway - do NOT let the lack of a sling stop you from coming out!!

Sounds good, I'll try to make one. 6 hours is quite a bit of time at the range... I was exhausted after 2.5 hours today, never done any that long.

I just got back from the range having tested out my Tech Sights and other upgrades for the first time. Groups are within 1" at 25 yards, although not necessarily exactly where I want the groups to be. I'm still not used to that style of sight... not exactly sure how close my eye should be or what parts of the front sight I should be getting positioned in front of the rear sight. I assume I want the top of the post centered, but not sure about the two curved thingies on the side of that post.

But anyway, this is at least as good as I used to do with the cheap optical scope I had on top, with the main difference being that I can't tell where I hit after I shoot anymore. Figures I forgot to bring my spotting scope today.... that would have saved tons of walking.

 

[Mike-Mike]

oil it and treat it like a first date!

 

[JonJ]

Sounds good, I'll try to make one. 6 hours is quite a bit of time at the range... I was exhausted after 2.5 hours today, never done any that long.

I just got back from the range having tested out my Tech Sights and other upgrades for the first time. Groups are within 1" at 25 yards, although not necessarily exactly where I want the groups to be. I'm still not used to that style of sight... not exactly sure how close my eye should be or what parts of the front sight I should be getting positioned in front of the rear sight. I assume I want the top of the post centered, but not sure about the two curved thingies on the side of that post.

But anyway, this is at least as good as I used to do with the cheap optical scope I had on top, with the main difference being that I can't tell where I hit after I shoot anymore. Figures I forgot to bring my spotting scope today.... that would have saved tons of walking.

The 6 hours session flew by. It's not 6 straight hours of shooting. There's instruction and a bit of history thrown in which pulls the whole experience together. I'm happy I did it and you will be too. The two day "Official" must be intense. I plan on doing an "official" and yesterday's mini was a great primer.

Besides the Project Appleseed Forum, there's a couple of other pages that have info that's easy to find:
http://appleseedshoot.blogspot.com/
http://appleseedproject.blogspot.com/

This link http://groups.msn.com/TheMarylandAR15ShootersSite/sightsopticsfaq.msnw has some very good info on sights and what you should be seeing. The whole site has some very information.

 

[Bob P]

I got it done! Woo hoo! Had to bang the shite out of the front sight to get it off but using the 2 2X4 on the floor method I got it and the rear sight off, replaced them with the tech sights (letting the locktite blue sit now), did the trigger group (Ross, I was a wimp and bought a hammer/bolt release set - I'm not that experienced with a stone and didn't want to make an MG).

Be patient, be patient and be patient again. Got my swivels on, got my sling and now a trip to the range to sight it in and I'll be ready to go.

 

[KMM696]

Nice! Some of them do take a beating to get moving.

February Appleseed???

Since you bought the aftermarket hammer, you might as well try stoning your factory part. If it doesn't work, you can just toss it. Load with 2 in the mag for function checks if you're concerned about MG malfunctions. Oh, and hockey pucks make a nice bench block for pounding on stuff, especially if you drill a hole through it for driving pins into, and put a groove across the top with a router for holding round pieces.

 

[Mikey]

I just put the tech-sights on my 10/22 today. The old sights came right out with a couple taps with a brass rod, the new tech-sights went in very easily as well. Where I messed up was tightening the set screw, I went too far and ended up with a bend in the dovetail part of the tech sights. So now the muzzle end of the tech-sights is tilted up. I think they will still work just fine but if not I may have to buy a new front sight. So for those who are installing tech-sights be aware that the metal is quite soft so pay attention.

 

[Bob P]

Nice! Some of them do take a beating to get moving.

February Appleseed???

Since you bought the aftermarket hammer, you might as well try stoning your factory part. If it doesn't work, you can just toss it. Load with 2 in the mag for function checks if you're concerned about MG malfunctions. Oh, and hockey pucks make a nice bench block for pounding on stuff, especially if you drill a hole through it for driving pins into, and put a groove across the top with a router for holding round pieces.

I would really like to. I can't commit for sure right now as I'm waiting on biopsy results for my wife. She may be in the middle of a chemo course and might need me to drive her. I'll know better in a few weeks.

 

[KMM696]

Hope the biopsy turns out well - If you can't make the Feb. one, there's no shortage of them later in the year. Family first.

Best wishes to you and your wife.

 

[neum69]

Reviving an old thread to add my two cents on removing the stock 10/22 front sight. Tried laying it first on a 2x4 as noted above, and the sight just wasn't moving. Stuck the barrel tip in a vise, with a leather glove wrapped around it to keep from marring the barrel, and the sight came out with medium level tapping. It seems that immobilizing it so the sight takes more of the energy from the hits is really key.

 

[TBalls]

Reviving an old thread to add my two cents on removing the stock 10/22 front sight. Tried laying it first on a 2x4 as noted above, and the sight just wasn't moving. Stuck the barrel tip in a vise, with a leather glove wrapped around it to keep from marring the barrel, and the sight came out with medium level tapping. It seems that immobilizing it so the sight takes more of the energy from the hits is really key.

Holding the barrel stationary is definitely the key, but when all is said and done I find the dremel approach less frustrating.....as long as you know you're never going to use the front sight again and you have a reasonably steady hand.

 

[jefftk]

Well I guess that explains why this thing is such a bitch to get off. Notice the bump designed in to the bottom of the sight. I ended up attacking it with a dremel tool (which is why part of it is missing in the picture) in addition to pounding it with a hammer. I figured with a new front sight worth about $6 on midway I wouldn't miss it... plus considering how hard that was to get out I can't really envision wanting to put one back in.