[One of a kind]

The shop is closed for the winter so in order to keep my spirits up I'll post a sight pushing project I built couple years ago.

I needed to remove the rear sight on my Springfield pistol so I could install a laser, I didn't want to use the hammer and punch method to remove the factory sight for fear I may slip and ding the slide, so after studying pusher designs on the interweb I came up with a design of my own. The rear sight was a bear to push out like I had read it would be.

Instead of althread I chose to use a 1/2" hardened grade 8 or 10? flange stud for the threaded rod the brass sight pushing block travels along, and I'm glad I did, I don't think althread would have withstood the force needed to remove the factory installed sight.

The bushings I used were off the shelf, two 5/8 ID were silver soldered to the outside of the frame. The one 1/2" ID inside flange bushing centers the rod on the opposite side of the handle is threaded for the 1/2" stud. I bought the Springfield slide clamp from Brownells, it's for one of the sight pushers they sell.

The force necessary to remove the Springfield sight was so great, I need to reface the bottom surface of the brass handle, it was scarred a bit from being pulled through the hole in the frame. I don't think I'll have the same problem from other gun manufacturers sights.

In the end, I was able to remove the slide and install the laser without damaging the slide, so building the pusher and my hurting fingers from twisting the pushers handle was worth it. I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cheapies found on the web would break a factory installed Springfield sight loose.

[WoodpeckerWelder]

Great piece of work. Nothing better than to see a need for a new tool for a specific purpose and to be able to build it yourself with the the end result being a task accomplished !

[One of a kind]

Great piece of work. Nothing better than to see a need for a new tool for a specific purpose and to be able to build it yourself with the end result being a task accomplished!

Woodpecker, I reach in my bag of failures and successes everytime I start a new project, nothing is lost if I fail, nothing is gained if I don't try.

[electrode]

Great piece of work. Nothing better than to see a need for a new tool for a specific purpose and to be able to build it yourself with the end result being a task accomplished!

Woodpecker, I reach in my bag of failures and successes everytime I start a new project, nothing is lost if I fail, nothing is gained if I don't try.

Great job on a useful tool if you do a lot of gun mods etc. I am still trying to figure out the best CC pistol and I really don't want to buy 20 of them to figure it out. Any tips?
That said...that's the right attitude. I know when I start a new (preferably small) project, I consider the first one the prototype and when it fails my perfectionist attitude I simply say "you have to start somewhere". Then I make a second one from what I learned from the first one and sometimes it fails too. The 3rd one is always the charm. But in some cases the first one turns out to be the best one. Go figure.

[WoodpeckerWelder]

Woodpecker, I reach in my bag of failures and successes everytime I start a new project, nothing is lost if I fail, nothing is gained if I don't try. [/quote]

I think some of my best successes have come from me not knowing that something was supposed to be difficult and thus, not being scared to just do it. Of course there are the occasional spectacular failures, I just try not to screw up the same way twice

[GreinTime]

Great piece of work. Nothing better than to see a need for a new tool for a specific purpose and to be able to build it yourself with the end result being a task accomplished!

Woodpecker, I reach in my bag of failures and successes everytime I start a new project, nothing is lost if I fail, nothing is gained if I don't try.

Great job on a useful tool if you do a lot of gun mods etc. I am still trying to figure out the best CC pistol and I really don't want to buy 20 of them to figure it out. Any tips?
That said...that's the right attitude. I know when I start a new (preferably small) project, I consider the first one the prototype and when it fails my perfectionist attitude I simply say "you have to start somewhere". Then I make a second one from what I learned from the first one and sometimes it fails too. The 3rd one is always the charm. But in some cases the first one turns out to be the best one. Go figure.

I have a Springfield XDM 9 3.8 compact that I love! I'm probably going to get a Sig P320 next though

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[electrode]

I have a Springfield XDM 9 3.8 compact that I love! I'm probably going to get a Sig P320 next though

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

I like 9mm for the price and availability of ammo, but .380 and .40 are also options I consider. Any pro's/cons of these? Then there are the wheel guns and .357 and 45 and that is why I am still deciding. But that Springfield looks nice as does the Sig.

[GreinTime]

I have a Springfield XDM 9 3.8 compact that I love! I'm probably going to get a Sig P320 next though

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

I like 9mm for the price and availability of ammo, but .380 and .40 are also options I consider. Any pro's/cons of these? Then there are the wheel guns and .357 and 45 and that is why I am still deciding. But that Springfield looks nice as does the Sig.

I don't like the way 40 shoots, and 380 has never been a caliber we've owned! I think I'm the first with a 9, and it shoots like a dream. 40 is super snappy, and I don't really like shooting any of the 40 Cal handguns I've tried. I also have a 5" 1911 (shot my leg off with it) if I think things are going to really get serious!

I prefer 45 in a full size gun, and 9 in anything else I'd guess.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[electrode]

I have a Springfield XDM 9 3.8 compact that I love! I'm probably going to get a Sig P320 next though

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

I like 9mm for the price and availability of ammo, but .380 and .40 are also options I consider. Any pro's/cons of these? Then there are the wheel guns and .357 and 45 and that is why I am still deciding. But that Springfield looks nice as does the Sig.

I don't like the way 40 shoots, and 380 has never been a caliber we've owned! I think I'm the first with a 9, and it shoots like a dream. 40 is super snappy, and I don't really like shooting any of the 40 Cal handguns I've tried. I also have a 5" 1911 (shot my leg off with it) if I think things are going to really get serious!

I prefer 45 in a full size gun, and 9 in anything else I'd guess.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the tips and info and opinion on the calibers etc. Dumb question...how did you manage to shoot your leg off with the gun? I know it had to be an accident of one sort or another as the 1911 has about 3 safety's doesn't it? Not drinking and trying the quick draw McGraw I hope.

[GreinTime]

If a 1911 closes hard enough rechambering a round, or if you let the slide fly from wide open, it can 'trick' the firearm into firing by jarring hard enough to simulate a trigger pull if being held with the grip safety depressed. Typically, only after the main spring is worn out by firing a few thousand rounds through it.

Sober, sitting on my couch. Dropped the magazine out, racked the slide to clear the round in the chamber. Didn't notice the round didnt eject properly, let the slide fly and bang! Moved to see where the hole in the couch was, realized my leg wasn't working, found that my pant leg was wet from my knee to my ass in about 5 seconds. Took my belt off, tied a tourniquet as high in my groin as possible, threw my leg over the back of the couch, and called 911. Spent about 9 hours in surgery, where I ended up developing Compartment Syndrome after having blood flow restricted/stopped for so long, and had 2 12-16" incisions from the ball of my ankle to my knee. Tried to see if it would heal for 11 days, performed exploratory surgery and found that 95% of the muscle was dead/dying. I was presented with the choice of having the remove the muscle, and pin my ankle to my shin and my shin to my femur, or amputate. So I told them to amputate! Now I have a fancy prosthetic that BoostedGT from Street Outlaws has signed, as well as some pro drifters!

Shit happens to the best of us my man. I have my life to live, and this was a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of things I've seen happen to people in the short time I've been inhabiting this meat suit. I learned a lot about my friends, my family, and most importantly, my self. I was lucky enough to have my parents with me the entire 18 day stay in the hospital, and had the visitation rules bent every day when my friends would flock in en masse.

I owned my mistake, and am reminded every day that I put my prosthetic on that life will go on, as long as you are mentally equipped to embrace the ride.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[exnailpounder]

I have a Springfield XDM 9 3.8 compact that I love! I'm probably going to get a Sig P320 next though

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

I like 9mm for the price and availability of ammo, but .380 and .40 are also options I consider. Any pro's/cons of these? Then there are the wheel guns and .357 and 45 and that is why I am still deciding. But that Springfield looks nice as does the Sig.

They make guns other than 1911's? Never noticed. I carry a Springfield Armory Range Officer Compact 1911 in .45 acp and I absolutely love it. You can get 1911's in 9mm as well. 9mm is a great round and very managable.

[electrode]

If a 1911 closes hard enough rechambering a round, or if you let the slide fly from wide open, it can 'trick' the firearm into firing by jarring hard enough to simulate a trigger pull if being held with the grip safety depressed. Typically, only after the main spring is worn out by firing a few thousand rounds through it.

Sober, sitting on my couch. Dropped the magazine out, racked the slide to clear the round in the chamber. Didn't notice the round didnt eject properly, let the slide fly and bang! Moved to see where the hole in the couch was, realized my leg wasn't working, found that my pant leg was wet from my knee to my ass in about 5 seconds. Took my belt off, tied a tourniquet as high in my groin as possible, threw my leg over the back of the couch, and called 911. Spent about 9 hours in surgery, where I ended up developing Compartment Syndrome after having blood flow restricted/stopped for so long, and had 2 12-16" incisions from the ball of my ankle to my knee. Tried to see if it would heal for 11 days, performed exploratory surgery and found that 95% of the muscle was dead/dying. I was presented with the choice of having the remove the muscle, and pin my ankle to my shin and my shin to my femur, or amputate. So I told them to amputate! Now I have a fancy prosthetic that BoostedGT from Street Outlaws has signed, as well as some pro drifters!

Shit happens to the best of us my man. I have my life to live, and this was a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of things I've seen happen to people in the short time I've been inhabiting this meat suit. I learned a lot about my friends, my family, and most importantly, my self. I was lucky enough to have my parents with me the entire 18 day stay in the hospital, and had the visitation rules bent every day when my friends would flock in en masse.

I owned my mistake, and am reminded every day that I put my prosthetic on that life will go on, as long as you are mentally equipped to embrace the ride.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

Wow! Thanks for the explanation. Good thing you had your wits and took care of the blood loss with a tourniquet before you passed out or went into shock. You are lucky to be alive the way I see it. That was a very tough situation and you handled it well. Life goes on like you say and I wish you well.

[electrode]

I have a Springfield XDM 9 3.8 compact that I love! I'm probably going to get a Sig P320 next though

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

I like 9mm for the price and availability of ammo, but .380 and .40 are also options I consider. Any pro's/cons of these? Then there are the wheel guns and .357 and 45 and that is why I am still deciding. But that Springfield looks nice as does the Sig.

They make guns other than 1911's? Never noticed. I carry a Springfield Armory Range Officer Compact 1911 in .45 acp and I absolutely love it. You can get 1911's in 9mm as well. 9mm is a great round and very managable.

Thanks for the comments on the caliber and the guns. My father in law has a 1911 in 45 acp and he loves it. He sold his Glock .40 as he didn't like the trigger pull. I hear that a lot about people not liking the trigger pull but it can be ok if you like it as all Glocks have the same feel.

[GreinTime]

I like 9mm for the price and availability of ammo, but .380 and .40 are also options I consider. Any pro's/cons of these? Then there are the wheel guns and .357 and 45 and that is why I am still deciding. But that Springfield looks nice as does the Sig.

They make guns other than 1911's? Never noticed. I carry a Springfield Armory Range Officer Compact 1911 in .45 acp and I absolutely love it. You can get 1911's in 9mm as well. 9mm is a great round and very managable.

Thanks for the comments on the caliber and the guns. My father in law has a 1911 in 45 acp and he loves it. He sold his Glock .40 as he didn't like the trigger pull. I hear that a lot about people not liking the trigger pull but it can be ok if you like it as all Glocks have the same feel.

I hate the way Glocks shoot, I hate the way the trigger feels. The Springfield XDM has one of the best out of the box triggers of any handgun I've personally shot.

Glock vs everything else is going to be a debate that never dies. Ever. My best advice: find a gun store that has a range that allows you to rent a few different guns to try out. You'll never find the right gun for you based on Internet reviews alone most times.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[electrode]

I hate the way Glocks shoot, I hate the way the trigger feels. The Springfield XDM has one of the best out of the box triggers of any handgun I've personally shot.

Glock vs everything else is going to be a debate that never dies. Ever. My best advice: find a gun store that has a range that allows you to rent a few different guns to try out. You'll never find the right gun for you based on Internet reviews alone most times.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

Yeah, that's what I was planning on doing but it's nice to have some research first so I don't waste too much time testing. I see too many people buying new guns and selling them after a box of rounds shot through them and having a new favorite gun until that one goes for sale. I have had a few 32 S&W pistols as everyone wants to get rid of those due to hard to get expensive ammo. My wife has one now from the father in law. I have a nice Ruger Single-Six Convertible I bought years ago and man did those go up in price. Good for plinkin' Thanks for the advice and I guess we better let the OP have his thread back now...

[exnailpounder]

I hate the way Glocks shoot, I hate the way the trigger feels. The Springfield XDM has one of the best out of the box triggers of any handgun I've personally shot.

Glock vs everything else is going to be a debate that never dies. Ever. My best advice: find a gun store that has a range that allows you to rent a few different guns to try out. You'll never find the right gun for you based on Internet reviews alone most times.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

Yeah, that's what I was planning on doing but it's nice to have some research first so I don't waste too much time testing. I see too many people buying new guns and selling them after a box of rounds shot through them and having a new favorite gun until that one goes for sale. I have had a few 32 S&W pistols as everyone wants to get rid of those due to hard to get expensive ammo. My wife has one now from the father in law. I have a nice Ruger Single-Six Convertible I bought years ago and man did those go up in price. Good for plinkin' Thanks for the advice and I guess we better let the OP have his thread back now...

Nah...not yet I have a couple Glocks and when you get used to a crisp 1911 trigger, Glocks long pull/takeup and sudden break is hard to deal with but there is a reason that most of the countries LE departments use them. I don't have an argument one way or another on what anyone should own. It's like women, you need to try as many as you can to see what you really like until you find one that really "does it" for you. But you should also have a couple spares, just in case

[One of a kind]

Great piece of work. Nothing better than to see a need for a new tool for a specific purpose and to be able to build it yourself with the end result being a task accomplished!

Woodpecker, I reach in my bag of failures and successes everytime I start a new project, nothing is lost if I fail, nothing is gained if I don't try.

Great job on a useful tool if you do a lot of gun mods etc. I am still trying to figure out the best CC pistol and I really don't want to buy 20 of them to figure it out. Any tips?
That said...that's the right attitude. I know when I start a new (preferably small) project, I consider the first one the prototype and when it fails my perfectionist attitude I simply say "you have to start somewhere". Then I make a second one from what I learned from the first one and sometimes it fails too. The 3rd one is always the charm. But in some cases the first one turns out to be the best one. Go figure.

You're so right about having to make changes Woodpecker. I don't think I ever built a project that went as planned, often there is that one step I didn't think about or foresee until I got to it, and in order to finish the project I had to cut the project apart and do the misstep.

Woodpecker there are so many nice guns on the market these days, S&W, Springfield, Glock, Ruger, Kimber, SIG, Walther, Beretta, and kar its hard to say which handgun and caliber is right for you.

Things to keep in mind when considering a handgun is the condition of your hands, if you have arthritic or an injured hand that no longer can grip firmly, you probably would be better off buying a smaller caliber handgun, say a 9MM or even a 380 or 38 special revolver. Revolvers don't have slides that have to be pulled back in order to chamber a round. I carry my mom's S&W 38 special snub nose sometimes just because I like it. 38 specials have planted many a bad guy.

The amount of recoil you can handle is a very important consideration even if your hands are not injured or arthritic. But keep in mind your not going to shoot a hundred rounds in a self-defense situation, and your attacker is going to be somewhere between three and four feet away or on you when you defend yourself. I chose a Glock S30 for my carry piece for that reason.


Then you have to decide between a DA/SA semi-automatic pistol and a DAO semi-automatic type fire control mechanism.

A Double/Single-Action pistol fires the first shot Double Action with all subsequent shots being Single-Action.

A Double action only, only fires in Double action like a revolver, but like on a DA/SA handgun you still need to pull the slide back to chamber the first round.

Then you must choose between a pistol that has a magazine safety or one that doesn't.

If a gun has a magazine safety it can not fire if the magazine is out of the gun, I prefer a mag safety. A gun without a magazine safety can fire without its magazine in the gun. Some police officers don't like mag safeties because should they get into a fight with a perp and the perp hits the guns magazine ejection button, the gun won't fire until the magazine is slapped back in the gun.

Then you will have to choose a carry holster. When I have to travel through tough areas I put my gun under a towel next to me on the seat.

Finally, comes Ammo. I shoot Hornady ammo in my semi-auto handguns.

The best thing you could do is go to a gun shop that has all makes and models and feel how each gun feels in your hand, that way you can eliminate guns that look good to you but you shouldn't buy.

Remember this saying, " I promise dear, this will be the last one." you'll be reciting it a lot.

[One of a kind]

Sorry guys, I a double posted, I thought I was editing.

[electrode]

You keep calling me woodpecker.

[electrode]

You're so right about having to make changes Woodpecker. I don't think I ever built a project that went as planned, often there is that one step I didn't think about or foresee until I got to it, and in order to finish the project I had to cut the project apart and do the misstep.

Woodpecker there are so many nice guns on the market these days, S&W, Springfield, Glock, Ruger, Kimber, SIG, Walther, Beretta, and kar its hard to say which handgun and caliber is right for you.

Things to keep in mind when considering a handgun is the condition of your hands, if you have arthritic or an injured hand that no longer can grip firmly, you probably would be better off buying a smaller caliber handgun, say a 9MM or even a 380 or 38 special revolver. Revolvers don't have slides that have to be pulled back in order to chamber a round. I carry my mom's S&W 38 special snub nose sometimes just because I like it. 38 specials have planted many a bad guy.

The amount of recoil you can handle is a very important consideration even if your hands are not injured or arthritic. But keep in mind your not going to shoot a hundred rounds in a self-defense situation, and your attacker is going to be somewhere between 3and four feet and on you when you defend yourself. I chose a Glock S30 for my carry piece for that reason.

Then you have to decide between a DA/SA semi-automatic pistol and a DAO semi-automatic type fire control mechanism .

A Double/Single-Action pistol fires the first shot Double Action with all subsequent shots being Single-Action.

A Double action only, only fires in Double action like a revolver, but like on a DA/SA handgun you still need to pull the slide back to chamber the first round.

Then you must choose between a pistol that has a magazine safety or one that doesn't.

If a gun has a magazine safety it can not fire if the magazine is out of the gun, I prefer a mag safety. A gun without a magazine safety can fire without its magazine in the gun. Some police officers don't like mag safeties because should they get into a fight with a perp and the perp hits the guns magazine ejection button, the gun won't fire until the magazine is slapped back in the gun.

Then you will have to choose a carry holseter. When I have to travel through tough areas I put my gun under a towel next to me on the seat.

Finally, comes Ammo. I shoot Hornady ammo in my semi-auto handguns.

The best thing you could do is go to a gun shop that has all makes and models and feel how each gun feels in your hand, that way you can eliminate guns that look good to you but you shouldn't buy.

Remember this saying, " I promise dear, this will be the last one." you'll be reciting it a lot.

Thanks for the detailed reply and for letting us go a little off topic in your thread. I was trying to avoid that last line " I promise dear, this will be the last one." But based on most hobbies I have started it is easy to keep buying related stuff for years. I am also worried I would start reloading and that is why I am trying to look for a gun that is great and using cheap ammo. I am not arthritic or in any way physically impaired at 6'2" and 230 pounds. But my knees are starting to act old so won't be outrunning the bad guy so I have to be ready. The info on the safety is good to know as a lot of people hate any safety and I didn't know about the mag safety until you mentioned it. I did know about all the actions DA/SA etc but my wife is also going to get a gun so I want to be sure she can use it if necessary but also be as safe as possible do she doesn't accidentally shoot me. JK. Not really. The wheel guns do seem like a great choice too so maybe a SA and a wheel gun would be good. Like a 38 special or 357. The instructor for the CC class had a snub nose 38 special. It was cute. But while we are on the subject can you or anybody explain the different frames and how many there are and which is best and which one is worst?
Thanks

[electrode]

I hate the way Glocks shoot, I hate the way the trigger feels. The Springfield XDM has one of the best out of the box triggers of any handgun I've personally shot.

Glock vs everything else is going to be a debate that never dies. Ever. My best advice: find a gun store that has a range that allows you to rent a few different guns to try out. You'll never find the right gun for you based on Internet reviews alone most times.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

Yeah, that's what I was planning on doing but it's nice to have some research first so I don't waste too much time testing. I see too many people buying new guns and selling them after a box of rounds shot through them and having a new favorite gun until that one goes for sale. I have had a few 32 S&W pistols as everyone wants to get rid of those due to hard to get expensive ammo. My wife has one now from the father in law. I have a nice Ruger Single-Six Convertible I bought years ago and man did those go up in price. Good for plinkin' Thanks for the advice and I guess we better let the OP have his thread back now...

Nah...not yet I have a couple Glocks and when you get used to a crisp 1911 trigger, Glocks long pull/takeup and sudden break is hard to deal with but there is a reason that most of the countries LE departments use them. I don't have an argument one way or another on what anyone should own. It's like women, you need to try as many as you can to see what you really like until you find one that really "does it" for you. But you should also have a couple spares, just in case

Ok, carry on. Glocks give you a few seconds to rethink what you are about to do. But like the OP says, once I get started I will probably become a collector like everyone else. Wish me luck.

[One of a kind]

Heres a gun rest project I built out of 3" square tube, 1" bar stock and 1" althread. I wanted something heavy and adjustable but $100 didn't buy much at the time. I went to my scraps garbage can and pulled out all the steel and althread I needed to build it.

This rest stays put and can adjust for forearms. I bought the rear stockholder from a company in Colorado, the company person I talked with said the US Army uses the same one.

I welded one 1" nut to the bottom of the top plate, tightened a jamb nut under it until all the slop was taken out of the thread and tacked the jamb nut to the welded nut. The adjustable height rest turns so smooth you would think the althread rod and nut were machined for each other.

[electrode]

Heres a gun rest project I built out of 3" square tube, 1" bar stock and 1" althread. I wanted something heavy and adjustable but $100 didn't buy much at the time. I went to my scraps garbage can and pulled out all the steel and althread I needed to build it.

This rest stays put and can adjust for forearms. I bought the rear stockholder from a company in Colorado, the company person I talked with said the US Army uses the same one.

I welded one 1" nut to the bottom of the top plate, tightened a jamb nut under it until all the slop was taken out of the thread and tacked the jamb nut to the welded nut. The adjustable height rest turns so smooth you would think the althread rod and nut were machined for each other.

Looks great. That square tubing is nice for all kinds of projects. I keep all of my scraps and dig through the bucket when I need something before I go cut new stock. Are those small machine leveling pads on the bottom? I need to make one of those. I usually just use the rice bags.

[One of a kind]

Ace yes, they are leveling pads. I bought them from ENCO, now MSC Industrial.com

[electrode]

Ace yes, they are leveling pads. I bought them from ENCO, now MSC Industrial.com

I used the same levelers on my lathe only a much larger size also from ENCO. I sure wish ENCO was still ENCO as MSC just jacked all the prices and pretends everything is 40% off. I spent a lot of $$ at ENCO but none yet at MSC and probably won't.