DRIFT ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS - NO BIG DEAL

Drift adjustable sights can be a pain. I've heard stories of people scratching their guns, making too far of adjustments, or having their buddy hold their gun down while they beat it with a hammer. I have drift adjustable sights and I love them. Once you get them on target, they stay on target and never move - unless you want them to. Here's a way you can make drift adjustments quickly and easily while you're cleaning your gun (which you were going to do anyway, right?).

You will need:

1. A vise. - Any vise will do, even a very small one. I have a 3-inch that works just fine.
2. A metal punch. - You can use any metal rod or even a small screwdriver as long as it is no larger than about 1/8 inch diameter at the tip.
3. A small metal hammer or mallet. - Plastic may work, but not as well. Large ones are too heavy and are harder to control and may deliver too hard a strike. Rubber mallets don't work well for this.
4. Two or three gun-cleaning patches. - Use ones with a really tight weave. Hoppes work well. This is important because you don't want to mar your gun.
5. Two index cards. - You can use two THIN pieces of cardboard of the same size, but index cards work nicely.
6. An allen wrench that fits the set screw in the rear sight.
7. A very sharp pencil. - It MUST be a sharp PENCIL or very-thin mechanical pencil.

The procedure:

1. Remove the slide. It is simpler working with just the slide, and you usually have it apart while you're cleaning it anyway.
2. Decide which way you want to move the rear sight. You are going to fasten the slide into the vise with the top of the slide even with or just above the top edge of the vise jaws. If you want to move the rear sight to the left, you need to fasten the slide in the vise so the barrel-end points to the right. If you want to move the sight to the right, you need to fasten it so the barrel-end points to the left.
3. Fold the two index cards in half lengthwise. Place one on either side of the slide before you place it in the vise. This will give you a few millimeters of good protection from scratches from the jaws of the vise and it is small enough not to get in the way. You may be tempted to pad the vise jaws more. Don't. More padding will just absorb the impact of your strike and cause you to have to strike harder, limiting your control and, perhaps, damaging your firearm. The index cards folded double will be plenty for what you will be doing.
4. Crank the jaws of the vise shut just snugly enough that you cannot make the slide move with an extended finger. Don't tighten it too tight. You can bend the sides of the slide too close together permanently and damage your firearm. Don't worry. You won't be hitting it very hard.
5. Take your pencil, and on the side nearest you, draw a line along the side of the rear sight in the crack where the sight meets the slide. Press the point of the pencil into that space and draw the line well. This will, later, show you if the sight has moved and how far.
6. Loosen the allen set screw enough so that you're sure it's clear. You cannot loosen it too much. Even, removing it doesn't hurt.
7. Place two or three patches over the side of the rear sight where you are going to place the punch.
8. Place the tip of the punch, centered, on the side of the site, over the patches, and give it ONE medium strength rap with the mallet.
9. That was probably enough. Remove the patches and look. If you see any space between the pencil mark you made and the edge of the sight take the gun to the range and shoot it again. You might be surprised how little of an adjustment makes a difference. No matter. If it is too much or isn't enough, you can easily make another adjustment the next night.
10. Retighten the allen screw.

If you're like me, you'll never dread the thought of having to adjust those drift adjustable sights again. After all, if you're using the same loads all the time, you're done. You'll never have to worry about it again. If you like to experiment with different loads like I do, you now are feeling a little more freedom than you were before. Have fun. Adjust at will. It's no big deal.

Thanks for your time dear friend.

P.S. : Instead of index cards, you may use pieces of leather. A couple of thick leather pieces (maybe 1 mm to 2mm thick) will allow you to hold the slide in the vice. It is also preferable if the jaws of your vice are covered with copper pads.