Installing Dovetail Front Sights with Dave Dawson

[@larryfine4498]

Probably the best, most detailed and well explained sight replacement video I've seen. Love the idea of the vise for measuring your center.

[@JesseMrozowski]

This just makes me really appreciate any sights where they screw the front sight on.

[@claudiodominguez.]

Go Glock !

[@LordKinjin]

Thank you Dave! 10 1/2 years later, this video helped me easily install one of your fiber optic sights.

[@trelewis3]

One day, I hope to attain a fraction of this mastery and confidence in a smith's tools. People don't get it; when you start to dedicate yourself to pistol marksmanship and the upkeep of these machines, you begin to learn so, so much. First and foremost, you learn how little you actually know about crafting and repairing something as precise as a quality sidearm. 10/10 video, mad helpful

[@budmarchlewski3241]

Dave, after the intial results searching for sight replacement videos (think, air chisel!) I knew there had to be a better way. You have impressed the heck out of me. By far one of the best how-to videos I've ever seen. Thank you so much! I'm now going to your website. You've gotten yourself another loyal customer.

[@navyguy6431]

I ordered two magazines from you for my Springfield Armory 1911 and you saved my life. The factory magazines were trash but you made my first 1911 a whole lot reliable. Thanks a lot!!!

[@billtshudy3653]

Just installed one of your sights on my Bul Armory Commander. This video was priceless. Probably the best instructional video I have used. Much appreciated Sir.

[@DawsonPrecision1911]

Awesome, thank you!

[@Razor_36]

If Dave recommends something I'm going to roll with it. I'm not going to question it because I'm pretty sure he knows exactly what he's doing. ;)

[@blt981]

I feel stupi$ after watching him work..I. Thought just a sight tool would do…

[@QualityMaximus]

Honestly, this should be a "master class" for how to best and properly install iron sights. All the tips (and tricks) are the secret sauce for doing it without damage and swearing!

[@promiscuousalgae]

Hey Dave, thanks for this video. It made me realize I need to just go ahead and get a professional to do this for me instead of trying it myself!!

[@A73ELKYSS]

Good solid explanation Dave. Very thorough and easy to follow along. I will be replacing my Beretta Vertec with one of your products as soon I determine what size. Thanks again. Not sure why some people feel the need to criticize a professional who goes to the effort to explain the proper procedure he/she has used for maybe hundreds of sights. Hell, your not exactly charging anything for some knowledge transfer. Hey critics, if you can do it better, great, go for it. No need to sit anonymously criticizing others who put in the effort. Better yet, why not point others to your KZbin channel explaining the "better" way.

[@dalecauthen9086]

Thanks, Dave. It's been awhile since I've done one and it's good to have a refresher and the detail on how to do it right before I tackle this HK USP 45 Expert. Great video by the way !

[@jasonh8043]

Thank you for the outstanding video Mr. D. There are thousands of well meaning, but maybe not so qualified video posts on how to change sights. Learning from a skilled, knowledgeable, EXPERT, is priceless. I've got D.P. sights on 3 of my pistols, and they REALLY work. THANK YOU !

[@MartinGarcia-zl1kv]

Just wanted to say Thank You Very Much Mr Dawson! Just today I put my Dawson Precision front sight on my P320 X5 Legion. Did it EXACTLY how you recommended. Vice block?? Nope, 1/8" birch taped to the vice jaws. Snugged it up and it didn't move one bit. Tapped it out with the aluminum punch you supplied (taped of course). Got lucky and got it perfectly centered (after about 30 min of pure OCD taking over lol) micrometer says dead nuts even. Saved me from buying $300 worth of sight pusher. Oh and not a scratch on the slide either. We are at 1/3 co-witness and the bore sight says we are good to go. Will update after next range trip.

[@zarrdoss]

Thank you so much for posting this video. I just got in a front sight for my M&P and didn't want to pay a gunsmith for something I was 99% sure I could do it. Your video made me 100% sure I could do it and pulled it off in no time. Thanks again!

[@hardpawn]

EXCELLENT presentation. Well filmed, clearly explained (with no rambling or extraneous comments), good sound quality and very informative. Perhaps the best how to video I have seen on KZbin or anywhere else! Thank you. PS I would kill to have that shop :)

[@Billy_Darley]

this guy makes a great instructor. wish there was a college near me where this guy taught every class.

[@getoffmylawn8986]

Great lesson. I learned to go slower... WAAAAAAY slower. Never did the Loctite either. Good tip.

[@cuttheknot4781]

Dawson, you ought not make videos of your work because precision is NOT what your mouth or hands indicate. Additionally, using an old ratty toothbrush to scour over a fiber optic rod is just plain ignorant.

[@mikeslay3294]

Having bought many of his products over the years I can assure you that the Precision part of Dawson Precision is an accurate reflection of the quality of his products.

[@tscooter22]

Look up ignorant. I really mean that.

[@joejeans7913]

Hey Buddy I just bought one from you guys. It was awesome of you to send out a tool too! thanks. I had no idea . I thought it was a screw like Glocks !

[@stkftg]

If i could shake your hand, I would. You have saved me money and time sir. Thanks for what you do on this channel. Punching that red subscribe button.

[@johnnypea5369]

more craftsmanship is needed to install the sight than I previously realized!!

[@ErikS308]

i had to remove .05 off the dovetail of mine to make it fit. It is tight and not budging though. A little at a time.

[@andrewdawson248]

From one Dawson to another, thank you for the new front sight and instructional video. Looks great on my P320 cowitnessed with a DPP

[@zoanyway]

Best dovetail sight installation video on the whole world wide web. THANKS!

[@paulscountry456]

Great customer service, great product.

[@KB17Race]

The tape trick for aluminum jaws was worth watching the video. Thanks for the idea.

[@jogoseaventuras1515]

I'm from Brazil and I put a Dawson in my Glock. Wonderful, I've never been so precise in my shots. congratulations

[@Gary1911A1]

I've installed your front sights myself, but never really knew the correct way to do it. Thanks!

[@pauldodson2018]

Dave, Thank you. I was just about to take my sights and gun to a gunsmith. Then I watched your video and remembered that I have a triangle file. I had to tap a little harder than I expected, but hell-it worked.-Paul

[@my38walther]

+Paul Dodson I did my SR9c about...maybe 2 years ago. Followed the instructions to the letter and NoProbLamo. Lost track of how many rounds I've fired since, how many times I've holstered. Sight is awesome. Just got new Fiber optic to replace this weekend.

[@KBoiShootingChannelUSPSA]

Thanks for sharing Dave! Gotta love the super speed movement as VR4154 indicated!

[@seabizcut88]

Dave’s videos are the best

[@davidpayne3604]

Excellent tutorial...Ive ordered a full FO set for a CM9 Kahr....Excellent quality sights...thanks for the instruction

[@PilatusTurbo]

The VISE TRICK. Why didn't I come up with that? Excellent info, Dave! I've installed many sights, and the rears are the worst for caliper testing for dead center, but NEVER thought about using the vise jaws and calipers like that. Thank you!

[@elchacon6304]

Great video!!! And you are correct. XD sights are SUCH A PAIN IN THE BUTT to remove or adjust.

[@mygooglusername]

Love the pvc paper towel holder. Nice work shop.

[@roberthenry7954]

Yes

[@markdavidson7510]

great trick using the calipers off the vice...many thanks for the tip!

[@daspiper8941]

I've archived this video for future use. Thank you much for making it.

[@ugotit33x]

I'm impressed with your work shop. Excellent

[@warplanner8852]

I'm impressed with his clean finger nails! Seriously, anyone whose hands are that clean works carefully with his tools. Wonder if he can replace my Rock Island's sights?

[@Alpha1Training]

Thanks Dave ! Just put on new sights with your tutorial. Perfect !! Thanks again !

[@Guitarmike]

Outstanding video, thank you sir. It answered many questions I had about installing my new sights.

[@benlineberry1]

Wished I had seen this *before* I installed my DP sights.

[@KonfliktUnlmtd]

Great video. Getting ready to change out the dovetail in my colt competition and I'll be giving your website a visit.

[@gumbothundereagle8006]

Fantastic Educational Production

[@andrewgross6002]

Blueing pens are life savers!

[@tscooter22]

Thank you for the video. Great stuff. Also, thank you for the tip on centering the sight mounted in the vice. Prior to that I was trying to measure off of the slide, but getting consistent readings is virtually impossible with some slides having curved edges. I just finished mounting a front sight on my Sig P320 and I guess my older eyeballs are better than I think because it was almost perfectly even on both sides. One of these days I need to order co witness sights for my Walther PPQ 5 match with an RMR red dot. My Sig P320 RX and S&W Performance center M&P 9L came with raised sights, but not the Walther. Grr. Anyway, the next set of sights are coming from Dawson Precision. One reason I hesitate is because I'm not sure what size to order. I'll have to spend time figuring that out.

[@nolatone]

Outstanding video. I’m going to order a Dawson to replace the front on my USP expert.

[@RedRoyce]

Thank you sir! I want to change my sights soon and am going to use Dawson on my old girl. Thank you again well done.

[@Beastmode-t5q]

I liked the joke about the tooth brush. Great video, Thanks!

[@debbiemarsh1878]

you r the best hands down bro

[@the45er]

Wow, great video. I tell you what though, I bent a brass gunsmith's punch trying to just drift the front sight a tad on a new Springfield Armory EMP 40 S&W. Jeez that thing was in there like granite!

[@509Gman]

The way he said “use a toothbrush of somebody you’re mad at, or an old one” I thought he meant an elderly person, not an old toothbrush 😂

[@Razor_36]

My friend just purchased sights from DP for his M&P and wants me to install them. I had no idea they actually come with aluminum punches for these particular sights. I mean who does that? What company actually provides that level of "We really don't want you to mess this up" service?! Being someone else's new pistol I thank you for this video because I DO NOT want to mess this up!

[@alexandergriffin7794]

Excellent video. Thank you

[@DawsonPrecision1911]

You are welcome!

[@Hashbrownxpress]

YOU ARE THE MAN!!! I learned something in the 1st 1:15 seconds lol. Liked and subscribed

[@VR4154]

LMAO!! That was super speed head movement at 1:51. Nice video.

[@jasonpeters9363]

oh also on the vise. they make padded jaws that work great. you can get a set for about $35.00 and any local hardwear store.

[@getoffmylawn8986]

Jason Peters Also, 1/4" thick square of leather works very well.

[@redmudpei]

using the vice jaws to figure dead center, genius!

[@engineglue]

It had never occurred to me that I could use the thin rod on the digital caliper that extrudes out of the end for measurements. Thank you. :)

[@ErikS308]

Great video, to say yours are made oversized is right. Thanks for the fitting instructions. For once I was a gunsmith and didn't break out a dremel. LOL

[@larrycassidy1702]

Great video. Thanks for the info.

[@ivdomo]

Great video, thanks. Wish I had this when I installed mine, I screwed up the first one and had to order another.

[@nkcwilliams]

What kind of blue pen are you using to remove the aluminum?

[@redmudpei]

Old comment, but if someone is looking, it looks like a birchwood casey blue touch up pen

[@JamesPanning]

Great video. Very helpful. Thanks.

[@rmoore2536]

You can glue leather on your vice also. Good vid

[@johnbearjunkyard]

the toothbrush line got me

[@davidthorpe6139]

Very helpful. Thanks. Now if you could show how to use a very small shaped charge to blow out XD-S sights, that'd be great.

[@FATL0L0]

Thank you , this is a class A VIDEO

[@votefraudnet]

Great video Dave...you are Awesome!

[@vepr12allday12]

Damn. Now I gotta buy a bunch of stuff. lol. excellent video.

[@josephherron7671]

So, about the locktite. If you use that. What happens if your site breaks off? Don't say that won't happen, because it happened to me TODAY.

[@vanguardlh9548]

You're putting Locktight as insurance to better hold the front sight in place. But the sight hasn't been zeroed to the whole gun yet (not just on the slide, but how the slide fits on the frame, and how the barrel gets positioned), plus the customer might want the sight drifted to compensate for their grip, aiming, ammo, or whatever is causing their grouping to be consistency off center. Or, are you recommending they replace the rear sight with once that has both elevation and windage adjustments instead of trying to make the front sight take care of windage offset? If that is permanent Locktite, it'll be a bioche to adjust the front sight later.

[@5516dk]

Not sure I'm confident to try it myself. Damn considerate of Dave to explain what is involved. Not sure but loctite is in red, blue and green? Dave used green. Excellent video. Thanks! Now...if I could just determine my sight cut.........

[@clems6989]

Nice bench setup !!

[@ianwilson6623]

That was the best instructional replacement vid I've seen. Gr8 job mate. Are you able to do a front sight replacement for the new Baretta m9a4, please? I've even been trying to get a special vice thing to fit the slide, they have concave sides towards the front, that makes it imposable to use a general sight remover, can you recommend one?

[@clems6989]

Nice shop setup.....

[@aaronshoyt]

Nice job! you got yourself a new subscriber..

[@mitchcornacchia968]

Nice work bud thanks

[@thomase.vaughan1231]

I have a Ruger P 90 and want to replace the sights with trijicon sights. I am not a gunsmith so I was wondering how hard of a project this might be. I have a rear sight pusher but I need to know what I will need to do a complete job. Thanks for your help.

[@thomaskirk582]

I have a new HK P2000 V3. The sights were off center when I received the gun. A gunsmith at my local range did a rough adjustment, but the gun still shoots a little low and to the left. He told me that replacing the front sight would not fix the shooting low problem. It was my understanding that replacing the front sight would fix the shooting low problem and moving the rear sight a little to the left could help with the problem of shooting to the left. Am I right or wrong? Thanks Tom

[@MyS10Rocks]

Excellent video, do you manufacture your own aluminum punches? If so, can you give me the dimensions of the end of it? I'd like to make a few.

[@gunrobot]

Great Video!! Hope to see more of this!

[@jjgolf4fun]

Hello, can you share the information on the Blue Pen?

[@GetMeThere1]

I wasn't completely clear about what differences would make him decide to sand off the bottom of the front sight vs. file the side dovetails on the front sight. I have a Dawson M&P22 front sight I'm trying to install right now, and it's a bit too tight. I don't have precision calipers handy to measure slot depth.

[@Ryan-vw8sq]

My first sight install, i jammed the rear sight halfway in and it wouldn't budge in or out. So I put it in the freezer overnight to take it back out. I re-pushed the sights the second time around and i'm pretty sure I force fitted it (which by your video, its not the way to go) but it did go through. So my question..does leaving the sights in a freezer overnight help with the install? Or is it just some bogus a mechanic told me? I'm thinking it might not relate since sights are too small to retain cold temps for a long enough time.

[@sunrisesurfbum]

I was a machinist, we sometimes would pack a part in dry ice for several hours to shrink it to make a press fit. Also sometimes we'd use heat to expand a sleeve to put it on a shaft fit. Or sometimes we'd pack the shaft in dry ice, then heat the sleeve. The rule of thumb was 0.001" expansion for each 1" of diameter, so for example you'd have to heat a 10" sleeve until it was 0.010" oversize at least, then it would slip on, then when it cooled you had a 0.010" press fit -- very tight. So I'd guess that your method for guns is OK but let's hear what Mr. D has to say about it.

[@WalkerArmory]

Do you recommend loctite 620 for front sights on M&P's as well?

[@jasonpeters9363]

this is a great video! i am a gunsmith my self (Matlock arms repair) when will you post some videos with trigger jobs and such?

[@grey59s]

I have an XD mod.2. The front sights moved by themselves the last few times I shot. I was able to move it back with a scissors and my bare hands, but it moved again just from shooting. Idk how to make it stick permanently. Is this something that could be fixed fairly easily?

[@surfish01]

I like the way you talk. Straight forward and no bull. I'll be picking up a fiber optic sight from you soon. What are your thoughts on using a sight pusher for 1911's?

[@johnanderson2320]

Should the back have more tolerance considering they usually have a set screw and that would be the sight most commonly adjusted?

[@LesRinehart-u6i]

Sharpening stone is best for sights to remove material

[@jimcox7054]

How about getting some old geezers Yugo 24/47 and replace the front blade. I got the cover off, and I even got the old blade out. Thought I was badazz. However, getting the new on in is a different level. I am going to apply everything from 8:00 minutes, on, but would love to have the real deal. great job, by the way!

[@ThaiTanCorner]

Concerning dovetail 1911 like Kimber do I tap left to right looking front he rear. I notice you tap right to left. I remember reading some where sights dove tail are tapered wide to narrow. Please help clarify. I appreciate it, nice detail video

[@KyokushinKichiKai]

Great video! Thanks alot.

[@wac8516]

can dove tail front sight on go 100 wiley clapp with Novak sights go out and in from either side??? can't find info on this and don't want to screw it up if removing sight needs to go out a certain way. thank you

[@eklipto101]

I hear they are a bugger to remove the factory one's...I'm goin to order the sight from you guy's, do you be sending the aluminum or the steel part to remove it???? PS; by the way thanks for the instruction and the time you put into it

[@donjennings2975]

Thanks Dave !!!

[@556suppressor]

Can you drift the front sight out later on since it has Red Loctite holding it in ?

[@bryangartland533]

If I buy another front sight from you will you guys install it if I mail my slide. I have no site now on my gun I tried installing one of your sites and it just will not fit into the slide. I’ve always dealt with glock sites that just screw in

[@cd155mx]

helpful vid. thanks

[@thomasrudolph7404]

Amen about not being able to stand having a pistol that doesn't hit exactly where you want it. I just bought a Sig P229 brand new. It came in 40 but I wanted 357 sig. Well it obviously came set in 40. I was shooting 1 1/2" low and it was eating me up. lol

[@g26westgate]

Great video. May I just know if I purchase a front sight that has the correct angles to begin with, will filing of the front sight still be required?

[@Ryan_Rothford]

Can you use a sight pusher to change out 1911 dovetail sights?

[@MrTattooed81]

I installed hiviz sights on my shield 9mm took it to the range and the rear sight started walking off as I shot it so I loctited it with high temperature loctite