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New sights on Colt Defender Installed by RK Gunsmithing

Since my wife is from the area, we make it over to the Boise and Nampa area quite often. Having said that I have most of the major "gun caves" (gun shops, gunsmiths and the like) as my regular haunts when we are in the area.

A week or so ago, at the wife's insistence I picked up a set of Meprolight night sights for the Colt Defender. Obviously, they needed installation. Last Friday (December 20) we stopped in to RK Gunsmithing with the gun and sights in hand. I asked Robert (the owner) who was behind the counter, how much to install? He said he'd be happy to install them for free while I waited. "Cool!!!", or so I thought.

Draw your own conclusions.

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Disappointed does not properly convey how I feel. I expected much more from a professional gunsmith. He beat the hell out of my gun, but I guess I got my money's worth. Or am I making more of this than it should be?

Thankfully the tritium inserts still shine as they should though.
 
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Oh my, I to use doe skin and uhmw or gorilla tape. The marks on the sight can be cleaned right up with some dicropan, i get it from Brownells. It hides those marks.

Every once and awhile I need to use a large flat face starrett punch for sight install, but if you hold it in place it won't bounch and leave marks. Your slide can be fixed pretty easy. Remove the sights, tape up and bead blast and it will look like new.
 
I spose since you didn't pay anything, you did get your money's worth, but that still sucks. What would really bother me is that it looks like he installed them from the wrong side. Don't know for sure if it's the same with a pistol, but on a rifle they install from the right side, not the left like these were.
 
I spose since you didn't pay anything, you did get your money's worth, but that still sucks. What would really bother me is that it looks like he installed them from the wrong side. Don't know for sure if it's the same with a pistol, but on a rifle they install from the right side, not the left like these were.

Yep, same with a pistol.
 
I spose since you didn't pay anything, you did get your money's worth, but that still sucks. What would really bother me is that it looks like he installed them from the wrong side. Don't know for sure if it's the same with a pistol, but on a rifle they install from the right side, not the left like these were.


All this pistols I have done the sights go from the right. I hold the slide in a vice, use a .1875 shank with a flat from a carbide boring bar. I get the sights centered on the slide within .001 or so... Never had to drift a set.
 
RK Gunsmithing has done work for me in the past, I didn't spend much thought on having them install these sights. To me this is "gunsmithing 101". I figured he would use a sight pusher, not beat the crap out of my gun and sights. Turns out I could have done a better job in my garage with the tools I already have using the methods you guys mentioned.

Thanks for the replies guys. I have purposely tried not to think about this, so I haven't even checked this thread. I wanted some time to think this over and for this to "digest". This is why my original post was short on a lot of words but long on pics. However, I posted my thoughts in the form of a review on google linking back to this thread so hopefully the reader can be better informed and draw their own conclusions. (I can't believe RK Gunsmithing has a 4.4 rating with 12 reviews)

The damage is done. I'd love to send them a bill for the refinish, but it would likely be a futile effort. Now what concerns me the most is the installation was done from the incorrect side. Opinions? Is or can the slide now be screwed up to the point it won't accept new sights after bead blasting and/or refinishing?
 
RK Gunsmithing has done work for me in the past, I didn't spend much thought on having them install these sights. To me this is "gunsmithing 101". I figured he would use a sight pusher, not beat the crap out of my gun and sights. Turns out I could have done a better job in my garage with the tools I already have using the methods you guys mentioned.

Thanks for the replies guys. I have purposely tried not to think about this, so I haven't even checked this thread. I wanted some time to think this over and for this to "digest". This is why my original post was short on a lot of words but long on pics. However, I posted my thoughts in the form of a review on google linking back to this thread so hopefully the reader can be better informed and draw their own conclusions. (I can't believe RK Gunsmithing has a 4.4 rating with 12 reviews)

The damage is done. I'd love to send them a bill for the refinish, but it would likely be a futile effort. Now what concerns me the most is the installation was done from the incorrect side. Opinions? Is or can the slide now be screwed up to the point it won't accept new sights after bead blasting and/or refinishing?
I have little experience with installing pistol sights, but plenty with rifle sights. Many times the replacement sights you get will have to be trimmed a bit to get them in the dovetails on rifles. Since these clowns installed the front sight on the pistol from the left side, the dovetail cut may be damaged, perhaps not. Anyway, the rule of thumb is to ALWAYS fit the sight to the dovetail on the barrel or slide, NOT the other way around. I have some shim material of varying thickness, brass and aluminum, that can be obtained at some hobby stores. I sometimes find I need to cut a small piece of shim material to get a sight to stay tight in a damaged dovetail. I have had much worse experiences with some gunsmiths. My brother lives in Nampa. Is RK the shop near the Nampa airport?
 
Is there a good place in the Portland area, to have sights unbuggerred, on a Makarov?

I bought one that had sights installed incorrectly and the front is very loose.
 
Is there a good place in the Portland area, to have sights unbuggerred, on a Makarov?

I bought one that had sights installed incorrectly and the front is very loose.
Try Kevin Ridling in Salem. 503-930-5160. He has installed scope blocks for me for vintage scopes and does good gun work overall. He is what I would call a "Competent Gunsmith".
 

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