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OK, I have a near new HK VP9 with less than 1000 rounds through it. I keep all my things in the best shape possible while using the hell out of them. The slide on this gun was a pristine as it can get shooting it weekly (50-100 rounds indoor range). Since it's also my concealed cary gun and mounted in a closet for home defense, I wanted night sights. I bought them and went to install them with a universal sight pusher, one that I have used to install a couple of sets of night sights in other guns and to adjust sights that were off. The sight pusher didn't fit the VP9 slide as well as I would have liked; rather than tinker with it to make it work and still possibly scratch the slide or damage the tritium sights, I decided to send it to a local gunsmith who has helped me with a few things before, including a night sight install.
Now, I am a fan of doing things well, since I didn't feel like I could have done that without putting more time into tinkering than my schedule allowed, I felt like someone who has more experience with these things could do a better job. Well, I got the gun back and there was a 1cm nick in the slide, not a scratch, but metal, pressed in by a sight pusher that was not aligned well. (See picture). Does it affect function? Nope…
I was kind of shocked to see it and at first thought it might have been part of the slide exposed after replacing factory sights. While I was looking at it and feeling it because it it much deeper than a scratch, the gunsmith said, "oh, that, that's where I had the press misaligned", to which I replied, "it's quite a nick"
He said, "It's better than using a punch and hammer and possibly damaging the sights."
I was a bit flabbergasted, and just stared at it from different angles, until the gunsmith said, would you like to pay with card or cash. Cash it was….. This gun, is, by no means, going to be a "safe queen"; I'm join g to use it and carry it often. I just feel like a defect like this is only ok if it's created through use or if I decided to work on the gun myself, not paying a professional gunsmith to install night sights. I don't know if there are any options to fix this and I think a new slide is completely unreasonable and excessive. I took the gun home, worked in and around the ding with steel wool and 1500 grit emory paper and used some permeable on it to blend it in better, the metal is still displaced but it looks better.
I'm from the east coast, when a job isn't performed well, business folks try and make it right, he didn't. I saw no use making a big deal of it in his office because he obviously didn't think it was an issue, charging me full price for the install.
Here are some questions, because I am relatively new to guns and gunsmithing:
Now, I am a fan of doing things well, since I didn't feel like I could have done that without putting more time into tinkering than my schedule allowed, I felt like someone who has more experience with these things could do a better job. Well, I got the gun back and there was a 1cm nick in the slide, not a scratch, but metal, pressed in by a sight pusher that was not aligned well. (See picture). Does it affect function? Nope…
I was kind of shocked to see it and at first thought it might have been part of the slide exposed after replacing factory sights. While I was looking at it and feeling it because it it much deeper than a scratch, the gunsmith said, "oh, that, that's where I had the press misaligned", to which I replied, "it's quite a nick"
He said, "It's better than using a punch and hammer and possibly damaging the sights."
I was a bit flabbergasted, and just stared at it from different angles, until the gunsmith said, would you like to pay with card or cash. Cash it was….. This gun, is, by no means, going to be a "safe queen"; I'm join g to use it and carry it often. I just feel like a defect like this is only ok if it's created through use or if I decided to work on the gun myself, not paying a professional gunsmith to install night sights. I don't know if there are any options to fix this and I think a new slide is completely unreasonable and excessive. I took the gun home, worked in and around the ding with steel wool and 1500 grit emory paper and used some permeable on it to blend it in better, the metal is still displaced but it looks better.
I'm from the east coast, when a job isn't performed well, business folks try and make it right, he didn't. I saw no use making a big deal of it in his office because he obviously didn't think it was an issue, charging me full price for the install.
Here are some questions, because I am relatively new to guns and gunsmithing:
- Is this kind of thing expected with nigh sight installs? If so, I really should have just done it myself, I definitely would have done it without cutting into the slide.
- Should I have sat there and argued with him? He's a good guy and I like him. I'm definitely not averse to confrontation, but didn't see it as being fruitful at all and a waste of time (of which I don't really have enough).
- What would you guys have done? I am a businessman myself and understand mistakes, I'm also a fair person, but I think, in this instance, I probably would have comped the install. At this point, I'm ready to look for another gunsmith…. any suggestions? One who is detailed oriented and concerned with both function and aesthetics would be preferred.