Wheeler sight tool vs P365 replacement sights and some PM9 musing

[dao]

I'll probably put the oil on one side and then lay the slide down, allowing the oil to penetrate downwards if it will. Let it sit for awhile and then try the same thing from the other side. Then after that sits, put some oil on the exposed portions of the dovetail and try to slide them out.

Thanks for the tips Greg!

[finpro]

I'll probably put the oil on one side and then lay the slide down, allowing the oil to penetrate downwards if it will. Let it sit for awhile and then try the same thing from the other side. Then after that sits, put some oil on the exposed portions of the dovetail and try to slide them out.

Thanks for the tips Greg!

This is what I do when removing sights. It is hard to say exactly how much it helps, but it seems logical to pre-lube things that have to move under pressure. It likely helps sometimes and I can't see any real downside.

[finpro]

I don't have any hands on experience with that, but have seen discussion on it. Folks seem to be split as to whether or not you can tell the difference.

Someday, I would like to try a Schuemann AET barrel. These use gain twist which according to their website is: "...a gain twist barrel engraves and spins the bullet up gradually. Just in front of thechamber the rifling is parallel to the bore. The twist of the lands gradually increases as the bullettravels down the bore and the bullet is not fully spun up until it reaches the muzzle.Gain twist offers several advantages over constant twist. Instead of a sudden jerk, to engrave andspin up the bullet when the cartridge is fired, there is a gradual process of first engraving the bulletfollowed by a gradual bullet spin up which is completed just as the bullet leaves the muzzle. Thisprocess does not stress the bullet like a constant twist barrel does. Gain twist eliminates the jerk onthe gun caused by the sudden spin up of a constant twist barrel."






Greg

This is the first online mention of Schuemann gain rifling that I recall. I had two .45s, a Government Model and a Commander made with these about a decade ago using Caspian frames. The GM was to be purely for competition and is all stainless. The Commander was to be for concealed carry and was to be done with a titanium frame, which required a barrel with an integrated feed ramp. When we were acquiring the parts, Caspian was unable to deliver titanium frames and the gun was made with stainless, yielding a very bright, heavy, relatively low round count pistol that I never carried. It also had feeding problems that the original gunsmith was not able to fix. This gunsmith, a great friend, tragically died of an aneurysm, far too young. I sent the Commander to 1911 genius gunsmith Virgil Tripp in Texas who fixed it with some feed ramp work.
The GM is an excellent shooter. The Commander seems fine, though I have not shot very much. (It was not IDPA legal due to its bushingless cone barrel being slightly too long.) I cannot tell you whether these pistols shoot better than any other comparable 1911 pattern guns. I suggest that you research this further and let us know what you find. Good luck and Happy New Year!

[Alfonse]

Anyway, I decide to put some rounds through the PM9. I haven't done that much of late as I've been shooting the 365 and Hellcat (especially the Hellcat after installing a trigger kit in it and waiting for the SIG's sights). I had squeezed off a couple of rounds... right on the mark as the PM9 always does, when it occurred to me that the PM9 doesn't torque as much in hand during recoil. I fire off some more round with this in mind and it sure seems the PM9 recoils back and straight up a bit. In contrast, I remember the Hellcat torques off to the side some when recoiling (not good for retaining one's grip). At the moment, I can't recall exactly how the 365 recoils. With recoil being somewhat subjective, I don't want to read too much into this, but as food for thought... the PM9 sure seemed more controllable than the Hellcat was the last time I shot it. I'll have them all out together soon, hopefully with some other folks, to give this a closer look.

Regards,
Greg

I had the P365 and Hellcat out together 2 weeks ago. I had both with their smallest mags and smallest base plate, like one would use for pocket carry. With the Sig, I can get a 2 1/2 finger grip. On the Hellcat, my pinky just dangles in the air with not a bit to get hold of. The Hellcat was comparatively painful to shoot making the web of my hand between my thumb and fingers pay a price for each mag shot. I'll have to bring the PM9 next time, but I know it doesn't get my hand that same way.

On the sights, I love my Wheeler tool. Some days I'm pulling a bunch of sights on and off for photos, testing, etc. Most of them are pretty easy, but I have had a few that really fought back. The worst ones I clamped in a large vise, with hardwood between the jaws and the slide. My brass punches kept deforming, so I used heat, steel punches on that critter and a good sized hammer. Got it though. I can't remember the pistol, but I do remember that the sides of the slide weren't exactly vertical making it more difficult to clamp and hold. In the Wheeler tool, it wants to cock to the side when moving the sight which makes it easier to hit the top of the slide with the jaw. Most of them come off relatively easily compared to the way that one finally moved.

[dao]

Got my pre-Nov2004 sights for my MK9. Now to find the time and courage to see how my Wheeler will do with sliding the old ones out. They sure are bright compared to the 18-year old set that are in the slide now

[dao]

Well, success!
I think Kahr's reputation for very tight and hard to drift sights must predate the production of the Wheeler tool. I had no trouble pushing out the old ones, or pushing in the new ones on my MK9 Elite 2000. And I did not have to profile the new set at all. I did have to reset the slide up in the tool twice after the initial installation in order to align the rear sight with my bore sighter, moving it about 1/32" the first time, and just a smidge the final time. Sights are in, aligned and the finish on the slide is no worse for wear.
I used Hoppe's #9 to penetrate the old sights (and lube the new ones), and was happy to see after letting the slide set for about twenty minutes that the oil had flowed down and was wicking out the other side just a bit. But to be safe I turned it over and applied a bit more to the other side and let it sit for another 5 minutes. I set up the tool for front and rear and they both slide right out. I'm only exaggerating a little to say that I've pushed factory Glock sights out that were tougher.
I'll let the gun sit for a month or so until the oil has a chance to dry out and then I'll try to get some blue loctite to wick down the channels.
Thanks for the tips and the gentle nudge guys. This was a job I put off for a long, long time that turned out to be a walk in the park.