moving rear sight on XD9

[ThatFishGuy]

hey everyone,
I went shooting the other day, and i feel that i've got a good feel for my pistol now and can consistently hit my target to 25yd. (havent tried farther) I can get really good groups at 10-15 yds. but out at 25 my rear sight is very noticeably off center. i have to hold to the right quite a bit. downrange the distance is close to a foot i'd say. (so POI is about ~1ft to the left of where i aim). So is there any easy way to move/push my rear sight. I have limited access to tools, but i do have a few pin punches. can I fix this without having a gunsmith do it? Im kind of cheap like that...

thanks,
Sam

ps. normally i wouldnt really care about having to hold left/right but im trying to practice for my first IDPA competition, and i know i'l have to shoot off hand/eye so i dont want to deal with factoring in the sight adjustment.

[jasilva]

You can move the rear sight with a pin punch but you have to put a piece of tap on the end of the punch for each and every blow with the hammer or you'll cut the tape and mark your sight up(trust me on this).

[Gryff]

Sam,

Two things. First, the factory XD trigger causes many people to shoot low and left until they get used to it. Make sure you are putting your finger into the triggerguard no further than the first joint (the closer to your finger tip the better).

Second, the XD's sights are a royal ***** to shift. Many people can't get them to go at all...even when beating on them with a hammer. I actually bought an XD sight pusher for my XD45, and it still wouldn't budge the sights. If familiarity with the trigger doesn't fix the problem, then you are going to need to measure how far off the sights are at your chosen distance, and then send the slide to Springfield for adjustment. The good news is that sending the slide alone can be done by USPS Priority Mail, so it is much less expensive than sending the whole gun.

If you want to wait until July, I can let you borrow my sight pusher. But unfortunately I won't be at this weekend's match due to work.

[gucci pilot]

Gryff is right on about the XD rear sight being a PITA to move. My XD-40 came to me with the rear sight on backwards. Yep, must have been a "Friday gun". The gun store I bought it from broke their sight pusher and the thing didn't budge. Had to send it back to Springfield. I did get it back in under a month, though...

[ThatFishGuy]

I've tried everything with the trigger. And i've practiced enough so that the elevation doesnt change on my POI very much. its really just the lateral movement. And the groups are consistent enough that i am pretty sure it is in fact the sights. that and i can see that the rear sight is not centered on the slide. its slightly to the left. If i cant move them i will have to send them to SA later this summer.

Gryff- thanks for the help and offer. I actually wont be around for summer as i'll be back home in socal.

[Gryff]

My brother had to send his in for adjustment. He had it back in about 10 days, and they reimbursed him for his shipping cost (so be sure to send a copy of your shipping costs receipt with the slide).

[FieldsofFire]

I experience somewhat the same thing with my XD-40. It'll do slightly down and left of where I aim (or where I think I'm aiming before I pull the trigger) at 15-20 yards. As another member mentioned earlier, this could be a common thing in relation to the stock triggers on XD's. I thought the gun was just slightly off before but I'm kind of inclined to believe the trigger thought now because I had a trigger job done recently that eliminated the take-up and overtravel, as well as lightened up the trigger to 3-4#; I group a lot tighter now and no longer as far down and to the left. It still does ever so slightly but in general, my groupings go more up and down now in pattern. I guess for me, any sight adjustment isn't worth it anymore, at least not on what I use the XD for now.

[ThatFishGuy]

Ya i dont doubt that the trigger plays a part. SO its either the sights or i actually pull the trigger very consistently, which i guess is a good thing. My groups are only a couple inches at 10yds. with very little movement in any direction. they are very consistent......to the left, though elevation is correct for POA.

I did try to push the sight today with a hammer and punch. and as you guys stated it was a B*****! i think i got it to move a few thousandths of an inch. almost enough but i was scared to hit it any harder for fear of marking up the slide. grrr....

[Gryff]

I did try to push the sight today with a hammer and punch. and as you guys stated it was a B*****! i think i got it to move a few thousandths of an inch. almost enough but i was scared to hit it any harder for fear of marking up the slide. grrr....

Yep. I went Samsonite Gorilla on my XD45's sights. Tried penetrating. Tried heating it. Tried freezing it and then heating it. No joy.

From what I hear, most gunsmiths tell you in advance that they will destroy the sights in the process of replacing them. Personally, I feel that this is a flaw in the XD production that needs to be remedied. Sights in a dovetail really do need to be drift adjustable by a reasonably knowledgeable end user.

[ThatFishGuy]

ya and i just called a few of the local gun shops and none of them have the tools/ or are willing to do it. and they didnt know of anyone besides the factory to send it to.... lame. you know though, i didnt try penetrating oil.... (im stubborn as all hell and will not be defeated by a 1/2" piece of metal)

[Voo]

As Gryff already pointed out, the XD sights are a NIGHTMARE. Go over to the XD forum and you'll get plenty of corroborating testimony confirming this.

You can send it off to Springer Precision, Canyon Creek, or Springfield Armory OR try and DIY. I simply cut the sight in half with my dremel. Once I did this, a hammer and punch got it out. It's stupid that they press them in with so much force. I dont see why SA won't resolve this. It's not like it would be anymore difficult to cut the rear sight to fix this.

[tziggs]

Good luck moving the sights on the XDs. It's easier to just have corrective eye surgery to fix your aim.

I agree with everyone else...let the pros take care of the sights if they need a fix.

[ThatFishGuy]

this sucks. so much for using it this weekend. No shops in the area care to do it. I'll just have to send it to SA when i get home.