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rayjax82
Site Supporter
Location: Stanwood Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 Posts: 1920
Real Name: Chris
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So I ordered an FSS polymer trigger kit from Apex Tactical to put in my M&P 9mm VTAC edition. It will be here tomorrow. It says all drop in parts, but the videos show that you have to knock the rear sight out to replace the striker block. After seeing that my comfort level with doing this dropped significantly. I've never fiddle fucked with sights on a pistol before. I'm assuming I could really screw it up, especially if I don't put the rear sight back exactly where it was. Nor do I have a vice to clamp the slide in. Anyone installed one of these trigger kits? Any suggestions? Some people say to deburr and polish stuff? What exactly am I polishing? I am a machinist, so I have some mechanical aptitude. Failing that, anyone know a decent gun smith in the Wenatchee Valley?
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Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:09 pm |
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MadPick
Site Admin
Location: Renton, WA Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 Posts: 52023
Real Name: Steve
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I installed a slightly different variation of that kit in my M&P45 a few years ago. Yeah, I was a little traumatized when I realized that I had to remove the rear sight . . . but I beat the hell out of it with a hammer and brass punch, and it finally let go. That was me holding it in my lap as I beat on it. Yeah, it works but it's definitely not the right way to do it; too much risk of damaging either the slide or your testicles. I recently bought a universal sight tool ( http://www.sightpusher.com/), and I think something like that is a good investment. Maybe now's the time for you.
_________________SteveBenefactor Life Member, National Rifle AssociationLife Member, Second Amendment FoundationPatriot & Life Member, Gun Owners of AmericaLife Member, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear ArmsLegal Action Supporter, Firearms Policy CoalitionMember, NAGR/NFGRPlease support the organizations that support all of us.Leave it cleaner than you found it.
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Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:14 pm |
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rayjax82
Site Supporter
Location: Stanwood Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 Posts: 1920
Real Name: Chris
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MadPick wrote: I installed a slightly different variation of that kit in my M&P45 a few years ago. Yeah, I was a little traumatized when I realized that I had to remove the rear sight . . . but I beat the hell out of it with a hammer and brass punch, and it finally let go. That was me holding it in my lap as I beat on it. Yeah, it works but it's definitely not the right way to do it; too much risk of damaging either the slide or your testicles. I recently bought a universal sight tool ( http://www.sightpusher.com/), and I think something like that is a good investment. Maybe now's the time for you. Thanks! That actually looks fairly simple. I could probably make one.
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Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:20 pm |
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MadPick
Site Admin
Location: Renton, WA Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 Posts: 52023
Real Name: Steve
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A couple more comments on that sight pusher, in case you decide to buy or make one.... I actually bought the big 'un: http://www.sightpusher.com/New--XL-Tool.html. I'm not sure it's necessary, but I figured what the hell, bigger is better. I did the sights on my little Glock 42 with it, and it worked well though I had to put some spacers under the slide to get it up high enough. There are some cheaper alternatives on eBay, but I took Fisher Solutions' claims at face value ( http://www.sightpusher.com/How-do-we-measure-up-.html) and decided to spend the extra for their tool.
_________________SteveBenefactor Life Member, National Rifle AssociationLife Member, Second Amendment FoundationPatriot & Life Member, Gun Owners of AmericaLife Member, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear ArmsLegal Action Supporter, Firearms Policy CoalitionMember, NAGR/NFGRPlease support the organizations that support all of us.Leave it cleaner than you found it.
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Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:26 pm |
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rayjax82
Site Supporter
Location: Stanwood Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 Posts: 1920
Real Name: Chris
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I still might go the gunsmith route for this. Maybe root will chime in with a recommendation for one in the valley.
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Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:33 pm |
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rayjax82
Site Supporter
Location: Stanwood Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 Posts: 1920
Real Name: Chris
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So I did everything in the frame today at my desk and it was pretty easy. Trigger feels much better, if not still a tiny bit gritty. I will be going into my work tonight to knock the rear site out and replace the striker block and spring.
I think replacing the striker block and deburring that hole will do wonders.
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 4:31 pm |
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MadPick
Site Admin
Location: Renton, WA Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 Posts: 52023
Real Name: Steve
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Good progress. I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning's "WTB: M&P Sights" thread.
_________________SteveBenefactor Life Member, National Rifle AssociationLife Member, Second Amendment FoundationPatriot & Life Member, Gun Owners of AmericaLife Member, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear ArmsLegal Action Supporter, Firearms Policy CoalitionMember, NAGR/NFGRPlease support the organizations that support all of us.Leave it cleaner than you found it.
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 5:46 pm |
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rayjax82
Site Supporter
Location: Stanwood Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 Posts: 1920
Real Name: Chris
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MadPick wrote: Good progress. I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning's "WTB: M&P Sights" thread. LOL Best part is if I fuck up I'll be replacing the VTAC sights, LOL.
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 5:48 pm |
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ccontrol
Site Supporter
Location: Aubrey Texas Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 Posts: 384
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rayjax82 wrote: MadPick wrote: Good progress. I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning's "WTB: M&P Sights" thread. LOL Best part is if I fuck up I'll be replacing the VTAC sights, LOL. You will do fine! If I recall the sight pushes out from left to right as you look down the slide from the rear. Be careful, there is a spring under the sight that will simply disappear of you are not careful. Wish you were closer, I'd let you use my sight pusher. I pounded my first one out and hated it. Bought the tool instead.
_________________ "The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is." SGN Feedback 40+ all positive.
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 6:24 pm |
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rayjax82
Site Supporter
Location: Stanwood Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 Posts: 1920
Real Name: Chris
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Thank you. I think my plan is to put it in a kurt vice at work and press it out with a brass punch clamped in the spindle of a bridgeport. Should work. I will keep an eye on that spring.
I hope to god they didn't put red locktite on that set screw though.
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 7:09 pm |
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ccontrol
Site Supporter
Location: Aubrey Texas Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 Posts: 384
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rayjax82 wrote: Thank you. I think my plan is to put it in a kurt vice at work and press it out with a brass punch clamped in the spindle of a bridgeport. Should work. I will keep an eye on that spring.
I hope to god they didn't put red locktite on that set screw though. Your kit may have contained a little beveled plastic strip that matches the rear sight dovetail. It is to help retain the spring while removing and replacing the rear sight. Look for Apex videos.
_________________ "The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is." SGN Feedback 40+ all positive.
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 7:29 pm |
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rayjax82
Site Supporter
Location: Stanwood Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 Posts: 1920
Real Name: Chris
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ccontrol wrote: rayjax82 wrote: Thank you. I think my plan is to put it in a kurt vice at work and press it out with a brass punch clamped in the spindle of a bridgeport. Should work. I will keep an eye on that spring.
I hope to god they didn't put red locktite on that set screw though. Your kit may have contained a little beveled plastic strip that matches the rear sight dovetail. It is to help retain the spring while removing and replacing the rear sight. Look for Apex videos. Yep it did, got it all done. Looks beautiful and the trigger works great and feels even better now. All the safety features function as they should. Brass punch left some markings on the slide and sight. which I got off with a little elbow grease. Set screw came out no problem. For sight alignment I took a measurement with a depth mic(overkill I know) before I knocked it out, and was able to put it back in the same spot within .001. I made a much bigger deal of this than it actually was.
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 10:19 pm |
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JCook
Location: Roy, Wa Joined: Thu May 30, 2013 Posts: 70
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hey just a heads up, if you use the Smith factory springs with the FFS kit you'll get about a 3.5-4 pound trigger. I've installed quite a few of these kits at work and hardly use the Apex springs
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Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:43 pm |
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MadPick
Site Admin
Location: Renton, WA Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 Posts: 52023
Real Name: Steve
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Good work, Chris.
_________________SteveBenefactor Life Member, National Rifle AssociationLife Member, Second Amendment FoundationPatriot & Life Member, Gun Owners of AmericaLife Member, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear ArmsLegal Action Supporter, Firearms Policy CoalitionMember, NAGR/NFGRPlease support the organizations that support all of us.Leave it cleaner than you found it.
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Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:45 pm |
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beckdw
Site Supporter
Location: Tri -Cities Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 Posts: 2798
Real Name: David
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I got the forward set sear and polymer trigger set for Christmas and installed it. After getting over the initial fear of pin drifting, I got down to it and did it. Took maybe an hr and a half, but part of that was looking for the sear plunger. Make sure you don't let those little parts fly away. It's all good though, and I love the new trigger. Very much worth it!
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Mon Feb 02, 2015 5:55 pm |
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