emilianoksa Posted May 21, 2022 Posted May 21, 2022 I've had a couple of Airsoft Masterpiece slides for my hi capas. Hi capa front sights are a friction fit and the TM front sights were a tight fit on both of them, and required quite a lot of tapping with a brass hammer. However my latest slide from AM is a loose fit and I am not sure whether to glue it or shim it. If I decided to glue it, which product would you recommend? Would an epoxy glue hold it for long given the blowback? If I were to shim it, how would you advise me to do it? And with what material?
frontsight Posted May 21, 2022 Posted May 21, 2022 (edited) Get a small tube of Loctite blue (NOT red) threadlocker. It comes quite handy for a variety of purposes including setting sights. Clean the sight notch and the sight, put a tiny dab of loctite, install the sight and then let it sit for 24 hours. you can set the slide upside down on the sights to apply some pressure. Once it sets in it's almost permanent. To remove you just need to heat it for a bit using a hair dryer and tap it out. Superglue is ok, but loctite seems to have better longevity and resistance to impact. Edited May 21, 2022 by frontsight Rogerborg 1
emilianoksa Posted May 21, 2022 Author Posted May 21, 2022 Thanks for the reply. I am surprised that a thread locker would have the strength to hold the sight. I thought Loctite thread lockers were designed only for screws.
frontsight Posted May 21, 2022 Posted May 21, 2022 (edited) Yeah loctite is pretty amazing stuff! Don't use it on really small screws with small screwheads (don't ask me how I know?♂️). But I use it on all my 1911 / hi capa metal slides with loose sights. As loctite cures it expands a bit and sort of fills in the gaps. It's somewhat "flexible" too, so stands up to impacts a lot better than glue. This is a guarder slide and AM sight, you can see the gap the tolerances are quite loose. With the loctite method I can't get it out if I tried Edited May 21, 2022 by frontsight
Floperator Posted May 21, 2022 Posted May 21, 2022 The above is good advice. If I was going to shim it, I'd do what I've done in the past and use a thin strip of drink can or feeler gauge cut to size. If you can get something like that in there as well as loctite you should be golden. Also do triple check exactly which loctite product you're buying and what the specs are, they sell loads of different grades of threadlock and surface bonders (perhaps better for this application?), both at varying strengths, and the strong ones are...really fucking strong. Too strong. frontsight 1
Steveocee Posted May 22, 2022 Posted May 22, 2022 I have given up buying anything other than CowCow T1 front sights now. They are by design a slightly loose fit but have 2 grub screws you can crank down once it's in place (with threadlick on grubs of course) and this problem is removed. The CowCow sight also has a brushed "top" which aids reflecting light back into the fibre. frontsight 1
frontsight Posted May 22, 2022 Posted May 22, 2022 Don't forget to show off some pics when you're done! Also, do the AM hi capa slides come with a notch inside the slide for a 1911 style barrel bushing? Been contemplating buying one for a while..
emilianoksa Posted May 22, 2022 Author Posted May 22, 2022 I'll have a look when I get back home and check for the notch. Is the Loctite 243 variant OK for the front sight job? https://www.bearing-king.co.uk/bearing/loctite-243-medium-strength-oil-tolerant-10ml/5721?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvqeUBhCBARIsAOdt45bC5PmAQKY-h8IDLaSNKm1iw3fnV5sxrzP8TRflCH2xD6NTjCSPXdUaAnKwEALw_wcB frontsight 1
frontsight Posted May 22, 2022 Posted May 22, 2022 Yes! I use 242 but 243 seems to be pretty much the same strength but just with better oil tolerance.
emilianoksa Posted June 4, 2022 Author Posted June 4, 2022 On 22/05/2022 at 13:16, frontsight said: Don't forget to show off some pics when you're done! Also, do the AM hi capa slides come with a notch inside the slide for a 1911 style barrel bushing? Been contemplating buying one for a while.. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I forgot. I don't know if all Airsoft Masterpiece hi capa slides have the notch, but the Springfield Armory one certainly does. frontsight 1
frontsight Posted June 4, 2022 Posted June 4, 2022 No worries man, thanks for confirming! That's great that the bureau model slides have bushing notches. Will keep note of that for future builds?
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