The hidden expense of a new sight

WARNING: This is more a rant than anything else.

After telling myself for a few years that the Glock factory sights are fine; I have finally decided that I need to drop the dough and get myself a better set of sights. I ended up getting a Warren/Sevigny “Competition” rear with a Fiber Optic front. I still have not received them (they should be at my door on Monday) but I already know that the front sight is a snap to install (just use the provided tool and add a bit of red Loctite).

Well this is where my rant begins… A friend of mine stopped by my work this morning to say “Hi” and, as he was leaving he told me that he was going to stop by the gunsmith shop to pick up his pistol (he was having a trigger job done). I told him to ask the gunsmith how much he would charge me to install the rear sight. It turns out the smith charges $20 to push in a sight!! I am not talking about machining the slide or anything like that; I just wanted him to push it in (this won’t even take two minutes). I know this is a business and that this guy has to pay rent but I find that a tad excessive. For that price I might as well just buy the sight pusher myself and keep it for future projects (they usually run for about $60). Now I am going to have to wait another week for the pusher to arrive in the mail. :(

I just wanted to vent my frustration[Rant1]; thank you all for reading!

What is the lost revenue to the gunsmith for the labor that he is NOT able to bill on another customer's project because he is this sight?

There could also be a smallest billable increment (say 30 minutes) or a fixed price for all rear sight installations, to save trouble when estimating.

THIS IS A RANT. IN CASE OF A REAL EMERGENCY YOU WILL BE DIRECTED TO YOUR NEAREST EMERGENCY SHELTER. THIS IS ONLY A RANT.

Why is my labor not worth any thing? I have invested time and money learning how to do what I do. I have to get experience to do the job right the first time. I lose money when things go wrong. I have to deal with bounced checks and chargebacks on credit cards.

It seems every one has money to burn when it comes to buying booze, cigarettes, and all the other vices and toys.

Rant off. Thank you very much. Have a good day.

20+ years in the auto repair business.

for $20.00 if you scratched the slide you live with it. he has to refinish it on his dime.
$20.00 doesn't cover the phone bill.
i was a comission only employee for 15 years when the money was good it paid for a lot of toys. when it wasn't well...grilled cheese and soup.
i got burned out by customers telling me their friend, cousin, new place that opened up would do it cheaper.
of course those who saved a buck ended up coming in for us to repair their
"good deal" oh well a penny saved........................
i know my capabilities. for the weeks wait you could have been out shooting!

It's like a car...if you don't know how or want to try fixing it yourself, you pay someone who knows how to do it. Buying the proper tools (if you don't already have them) might cost you more than $20. I'm all for taking the work to the people who know what they are doing. That's my $00.02...I have more time than money but know when I'll screw something up and when I won't.

[Smart]

Let me start by apologizing for not explaining myself properly. I am not ranting about the amount the gunsmith is charging for the labor. I read all of your posts and the truth is that I agree with all of you. It is clear that the gunsmith has a great deal of costs/expenses associated with running his business and, it is not my place to tell him what he should be charging for his labor.

What I meant to “rant” about was the fact that I should have considered purchasing the sight pusher at the time I placed my original order and, that since I did not, now I am going to have to wait another week to receive this item. Or I can go with another member’s suggestion and try pushing the sight in with a “punch” and mallet. But I am not sure I am that daring.

Once again, thank you all for taking the time to reply.

i bought my sight from specitaly sports and they were more than happy to install it free of charge. i may have paid a little more than i could have gotten it online, but i think it was worth it ti have it installed

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Originally Posted by shrapmetal

i bought my sight from specitaly sports and they were more than happy to install it free of charge. i may have paid a little more than i could have gotten it online, but i think it was worth it ti have it installed

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I looked to see if anyone in my area offered the Warren/Sevigny Competition sights but I couldn’t find anybody that did.

I don’t think I have ever heard of Specialty Sports; where are they located?

What's the gunsmith's name? For $20.00 I would let him do my sites.

Sure, I'll buy tools if I'm going to use them more than once. A good GS is always good to know.

Tom

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Originally Posted by Ah Pook

What's the gunsmith's name? For $20.00 I would let him do my sites.

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His name is Rob and he is located right on I-25 between Hwy 52 and Hwy 119 (in Longmont). But $20 just gets you the rear sight installed. If you want him to do both front and rear that is going to set you back $35.

That's why I bought my Sig sight pusher tool and have used it more than a dozen times already on my and my friends Sigs. It's not just putting the sights on, it's also adjusting the sights for zeroing the gun at the range. Most likely the $20 fee included sighting it in. But that's the advantage of having your own sight tool - you can adjust them easily anytime. A friend shoots my pistols about 2" right of center at 15yds even though I'm dead on. He's left handed and I'm not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cysoto

I looked to see if anyone in my area offered the Warren/Sevigny Competition sights but I couldn’t find anybody that did.

I don’t think I have ever heard of Specialty Sports; where are they located?

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they are in colorado springs

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cysoto

I looked to see if anyone in my area offered the Warren/Sevigny Competition sights but I couldn’t find anybody that did.

I don’t think I have ever heard of Specialty Sports; where are they located?

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they are in colorado springs, any time i buy something from them they install it for free for me. this includes sights, stocks, scopes, rails. most of the stuff i could do myself but it is a nice service they offer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shrapmetal

they are in colorado springs, any time i buy something from them they install it for free for me. this includes sights, stocks, scopes, rails. most of the stuff i could do myself but it is a nice service they offer.

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Thanks for letting me know; I will definitely check them out.