Walther Forums banner

Front sight replacement

38K views 40 replies 20 participants last post by  kensmith 
#1 ·
Has anyone replaced the front sight on a PK380? Mine shoots several inches low at 25 feet, & I would like to be able to use a shorter front sight to compensate (I know, I could adjust my sight picture, but having the sights closer to where they should be would be much easer). I would prefer Aftermarket low-light sights, such as the fiberoptic, but I have not been able to find any aftermarket sights for this gun. I have been thinking of taking it to a friend who is a machinest, & have him shorten it, & re-drill the dimple for the paint dot, but I am not sure how to remove it. it looks like it presses into the slide, but I would like to know for sure before I damage anything. I have been able to adjust the rear sight with a plastic pad on the end of a brass drift, & a small hammer & windage is now dead on. Make sure that you remove the plastic safety levers if you plan to do this though, I almost did not realize they were plastic before I started.
 
#2 ·
Is this a new weapon? I notice you only joined the forum last month (welcome, by the way).

Mine also shot low when it was new but during break-in, the barrel becomes more seated within the slide and the point of aim will change slightly. For mine it got better. I too did not want to change my sight picture so i looked into replacing the front sight to use a shorter post. I gave up on that once I noticed the pistol was improving over time.
 
#5 ·
front site problem.

I am glad to hear that I am not the only person who's had this problem. The idea of the three dot alignment sight was not too difficult to adjust to, and I appreciate that th rear sight has a windage adjustment. But now why in the hell would you bother to incorporate a windage adjustment without a height adjustment??? Don't get me wrong, I wanted a light easy to carry and conceal carry weapon and am very pleased with the weapon. It is small and light enough for my wife , but fits very comfortably in my hand. (I normally shoot a Glock 21) My only complaint is that at a range of 7 yards it consistently hits 6-7 inches low and slightly left. The left of center is adjustable by the windage adjustment but 6" low at 7 yards is too far off. I was shooting standing and had a 3" pattern, which for the barrel length is accurate enough, but 6" low? I repeated the exercise on a bench vise with identical results. Called the company, they said to send it in and have their gunsmiths check it over. (I don't think so.) Apparently the p22 (which is essentially the same platform in a .22) had replaceable front sites that compensated for this issue. It seems they forgot to incorporate this feature in the PK380. Based on what I am hearing here the normal break in of the weapon will at least partially eliminate this problem. Since I am adding a laser site, I will wait and see after an appropriate break in period.

I strongly recommend that anyone having similar problems call and complain as did I. They obviously have a quality control issue. I have read on other blogs of identical PK380s being sighted in at the factory in different positions. Typically they are either right on, or low as is mine. This is obviously a factory correctable problem and is unacceptable for the Walther name which is (until recently) known for quality and reliability. Is Walther going downhill?

For what it's worth, rather that give my carry weapon up so they can figure out that they screwed up the sighting in at the factory, I am taking it down to my gunsmith to have him re-seat the front sight. You might also try gently tapping the front sight with a plastic hammer to see if it is not completely seated.

Otherwise I love my Walther! It's extremely light and easy to carry, it is very accurate and consistent for such a small weapon, and has almost zero recovery time which means consistant shooting in a rapid fire scenario. The only drawback I have heard has more to do with the caliber than the ammo. You will find some very powerful .380 ammo on Buffalo Bore's web site that is very comparable to the police loads for the 9mm. So power is not an issue! Shoot the cheap WalMart ammo all day for practice, but when you load it as a man stopper, I recommend Buffalo Bore's; BUFFALO-BARNES 380 Auto +P Pistol and Handgun Ammo
which can be located at;
BUFFALO-BARNES 380 Auto +P Pistol and Handgun Ammo
It is a little more expensive than target ammunition, but when you need it, it will do the job, which is really what counts isn't it?
 
#6 ·
Just took my brand new pk380 out today and put 100 rnds through it. It's a 2011 model. And it shot consistently low and left At 25ft just like the others. I could not even find the target at 50ft.

So does anyone know if you can remove the front sight" or should we just wait it out?
 
#7 ·
Well this all makes me feel better. i have had my pk380 for 4 or 5 months and when i got it i shot low and left. Then every time i have shot it since i have to re-adjust as it is slowly working its way up. I thought i was just really inconsistent with it as I shoot fine w/ other pistols.

I think we should figure out a way to get someone to make us some after market sights. I hate the rear sight it seems very wide to me, and some night sights would be very nice. maybe this section of the forum could express our want as a group to one of the manufacturers and get results??
 
#9 ·
New developments...
Apparently there is some kind of break in period during which certain parts "wear" into place. During this time the site picture slowly "wears" into place, gradually changing your site alignment as the action "breaks in". It is difficult to believe that Walther is unaware of the flaw in this handgun.
 
#13 ·
Mine has no jams or an feed problems. It just isn't accurate. Wich isn't hard to believe seeing the quality of the parts and how well they fit together. I shouldn't have to spend 300 bucks on ammo to get my brand new pistol to shoot straight, it should work right out of the box. And that ok, it's a cheap gun, it's fun enough to shoot, I just wouldn't trust my life with it. But mine doesn't just shoot low and left but it is all over the place. And I know it's not just me because I have had some other good shooters try it and agree.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I've fired close to a thousand rounds and still have to compensate for my sight picture. I align the front sight dot about halfway down the rear dots. It is a very accurate pistol even with cheap FMJ. I'd love to put a fiber optic sight on the front a the correct height. You can also adjust the rear sights for windage if you push it over one way or the other. Since I discovered how accurate the gun is and how well it chambers every type of round I've tried, I think it would be worth having a gunsmith put a properly sized front sight on it. I really like it now.
 

Attachments

#18 ·
I sent my gun in for shooting low and left, more left than i could slide the rear sight. Or i should say I took it to Gander Mountain where I bought it, 'cause they will ship it free. The counter guy said I slid my sight the wrong way. As a mechanic, I knew about lines, and pivot points (being the non movable front sight) and knew that to make my bullets go more to the right, I needed to move the rear sight to the right. This guy said I was wrong, there were no more guys available to form a quarum to put this to Comittee. An internet search found another thread that seemed to agree, right for right, I would hope you all agree, am I correct? right for right?
 
#20 ·
Does anybody know what the method of attachment for the front sight on the PK380 is? I was looking at my wife's, and it's got a little hole, similar to my P99, but there doesn't appear to be a screw holding the sight in the way there is on my P99. Is it just pressed into place?
 
#22 ·
These questions might be a drag, but they might help to narrow the problem.

What distance to the target for a group centered maybe 10" low ?

Do some holes in the target look definitely elongated ?

About how large is a six-shot group at that distance (excluding 2 of the 8 shots) ?

Is the aim point at the center of bull's eye, or at the common base-of-bull's-eye ?

And are the three sight dots in line when aiming ?

Brand/brands of ammo ?

Might the front sight be a bit loose ?

Do the barrel rifling grooves look normal ?

Aside from these questions, comments indicate that wear-in tends to raise bullet impact.
If so, cycling the slide many many times by hand might save a ton of scarce ammo.

.
 
#23 ·
cycling the slide many many times by hand might save a ton of scarce ammo.

.
I've read a few places that dry cycling 200+ times will speed up break-in. I tried this on my PK when it was new but it still shot low by several inches. I had to adjust my sight picture and I was disappointed to have to do that. But 300+ rounds later the point of impact is about 1 inch low last time I checked. Much improved.
 
#25 · (Edited)
20 yards might be the maximum effective range for a 380.
Some results at 7 yards would help for low grouping issues,
and a crude bench rest would help.

There appears to be a problem with the gun, but at 15 yards the

point of aim must be very consistent for testing a group of 6 (of the 8 shots).

My guess is that from a bench rest, at 15 yards, a 6-shot grouping,
under 6" wide, should be centered no more than 6" off point of aim.

I'm avoiding 666, so maybe try 7 yards, 6 shots, 4" group, centered under 4" off.
I assume it will fail this test, but the margin of failure would reveal something.


[ When I got my PK, I pulled a jacketed bullet and pushed it with a brass rod from barrel
chamber to muzzle to get a sense of the rifling. It had a very firm drag all the way along.
Didn't prove much, but it seemed to be the right drag and consistency.
And the rifling marks on the copper seemed right. ]

.


 
#26 · (Edited by Moderator)
Just took the wife's new PK380 to the range for the first time. Could not believe how far off the front sight is....hits about 10 inches low at 25 ft. That tiny white dot sits way too high, searched the internet for a fix....nobody makes an aftermarket sight.

After looking at how the sight is attached, it looked like a Glock front sight should fit....the dot sits much lower & the oval cutout in the slide looked about right.

Well put the slide in a padded vise & grabbed the sight with visegrips after some rocking side to side it broke free. Bought a Meprolight Glock Tru-Dot Night Sight & it is a drop in perfect fit. I'll report back in a few days after I get back to the range
 
#27 · (Edited)
How is it anchored to the pk slide ?

edit: I saw video in the Meprolight swap for a Glock.
It does freely drop in, secured with a shallow hex head screw and heavy locktite.
It's a gamble, since the elevation might not be right, and the sight set is 90 bucks.
 
#28 ·
How is it anchored to the pk slide ?

edit: I saw video in the Meprolight swap for a Glock.
It does freely drop in, secured with a shallow hex head screw and heavy locktite.
It's a gamble, since the elevation might not be right, and the sight set is 90 bucks.

The front sight only was 49.00 from Amazon.
As for the height being right??? It's 1/8" lower...I think it will be fine

Going to the range Monday....I'll let you know
 
#29 ·
I don't have a PK380...but looking at a picture, that front sight does look really tall. My question at this point is, what sight picture are you using....see below.



I use an AmeriGlo 'Glock' front sight on all my PPQ's/P99's/SW99's....requires a home brewed custom install.



 
#32 ·
The original front sight is brazed, but not so well.
Locking that sight in a vise, and twisting the slide should work in most cases.
My pk does not shoot too low for my intended use, so I'll skip the change.

Skyhawk's two inches low at 25ft is great.
Most misses in defensive shooting are too high,
and one inch too high can ruin the outcome.
.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top