How hard is it to relocate an AR front sight?

[strickj]

Welp,apparently I didn't notice the rail I bought fron brandontn was a middy and my AR is an m4 car length.

Is it something easily achieved w/o specialty tools or do I need some uber goober tactical hero to move it?

[Kegger]

You're going to have to replace your barrel. You gas ports are drilled in a specific place, and redrilling them to exact tolerances is going to require a drill press and a few barrels to get it right.

Taking the sight off is no problem though, unscrew the compensator, punch the pins on the front sight and off she comes.

[strickj]

New barrel huh?

Well,I guess that makes since.......ohwell,I didn't want a middy anyway :P

[Guest jwp]

A competent gunsmith can relocate the gas port location with no problem.

That's an easier and cheaper fix over finding and buying a new barrel.

FWIW, we do this job a couple of times a week without any drama.

[Reservoir Dog]

The easiest way is to remove you current front sight base, and install a low profile gas block. Then you can install the middy rail over the new gas block. You can then put a front sight (like a flip-up BUIS) on the rail.

That way you can use the current rail you have, and you don't have to bother with having new gas ports drilled into the barrel.

[latisimusd]

Do the front sight base pins get driven out in a particular direction?

[Seaslug]

The easiest way is to remove you current front sight base, and install a low profile gas block. Then you can install the middy rail over the new gas block. You can then put a front sight (like a flip-up BUIS) on the rail.

That way you can use the current rail you have, and you don't have to bother with having new gas ports drilled into the barrel.

+1 on the low-profile gas block. That's the cheapest and easiest route to take, and the tapered effect looks nice (IMHO). Here's my RRA middie with low-profile block and Specter-length YHM rail...

[Mike]

Or you can saw off the sight base and take a file to the rest of it.

Cheap, effective, and will allow your rail to clear without having to drive your taper pins out.

[EMTRN]

The easiest way is to remove you current front sight base, and install a low profile gas block. Then you can install the middy rail over the new gas block. You can then put a front sight (like a flip-up BUIS) on the rail.

That way you can use the current rail you have, and you don't have to bother with having new gas ports drilled into the barrel.

Ding Ding Ding, WINNER!