Help removing old tritium vial from sight? - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Help removing old tritium vial from sight?

Posted: 9/13/2018 5:21:06 PM EDT

I have an old snubby with a custom front night sight dovetailed in. There is not any readily available off the shelf replacement. Original gunsmith is not accepting new work. I do NOT want the sight re-lamped. I just want to get the old vial out. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

Hizzie

Posted: 9/13/2018 5:36:18 PM EDT

[#1]

It is just glass, it will be pretty easy to tap it with a punch then drill it out or just paint over it. I have replaced them using vials I ordered off the net for fishing.

Posted: 9/13/2018 5:50:54 PM EDT

[#2]

Just tap them lightly. You don't want to set off a nookulear asplosion.

Posted: 9/13/2018 6:08:48 PM EDT

[#3]

Some are epoxied in place. Look on the muzzle end of the sight and you might have one with a very small hole drilled through.

I've heated them up and used a small pin to push the tube out.

Another alternative is drilling it out.

The lamps are easy to replace yourself.

Posted: 12/3/2018 8:44:26 PM EDT

[#4]

That said, just in case I’d do any of the above in a well ventilated area with a fan blowing air away from you. The tubes are known to break sometimes, and yeah there’s not much tritium left, but I sure as hell wouldn’t want to breathe anything radioactive.

YMMV but I lean toward extra ass coverage.

Posted: 12/4/2018 1:45:15 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
The tubes are known to break sometimes, and yeah there’s not much tritium left, but I sure as hell wouldn’t want to breathe anything radioactive.

View Quote

In the scheme of things not enough to be an actual hazard unless you did it over and over all the time.

Tritium decay

Nothing all that energetic.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Help removing old tritium vial from sight?

Armory » Gunsmithing

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