How difficult is it? What tools do I need?

Am I better off just having a place like ADCO do it?

Depends on how it's attached.  Clamp on, taper pins, etc.

I personally don't believe in doing any upper mods myself.  It's Armorer level maintenance.

I don't believe its supposed to be to tough to do yourself. I'm a very picky person so when I bought my upper I had Tom at Mooney's remove it for me so I wouldn't scratch up the barrel doing it myself. Then I ordered a YHM front gas block with the bolt on clamps so I wouldn't have to worry about wiggling on the gas block and scratching up the barrel. I know, I know its a tool meant to be used but I'm just a perfectionist. The build forum has a how to that covers the removal of the front sight tower.

Quoted: How difficult is it? What tools do I need? Am I better off just having a place like ADCO do it?

20 yrs ago I destroyed a Colt Comp Match Hbar barrel finish and destroyed the FSB completely  by whaling on the pins with a hammer, wrong sized punch and trying to hold it at the same time.  Couple that with driving the pins from the wrong side and you can see where I'm headed. I didn't know what i was doing but I was learning. Pretty expensive class.

Fast forward to now it takes about 2 minutes for even the toughest taper pins because of experience but mostly because of having the right tools.  I press pins out when I can, always press pins in and have a pretty good method for removing taper pins with a big hammer, small socket and a proper sized punch.

If you're going to do a bunch I would say get the proper tools and do it correctly. I think there's quite a few threads on the subject if you can search. If you're only doing this one I would find a local AR armorer in the hometown forum or ship it to any of the ARFCOM vendors and be done with it.

Good luck

Quoted: 20 yrs ago I destroyed a Colt Comp Match Hbar barrel finish and destroyed the FSB completely  by whaling on the pins with a hammer, wrong sized punch and trying to hold it at the same time.  Couple that with driving the pins from the wrong side and you can see where I'm headed. I didn't know what i was doing but I was learning. Pretty expensive class.

The baby Jesus cried that day.

Quoted: Quoted: 20 yrs ago I destroyed a Colt Comp Match Hbar barrel finish and destroyed the FSB completely  by whaling on the pins with a hammer, wrong sized punch and trying to hold it at the same time.  Couple that with driving the pins from the wrong side and you can see where I'm headed. I didn't know what i was doing but I was learning. Pretty expensive class. The baby Jesus cried that day.

A lightning bolt should have struck me dead.

If the front sight base currently has straight pins, take to it with no fear with the correct size punch and a hammer. My Armalite fsb came right off and went right back on. No scratches to the barrel. I was nervous but the guys in the "Build it Yourself" forum talked me through it. It came out great.

Piece-O-cake if you have the right size drift pin punch. Just swapped one out for the first time last wkend. The drift pins on mine was tapered so they only come out/in one side.

If it is pinned I would take it to someone with the right tools.  No use screwing something up and costing allot more than trying to save 5 to 10 bucks.  Now it it is set screws, that is a piece of cake.  Pretty much self explainitory.  Righty tighty lefty loosey.