Just received my new bushy from class 3 dealer Jim. I want to remove my front sight. anyone know how to remove it? Is it just 2 dowl pins to push out? Thanks.

Can you say "glutton for punishment".  First you have to drive out the pins, then tap the sight base off of the barrel. Most of the time it's on very tight so you may need to heat the sight base up a bit to expand the metal so it'll come off eaiser.  It'd be better to just take it to a gunsmith if you have one near by and can afford it.

I have done it a number of times with no problems.  Usually takes me about five minutes.  Start by squirting some WD40 between the tower and the barrel.  Let it sit a while so when you try to remove the sight tower the crud that may have built up under there will break free.  Now take a punch that is exactly the same diameter as the smaller end of the cross pins.  Drive the cross pins out from the smaller side as the pins are tapered with a definite small and large end.  You do not want to tap the pins alot.  One good wack is all you need and they will fall out.  I then take a nylon drift and brace it on the bottom of the tower as close to the barrel as possible.  Give the drift a good wack with a heavy hammer.  The tower will slide right off.  With the sight tower off it is now very easy to take the gas tube off the tower.

Hope this helps,
MadDog

Quoted: Can you say "glutton for punishment".  First you have to drive out the pins, then tap the sight base off of the barrel. Most of the time it's on very tight so you may need to heat the sight base up a bit to expand the metal so it'll come off eaiser.  It'd be better to just take it to a gunsmith if you have one near by and can afford it.

Not to mention the barrel often needs to be refinished if you are picky because it gets scuffed up.

Kind of related to this...

O.K. I've had my AR for a while now and I have decided to take my barrel off to have it "fixed" (cut to 14.5, threaded, 5C2 permanently installed, and lightened under the handguards).  I have read lots of posts here and know how to take everything apart including the front sight base now.  How does it all go back together after I get the barrel back on the upper?  Specifically the gas rod and FSB.

Thanks.

Sarge

The gas tube comes out by removing a small pin that's in the FSB then you slide it out from the upper reciever end. To put it back on just slide it back in and re-install the pin. Sometimes it just eaiser to get a new barrel with the FSB already installed and mount it on the upper with what gunsmithing costs are these days.

I here ya!  Thread barrel $56.00, turn barrel down to A2 Gov profile $59.00, swap FSB $67.00.  Total to make my post ban HBAR to a No-Ban A2 $182.00  New A2 Gov profile No-Ban barrel through Bushmaster $219.00 complete.  Unless I was going to just settle for a barrel threading it isn't worth it to convert my barrel.

I really hate to tell you guys this but a fellow firefighter I work with is also a top notch machinist and he is not charging me a dime.  So I figure that a little hassle taking everything off the barrel is worth that.

Sarge