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How to remove Ohio Ordnance 1918A3 rear sight?


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First post on this forum. I am trying to convert my Ohio Ordnance WW2-style 1918A3 into a WW1-style M1918. I have an actual surplus M1918 hump-style rear sight, but I cannot get the WW2 A2 style sight out of the Ohio Ordnace A3 receiver. I've removed the Alan-head set screw but the housing will not budge from the receiver. I've tried tapping it with a brass hammer, but it is not moving at all. I even removed the two windage gauge screws thinking that they might be preventing movement, but no avail. Is the OO rear sight housing "loctited" in (red or blue) or pressed in with a press under extreme pressure? I can only assume (and hope) that the dovetail slot in the receiver that Ohio Ordnance milled will (should) allow me to install an M1918 surplus rear sight.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Thanks! Did you heat the A3 sight or receiver.... and with what? Propane torch or heat gun.

 

And did you replace it with a milspec sight? Did you have to file anything?

I heated the sight with a torch ... The sight I replaced the A2 style sight with was purchased from Ohio Ordnance ... I cannot answer if an old original sight will work or not ... Perhaps someone else on the board might know.

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I have installed several 1918 rear sights on OOW semi auto receiver kits. In every case it required carefully dressing down of the mating faces on the 1918 sight slot surfaces to get it to seat completely forward in the receiver. In all cases, the set screw has come into alignment with the receiver hole when the sight is fully seated.

 

The receiver kits come without a rear sight, so I have no experience removing one. One thought is they may have parkerized the receiver with the sight body already installed. A few drops of Kroil allowed to soak overnight couldn't hurt.

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I do have access to a mechanical leverage style press, and a large hydraulic press, but the problem would be positioning the receiver so that it can press directly against the front of the A2 rear-sight housing. The bolt lock-up "hump" on the receiver directly in front of the sight will make that almost impossible. Positioning the rear of the receiver would also present a problem unless I removed the buttstock and buffer???

 

I do have an email into Ohio Ordnance asking how I should go about removing the rear sight, but I'm not sure if I'll hear back from them. I was hoping to hear their official advice before I start try the "heat and beat" method. Right now, I have the rear sight and receiver dove-tail soaking in Kroil. If I don't hear back from them soon via email, I may have to try calling them.

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