Modify Rear Sight
 

Just to let you know before I am unmercifully flamed I am a rank amateur when it comes to guns so please temper your answers. :)

A little over a month ago I purchased an S42, 1937 Luger. It is not a collectible and because of price considerations it is what I wanted.

So far I have fired 88 rounds through it with absolutely no FTF or FTL. It is amazingly accurate.

My question is this: because of an eye problem I find that the rear sight opening is not wide enough for me to accurately center the front sight in it when aiming. Would I cause a serious problem if I were to file the rear sight a little wider? Perhaps a mm on each side?

Would I cause a serious problem..No..I can't see where you would. You are primarily using the pistol for shooting and modifying it to your needs. You say It is not a collectible so changing the rear sight would be like breaking a part. Not that serious..just get another. I have a beautiful all matching G date and someone did just what you are suggesting. That change was a tragedy but in your case..go for it I say.

Because of the angle of that v slot and the surface of the toggle, getting a file in there is not as easy as it may at first seem. Seems like the file needs to drop in front of the sight more that the circumstances will allow. I suspect that it is a mod best made with a mill.
Don't ask how I know..,.(but the answer involves my broomhandle Mauser).
If your gun is refinished or mismatched, or otherwise molested, then it probably makes no difference. But if it is a nice gun it seems sacreligious.
You may want to float the idea down in the gunsmithing column, as those guys may have some helpful hints.
dju

Hey, You are ruining the part anyway..in the sense of modifying it from factory..I would just throw on a thick grinding disc for my dremel and touch it to the back sight V notch. Presto chango..a widened sight suitable for target shooting and better for poor eyes. The rear sight IS really bad on a Luger. I pretty much don't use it anyway..I point and shoot looking at the target rather than the sights. Of course my shooting usually involves golf balls or tin cans not the ten ring. As accurate as the Luger can be I never considered it to be a target pistol. More of a combat arm meant to hit body mass at 50-75 feet.

I use it as a combat accuracy weapon too, same as a 1911A1

But a rear toggle (where the sight sits) can be picked up fairly cheaply...


Ed

One could get fancy and mill the original sight off, cut a dovetail groove, then slide in any cool sight you desire.
But like Ed said, why not start with a donor part. Sort of like having your cake and eating it too.
dju

Thanks for all the excellent replies.

CrxTom2

Tom, I have a shooter, as do you. I replaced the front sight with a Mauser 98K and filed a square slot in the rear sight. Makes my "old" eyes see the sights a lot better. I had to shoot and file the front sight to bring the fired group to the point of aim.

I kept the original front and rear toggle and replaced them with the parts I modified.

Works great!! :)

The front sight of a P-38 has a flat top and would not only match the square notch you are proposing, but would actually fit the dovetail of the Luger front sight base. It is a great modification of a "shooter" class Luger.

Like Frank said, the front blade from a Mauser K98 will fit that "Euro." dovetail groove on the Luger. I had to use one to bring my Navy down quite a bit.
dju

Many of the Finnish lugers that I have seen had sights modified by the Finns to make them more useable. They added what looks like a P-38 front sight and modified the rear sight to a "U" notch. My Finn has just such sights and they work very well....

I bought a 1900 AE awhile back that had a rear sight modified to a peep sight. It has a dove tail cut into the toggle and the peep sight just slides right in. I do believe the front sight was replaced as well. But shooting it with this set up is pretty user friendly once you get used to it.

Attachment 31497

Attachment 31498

Attachment 31499

Reminds me of the "Ghost Ring" rear sights currently sold by Brownells. I have them on several guns.
dju

Thats great, would never have thought of it.