Customizing your firearm is always a good thing, as long as it’s not just “squirrel tails and mud flaps.” Every modification, or part added should improve the weapon’s fit to its application. Today, most of the aftermarket parts sold fit well; there’s not a lot of fitting required. But, keep in mind, often even high-quality parts may require some adjustments.
Years ago, I built a lot of hotrods and custom bikes. I’d buy something, strip it all down, and modify and rebuild. There were a few custom parts available but, you were guaranteed to have to make them fit. I still remember my frustration at having to modify new parts to make them work as designed. Eventually you come to accept this, and learn to apply it to other aspects of your life. When you needed something that wasn’t offered commercially you made it from scratch. Along the way you acquired a lot of handy skills.
A perfect example of this was when upgrading the sights on my Marlin 1894. When I wrote up the initial modifications to the lever gun - https://www.thetacticalwire.com/archives/2021-07-06 - I hadn’t had the chance to zero the carbine yet. On the range it turned the carbine shot high. Rear sight was as low as it could be, and front sight needed to be higher.
When repositioning the rear sight from the barrel to the receiver it’s difficult to determine what height front sight will be needed. XS Sights clearly states this in their product description, and provides buyers alternative sights as needed. Since the front sight only needed to be a little higher, I decided to make a spacer to sandwich between it and the barrel. With that being the case, I thought “Why not?” and included wings on the spacer to protect the XS sight.
Above, a chunk of aluminum is cut down to rough shape - here a “V” with a square bottom that’s been cut concave to fit the barrel. Below, it’s all straight lines, at different angles and using shaped cutters - and a lot of geometry.
Not everyone can have a full-size milling machine in their shop, but a great alternative is the bench-top mill. I have one from Little Machine Shop - http://littlemachineshop.com – and so far, it’s done everything I’ve needed. It turns “I wish” into “I can.” I started with a chunk of aluminum and a few hours later had a custom sight base – with wings. It’s amazing what you can do by milling straight lines at various angles with different cutters. After a Gun Kote finish it’s looking nice, and the original XS sight fits perfectly inside the new base.
An AR sight is used to check dimensions on height. Below, final fit with the XS sight nestled between the protective wings and finished with Gun Kote "AK Black."
What started out to be a fairly simple modification – installing aftermarket sights - turned into “making it fit.” Which is always a great excuse and opportunity to make something “more better,” custom and one of a kind.
Modifying your firearms is good for several reasons. Making one function better for the intended application can improve your performance. When doing your own work never go beyond your abilities, and remember some fitting may be required. D.I.Y. is also gratifying, and a great way to unwind and decompress. This type work requires and cultivates patience, something we all can use. And of course, it’s always cool to say, “I did it myself.”
Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy. He is the author of The Book of Two Guns, AR-15 Skills and Drills, has a regular column in American Handgunner and makes some cool knives and custom revolvers. Visit Shootrite’s Facebook page for other details.
