Cracked P30 slide upon sight install

[CCT125US]

So I send out my brand new P30 slide with a set of Heinie Straight Eights to be installed. What I received was a bit of a surprise. You can see in the attached photo what I am talking about. To say that I am pissed is a an understatement. The installer called to inform me that the was slide was on its way home and that there was a slight wrinkle in the sight itself due to the pressure needed to install. He offered to refund the cost of install or order a new set of sights and have those installed. I said that a slight cosmetic blemish is not a concearn as it will more than likely be well used in six months anyway. I said that as long as the Tritium vials and slide itself is fine, there is nothing to worry about.
http://db.tt/pXbwurQ5

Certainly looks like a stress crack to me. I can actually catch my finger nail on the edge. So what the hell do I do? Can I order a new slide from HK with a matching serial number? Can I even order a slide directly? Do I demand he buys me a new gun? I did not fire a single round through it before I shipped the slide.

Please don't ask me the name of the shop, as I am giving him a chance to return my call and make things right.

[GJM]

This happened to a friend, and Sam at HK got him another slide.

[Cool Breeze]

that doesn't look good to me. I would have him buy me a new gun. If the pressure that was necessary to install the sights was so great, he should have filed the sight down a little bit, before forcing it in.

[JV_]

FWIW: I fit my HK sights so they're just a bit tighter than slip fit. You don't have to pound on them to get them in, but finger pressure alone isn't enough. Those 2 set screws are fairly beefy, and when combined with loctite, it's not going to budge.

[JV_]

he should have filed the sight down a little bit, before forcing it in.Absolutely.

[gtmtnbiker98]

Those sights are known to require fitting and filing prior to installation. Sorry about the new piece, dude. HK can get you a new slide at a cost, but the serial #'s won't match, too much hassle for HK and they won't even offer to endure the hassle.

[CCT125US]

I see my options as the following.

A) Have dude buy me a new slide with a serial # that does not match and new HS8Qs
Not fond of mismatched parts.

B) Have him buy me a new gun and new HS8Qs
Good deal for me.

C) Have him buy me a new gun, new HS8Qs, and I transfer my entire gun, cracked slide and all to his FFL.
At least he gets something out of it.

D) Take some $ amount and suck it up and say lesson learned.

Looks like of the options I laid out (C) is the most fair

[WDW]

Wow!!!!!! What a hack job! That guy def doesn't know what he's doing. If the sight doesn't go with minimal force you're supposed to stop & file down a bit. I would def demand an entire new gun.

[GJM]

I wouldn't be too tough on the installer, as without naming names, very experienced HK gunsmiths have done the same thing.

[orionz06]

I wouldn't be too tough on the installer, as without naming names, very experienced HK gunsmiths have done the same thing.

Have they sent the slide back or did they replace it? I see no reason to jump all over the guy for doing a tough job and having one of the many probably outcomes happen but if they screw it up and pass it off as a "mysterious wrinkle" then there should be some discussion.

[CCT125US]

I did receive a call from the installer and it seems as though we agreed on option (c). He is currently at shot show and will be speaking with HK and showing the pic and seeing what is workable. He was certainly sorry and will be makming it right. I just can't imagine the force needed to crack a slide like that. So now my question is do I let him buy a new gun, new sights, do the install, pay shipping, transfer fees and what not and call it good? I sent it out thinking I would be saving time and now I am tempted to buy everything, do the install and send him a bill along with my cracked gun. Dang I'm pissed. We need a font for that.

[CCT125US]

Have they sent the slide back or did they replace it? I see no reason to jump all over the guy for doing a tough job and having one of the many probably outcomes happen but if they screw it up and pass it off as a "mysterious wrinkle" then there should be some discussion.

It was sent back to me in that condition. He said it slipped by him. They lube everything up before shipping and the first thing I did was degrease it and much to my surprise.....

Oh and BTW orionz06, still looking for that AIWB j-frame holster. My guns seem to be getting scarce. I have one P30 at HK getting new guts, another one that will be getting shipped and replaced at a later date, and for some reason my wife thinks I could break an anvil with a feather. The words not my fault did not compute, so I can't use her gun.

[WDW]

I wouldn't be too tough on the installer, as without naming names, very experienced HK gunsmiths have done the same thing.

The smith @ my LGS has a policy that if he in any way damages your firearm in the course of his work, he will replace your firearm entirely, if possible. If the gun is no longer being produced, you will be compensated accordingly. You can't take people's $1k+ guns, break them, return them, then play it off as a mysterious wrinkle or whatever. Gunsmiths charge ALOT for their work & rightly so, but they have to be accountable for their mistakes. Hopefully, he will return the OP's call or e-mail & make this right.

[GJM]

No quarrel with the remediation -- my point was that this isn't the first cracked HK slide when installing Heinie sights.

In the case I am aware of, the problem came when using an installation tool designed for Mepro/Trijicon sights, which don't, to my knowledge, require filing.

[SecondsCount]

It looks to me like he tightened his vice too tight when he clamped the slide without providing any internal support.

This happens all the time with AR-15 receivers and 1911 slides when people get too agressive with their vice and don't realize how much force they are putting on the metal.

I also agree with JV, too much force will only cause problems.

[Spr1]

It cracked right where one would expect it to crack, and I would also expect that it made a significant sound when it broke.

[YVK]

I hope it gets rectified appropriately.

I find it interesting that this is not the first time I've heard of with p30 and Heinie sights, but I've not heard about same problems with other pistols that Heinie make sights for. I wonder if his HK sights are oversized more so than others, or there is lack of experience or tools.

[JHC]

I hope it gets rectified appropriately.

I find it interesting that this is not the first time I've heard of with p30 and Heinie sights, but I've not heard about same problems with other pistols that Heinie make sights for. I wonder if his HK sights are oversized more so than others, or there is lack of experience or tools.

I dunno but now I feel very lucky not to have cracked a Glock slide with the force I've used to install a few Warren rears. I should be more patient with such things.

[CCT125US]

FWIW: I fit my HK sights so they're just a bit tighter than slip fit. You don't have to pound on them to get them in, but finger pressure alone isn't enough. Those 2 set screws are fairly beefy, and when combined with loctite, it's not going to budge.

The provided Heinie instructions say to remove material from the bottom of the sight. This makes sense as it would I'm effect lower the sight and relieve pressure from both the front and rear of the dove tail on the sight. Is my thinking correct? And I have no trouble believing the massive set screws and loctite will hold. At this point I plan on picking up a new gun, ordering a set of HS8Qs and doing this myself. I am just pissed that I thought I would save some time and send it out. Hell, if I can build a house and work on cars how hard can sights be right? I guess the old saying that if you want something done right, you do it yourself. Thanks for all the info so far.

[GJM]

The provided Heinie instructions say to remove material from the bottom of the sight. This makes sense as it would I'm effect lower the sight and relieve pressure from both the front and rear of the dove tail on the sight. Is my thinking correct? And I have no trouble believing the massive set screws and loctite will hold. At this point I plan on picking up a new gun, ordering a set of HS8Qs and doing this myself. I am just pissed that I thought I would save some time and send it out. Hell, if I can build a house and work on cars how hard can sights be right? I guess the old saying that if you want something done right, you do it yourself. Thanks for all the info so far.

Another option would be to send your slide right to Heinie -- my understanding is that they turn around slides quickly.

My recollection is that the first run of Heinie sights for the P30/HK45 were slip fit, held just by the two set screws. I much prefer file to fit.

[JV_]

The provided Heinie instructions say to remove material from the bottom of the sight.Yes, that's generally how you fit sights. I run them alone a file, pushing down. I'll flip it around to make sure it evens out the pressure/material removal. I frequently measure the L and R height to make sure I'm not removing too much material from one side.



I guess the old saying that if you want something done right, you do it yourself.Exactly. It's not that difficult.

Go slow
Measure frequently
Test fit frequently
Take your time

Once I get it installed, and verify zero, I'll remove the screws and squirt some Loctite down the hole and run the set screw back in.

[BWT]

Working metal is a time consuming process, I'd imagine he probably got in a rush. It's probably a *file file file* *attempt* *file file file* *attempt* situation.

[Josh Runkle]

The provided Heinie instructions say to remove material from the bottom of the sight. This makes sense as it would I'm effect lower the sight and relieve pressure from both the front and rear of the dove tail on the sight. Is my thinking correct? And I have no trouble believing the massive set screws and loctite will hold. At this point I plan on picking up a new gun, ordering a set of HS8Qs and doing this myself. I am just pissed that I thought I would save some time and send it out. Hell, if I can build a house and work on cars how hard can sights be right? I guess the old saying that if you want something done right, you do it yourself. Thanks for all the info so far.

You should have him buy you a replacement pistol and NS, then ship him the broke one you have, and in the meantime, buy another p30 and install your own as you wait. It's a really good excuse to end up with a fourth p30 ;)

[GJM]

Last I checked, there were not new P30's to be had.

[JV_]

Last I checked, there were not new P30's to be had.

FWIW: My local gun shops seem to have a steady supply.

[CCT125US]

Last I checked, there were not new P30's to be had.

I will be placing a hold on one when the shop opens Tuesday. They seem to have plenty of V3 models here in Ohio. Plus my LGS offers me a lifetime warranty that is hard to pass up.

[GJM]

FWIW: My local gun shops seem to have a steady supply.

LEM, DA/SA or both?

[JV_]

LEM, DA/SA or both?

I'm seeing both, but I normally see more DA/SA than LEM. The ratios seem unchanged.

[CCT125US]

LEM, DA/SA or both?

LEM, V3, V3S as far as the P30. Gander Mountain had an entire case full of HK last week, USP, HK45, P2000SK, P2000, mainly because they are stupid overpriced and no one can justify paying $1100 for a gun that should be $900. But I don't buy from them anyway.

[TCinVA]

H&k will sell you another slide. Found that out because of the same situation.

[Spr1]

I dunno but now I feel very lucky not to have cracked a Glock slide with the force I've used to install a few Warren rears. I should be more patient with such things.

The sides of Glock slides are parallel, which allows one to clamp them quite hard. The P30 slides are tapered and open in the rear, therefore, if you just squeeze it in a vice, the slide is put in bending.

[JHC]

The sides of Glock slides are parallel, which allows one to clamp them quite hard. The P30 slides are tapered and open in the rear, therefore, if you just squeeze it in a vice, the slide is put in bending.

Ah got it. Duh. ;) Thanks!