Author Topic: Missing front sight on SP-01 Shadow  (Read 927 times)

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Offline beanz2

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Missing front sight on SP-01 Shadow
« on: January 29, 2020, 09:38:08 PM »
So we just took a class at Front Sight (ironic name, I know.)  We both were having a great time and our guns and ammo were working well.  Too well.

Until the 2nd day on test time.  On the practice test, coming out of the holster shooting at the head box, she mentioned she was shooting low.  Still within the box, but lower than her usual, some grazing the line and some were on the line, but they would've still counted as a hit.  She mentioned it to me and I just thought she was possibly mashing her grip trying to beat the time on the turning targets.

Then comes test time.  I tried not to look at her target although she was next to me as I really wanted to concentrate on shooting my test.  Then I caught her distressed look, she said, "Honey, I think I'm choking on the test."  Indeed her target looked terrible with some shots landing on the white, complete misses.  "What the heck, poor girl is really getting psyched out by the test," I thought.  I tried to comfort her saying just to have fun as she can still take any of the advanced level classes as she has DG'ed (Distinguished Graduate, a high test score) before.

Then after the next string of shots, she said her front sight was gone!  I looked and sure enough, it was missing.  Not just the red fiber, but the entire thing.  Then I noticed the barrel was flopping on the slide as the barrel bushing was missing. 

So, she DNF'ed her test.  We had a spare gun in the car, but her mind was too frazzled to continue or to take the test over.  Now she regrets her decision not to.  I wonder too if I should have insisted, but when she is on edge, fights can easily break out between us.

We later found the bushing, but the front sight was nowhere to be found:




The bushing seems to have an irregular edge at the bottom, as if something has been hitting it.  But the barrel shows no signs of contact and neither did the guide rod. 



Hers is an old CZ Shadow SP-01 with Aussie barrel from CZ Customs.  It has at least been fired 10,000+ rounds based the classes we have taken.  Maybe easily 4-5 times that as dry fire practice at home.  The front sight fiber went missing a year ago and I had the onsite gunsmith at Front Sight repair it, but he only put a new fiber in and heated the ends with a small butane torch.  The roll pin was never removed.  We've kept it the way it is from CZC in 2012, and had it sent back for minor updates and springs replacement in 2017, I think.  I can't remember what exactly they replaced back then, but am pretty sure they kept the sights the same.

I messed with the rear sight a bit with a sight pusher clamped in a vise to get the sight alignment she needed a week before class, but I swear I was no where near the front sight.

I suspect the front sight roll pin worked it's way out and as the front sight slid forward in the dove tail, it somehow made her shoot low.  Or, the barrel bushing was working its way out of the slide and the barrel just started to droop in the slide.  Mind you the irregular part was on the back on the barrel bushing, so I wonder if a bullet grazed it as it slid off.  This was a stock factory bushing, I'm sure.

I will install an X10 bushing from CGW to replace it, but I am still waiting for a call from Stuart to advise me what height of front sight I need to replace the missing one.  Any suggestions how I can find out what height I need?  Other than frequent inspection, how do I prevent the front sight pin from coming off again?


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Offline 1steelshooter

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Re: Missing front sight on SP-01 Shadow
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2020, 05:19:30 PM »
On my sp-01 shadow  have a dawson precision front sight. It is .165" tall by .110" wide. It shoots pretty close to aim.
https://dawsonprecision.com/cz-75-shadow-sp-01-fiber-optic-front-sights/