When you buy an AR-15 A2, the first thing you might want to do is get a sight. What if your sight is interfering with the front sight or you are just bored of the sight? In that scenario, removing the front sight is the best thing to do.
As you can see, the AR-15 is not the hardest gun to dissect. But if you are still unsure, let me help you with the gun and remove the front sight from it.
Step 1: Removing The Handguards From The Gun
The first step in the process is removing the handguards from the gun. Most AR-15s have a two-piece handguard design. You will need to remove this before you can remove the front sight.
Arguably, this is the hardest part of the process. But you can use some tools specifically made for removing handguards from a gun. Those tools are a lifesaver and will save a lot of your time in the process.
Step 2: Remove The Upper Half
Remove the upper half. Now is a good time to make use of that gun vise you bought. Securely place the rifle on the vise.
Once you remove all add-ons, take the bolt carrier and charging handle out from the upper half. Then place the upper half into your vise and make sure it’s secured there.
Step 3: Remove The Flash Hider And Gas Tube
Remove the flash hider and gas tube. This is the final step before you can take out the front sight from the gun. Use the wrench that is made for this task and slowly unscrew the flash hider from the gun.
Once it’s free and nothing is sitting in front of the barrel, it’s time for you to remove the gas tube. Use a brass hammer or a roll pin punch for this part. This way you won’t accidentally damage the gas tube. Otherwise, you will have some unnecessary expenses heading your way.
There are a bunch of tappers installed in the gun that you will need to remove from the case. It’s best to use a taper pin starter punch.
Keep in mind that you will need to use some force to remove the taper. But don’t apply too much force to break the taper. If you do, more unnecessary expense.
While you are at it, remove the gas block as well. This gas block is often dubbed as a sight block for some. Unlike the tapper, removing the gas block is extremely easy.
Depending on what you want to use the front sight as you might want to go for a low-profile gas block.
Step 4: Final Countdown
Now it’s the final countdown. It’s about time when you remove the front sight itself. Once all the gas blocks and tapers are removed it’s a straightforward removal after it.
Depending on how worn out your rifle is you can just simply twist the front sight and pull it off. Or you can use a small mallet and some love taps and the front sight pins will come off easily.
Keep this in mind while using any hammer or punch. Don’t want to mess up the gas pipe. Otherwise, you can mess up the new low-profile gas block.
Conclusion
Now that you managed to get the gas block and boring A2 front sight off your AR-15, it’s time for you to install a new one. There are quite a few low-profile iron sights available for rifles.
With that said, that’s all for now. Hopefully, you found this guide useful and easy to follow. It’s not that hard. Thanks for reading as always. See you at the next one.
Hi, I’m Brent Hansford. A writer turned hunter & now sharing my love for the sport through writing. As I practically breathe weapons, I firmly believe I’m capable of providing you with new knowledge about firearms and hunting. My mission is to help more people get better at hunting & master the weapons. Let me help with unleashing the beast within you!
