Editor’s Note: One of our frequent readers and Discord member, Eli, wanted to give his feedback on a unique product. Below is Eli’s review of the Wyoming Sight Drifter.
So, I own a bunch of handguns with fixed sights. To adjust the sights for windage, you need to push the sight within the dovetail. However, I had a very huge conundrum. Do I buy a sight pusher and take 1000 years to adjust all the sights? Or, do I try really hard not to injure myself with a hammer and a punch? In this time of indecision, I had been neglecting to do such a task on my non-carry guns.
Due to my (understandable) laziness that the effort that a standard sight pusher would require, I decided to wait. However, on one of the many Discord calls with my friends, I heard about a special tool. Well, that tool is called the Wyoming Sight Drifter and I figured, why not, as I’ll try anything once.
What is the Wyoming Sight Drifter?
The Wyoming Sight Drifter is a tool made by Wyoming Sight Drifter LLC. It’s a spring powered punch, which uses the inertia of the spring to tap your sights. You pull back on the metal plunger, and let it fly forward. The tool has a swappable brass head, which smacks into the sight, drifting it over. It works similarly to one of those walnut crackers where you pull back and let go.
It’s about the size of a pen, and can easily fit into one’s pocket, or a small spot. The machining on the tool is very nice for something that can be used and abused. Since the WSD will be tossed around a lot, it comes with a plastic tool case that is thin, and doesn’t add too much bulk.
The Wyoming Sight Drifter costs $35 dollars (plus shipping). I had a bit of a hiccup due to their website bugging out, so I had to order it the old fashioned way; over the phone. While this was a bit of an annoyance, the service of Wyoming Sight Drifter LLC was excellent, and the guys who run it were very nice and understanding.
Once I got the tool, I got right into using it.
Using the Wyoming Sight Drifter
In my small range bag, I crammed 11 or so handguns for a zeroing range trip. Well, I got started with shooting and zeroing them with the WSD. A nice plus of this tool is that you can set the gun on a table, (unloaded of course), and use the WSD without any sort of cradle or vise. This is quite convenient, especially if you don’t wanna pack a clamp-on vise or a large sight pusher. Another benefit is that you don’t need to take the gun apart to drift the sights, unlike a traditional sight pushing tool.
The power of the WSD’s strike is variable, based on how far back you pull the plunger. You can have fairly fine adjustment on your sights, and the brass head prevents marring the finish on your gun. This is very nice if you have polished stainless, chrome plated, or blued guns that you don’t want to mar. During use of this tool I had zero hang-ups, using it on everything from the H&K VP70Z, to the CZ75B. The 75B has a set screw for the rear sight, so I made sure to back it out enough to be able to drift the sight. The WSD drifted the sights on all of my guns, regardless of the angle of the rear sight, or how tight the dovetail was.
While back at home, I used the WSD to drift the sights on my stainless 75B and swap to a different pair from my parts bin. Even when at my home workbench, the WSD was quicker and easier to use than a traditional sight pusher, or a vice with hammer and punches.
Closing Thoughts on the Wyoming Sight Drifter
After using the WSD, I believe that it could be an invaluable tool to shooters and gunsmiths alike. From drifting dovetailed sights to installing fresh ones, the WSD works very well. Considering the assortment of pistols that I have, this tool have proven to be invaluable. I doubt it’ll be leaving my range bag anytime soon.
That’s a nice marketing of a $12 spring pin punch, from pretty much any big box hardware store, amazon or walmart.
https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Tools-32R00-1-Hammerless-Double/dp/B000PSFUO8
Well, Eli wrote the review after his experiences with the WSD. He was not paid to review the WSD, nor did he get it for free in exchange for a review. I would not refer to his review as marketing.
In regards to this just being a standard spring loaded punch, the one that you linked is just steel. When drifting out sights, brass or polymer heads are much preferred, as to not cause extensive marring of the sights. I haven’t been able to find a spring loaded punch that uses brass heads, aside from the WSD.
I am not suggesting that this article is marketing the item in question. Instead, I mean that the vendor is taking an inexpensive, general use item and selling it towards a specific market at a premium.