David, I'm not an expert on this, however I have removed and installed both mid & front bead sights. The ones I had dealt with were pressed in, not threaded. As old as your beads are it'd be a crap shoot removing these. I would call Jerry Andrews and ask his advice, Jerry is always more than happy to lend his great advice. You can reach Jerry at 304-281-5776 Jerry probably has replacement sights if you need them.