How does Bubba install a GI front sight?

[Dave Waits]

Guam;
Use a Dremel ands a 1/8th" Ballcutter to remove the old tenon in the slide dish as shown.


Next, use a 1/16th,longnose punch to punch the old sight out.


Clean up and square the tenon hole,insert the new sight, make sure it is running straight, trim off all the tenon that sticks out above the slide dishout, rest the slide upside down on a steel surface to support the blade and Whack the tenon with a 1/8th." longnose punch. I showed the punch and sight hanging over for clarity on where you strike.


After the initial strike,move the punchnose around and strike the tenon, spreading it out. Then file off anything sticking out that could interfere with the bushing and you are done.

[Bill E]

Clear and concise, very helpful. Thanks.

[Guamsst]

Dave, Thanks. This is what I was thinking of doing originally but wanted someone else to verify it was a valid idea before I tried it. New sights are on the way. We will see what happens.

[albert]

Two local "gunsmiths" worked on my SA 1911A1. Both times the new sight came off. I then sent the slide to Novak and had a dove tail front sight put on.

[Guamsst]

Well, will probably finish this tomorrow. I am 600 file strokes into fitting the rear sight and think I am about 400 away from getting it fit. Will have to find my dremel bits too. May be more cost effective to go buy a new set I have no idea where I put those bits.....LOL

[Guamsst]

Found one cone shaped stone bit which worked really well. Stayed up way past my bedtime but I got the sights replaced and coated the dots in Duraglo and flourescent yellow front dot. Can't wait to go to the range and see how much worse I shoot with upgraded sights....LOL

Thanks for the advice and photos. I peened it and then epoxied it too. It might stay in place.

[Guamsst]

Ok, after several trips to the range and hundreds of rounds of ammo the front sight is still tight. Makes me a little concerned about the "Gunsmiths" that replaced them and then they came off.

[Oyaji]

Delete duplicate post

[Oyaji]

Why dick around with it? Any thing worth doing is worth doing right. Send it off to Novak to have the slide milled and new sights installed.

http://novaksights.com/products/sights/index.html

[Dave Waits]

Oyaji, if you're going that route why buy cheap Novaks, put a set of these on.

[Guamsst]

Why dick around with it? Any thing worth doing is worth doing right. Send it off to Novak to have the slide milled and new sights installed.

I invested $25 and some time in mine and had it done in one evening. Care to qoute price and turnaround on having Novak mill and install?

[Col. Colt]

Installed tightly, the tenon sight is superior to the dovetailed front - which can move - and looks better and is cheaper to boot. Dovetailed front sights belong on Kentucky rifles and Brown Bess Muskets - where they originated. Not modern handguns. CC

[Dave Waits]

Colonel, most of the better dovetail front-sights, like the Kensight on my Rock, are pinned once windage is settled. Mine is rock-solid sir.

[Col. Colt]

Pinned does indeed work, if you must have a dovetailed front. I think John Moses Browning made the right choice. He had not heard of the United Autoworkers Union, apparently....

But all the extra work to install a dovetail is totally unnecessary, if the tenon style is done right - which it was on over a million US Military M1911s, and hundreds of thousands of civilian 1911s.

Why cut a larger chunk out of the front of the slide, locate the sight, then drill and pin it? Even if the tenon was not done correctly initially (and if it is a Colt it is under warranty - free fix), it is still easier and cheaper to correctly replace it than to do a bunch of machine work. And the tenon front sight looks like it grew there, and cannot move - no pinning required. More elegant, more "modern". CC

[Guamsst]

Col. I agree. What point is there to a dovetailed front. Unless you plan on replacing the front sight often there is no benefit. You can adjust windage from the rear sight so the front dovetail is unnecessary.