1911 sights?

How can you tell what kind of sights your gun is cut for? Novak, Kimber, Colt, etc. I have a BoMar on now.

 

DD

What brand of pistol is it?  That has a great deal to do with the cut.  Gun manufacturer's adopt proprietary cuts, particularly for front sights, and sight companies offer those cuts on their products.  If you send your slide to say Novaks, they'll install the correct sights properly and ship your slide back to you directly (no FFL needed).

maybe DD is looking fer one of the new fangled sights with rounded off edges etc so's they don't catch on anything or nite sites or ????

My Bo-Mar has square corners etc since it is of many yrs ago manufacture and a target type.

Is the front sight staked?  I've changed front sights before.  Just get the correct angle safe side files and buy a higher one.  If it's staked, I'd send it to a smith so they can shear it clean or drill out the stake.  That's one of those things I won't do myself without a sight pusher.  My sight pusher is rear only. 

HOWEVER, it sounds like your pistol is hitting right where I want one to hit.  I like to see my bullets hit the paper.  Besides, in a high adrenaline situation, I am probably more apt to jerk the trigger (causing a lower hit) than to mismanage the recoil.  Also, it works out better when I'm instinctive shooting using only the front sight.  I sight in my 1911s to hold on 6:00 on a 50 ft. NRA target and take out the black.  If you don't shoot a 1911 alot, you might also tighten your offhand grip to see if that doesn't bring your POI down.

Edited by Muleskinner

I'm sorry, I thought you said 2" high.  In that case.  Get a new front.  If it's dovetail, you can do it yourself with the proper safe side file.  Either that, or do it Kentucky style and aim at the crotch.  If you replace it, use red Threadlock to keep it in place.  One drop on each edge of the dovetail will do the trick.

Edited by Muleskinner

It is the front I'm having problems with. It was the biggest thing I've seen on one. I've been filing it down and testing and have cut it down by about half now. Now all the grinding action has loosened it up.

 

DD

I've gone up down and all around with this thing. I shoulda known when I saw the size of that front sight when I got it. The guy I got it from said it shot high and I saw it had a bunch of adjustment left in the rear so I didn't think it was going to be a problem. I was wrong.

 

DD

Kingpin wrote: DD, I am sure you know, that by lowering the front sight you actually raise the group. If you are shooting high, don't file it anymore. If it's loose, staking a new one will be what you need. When I buiild a .45, I silver solder a front sight that I make. It never comes off and doesn't get loose.............................Kingpin

That's the best way to do a sight, but dovetails can be just as secure if they're tightly cut.  That red shit ain't bad, either.  I distinctly told him to put on a "higher one."  I don't know why he would be filing the sight down.

But it depends on the height of the rear and the length of the sight radius.  If you lower the front, you raise the muzzle and the bullet will hit higher.  If you raise the rear sight, it lowers the muzzle and the bullet hits lower.  Send the slide with the rear on it and KP or Novaks or XS Sights and they'll put the right height front sight for you.  I generally have them put a smidge lower than specified in the math so I can see my bullets hit.

Edited by Muleskinner

Sometimes front cuts aren't the same as rear ones.  Wilson, for instance, uses a proprietary cut on the front and a Novak cut on the rear.