Replacement 1911 Sights

[Moparman485]

Good evening gents!

Not having any luck online so decided I would ask the experts! Haha

So the other day at the range, to my surprise, my 1911 front sight broke off and took flight, never to be seen again. It was/is a stake in place type.

The pistol is a P14-45 frame with a. Colt government slide.

So obviously, I need a new front sight. Although I am quite handy, this pistol honestly means to much to me to try and tackle it myself and would rather have a more learned hand for it.

So, does anyone know of anyone trustworthy with quality work on the norman/okc area that works on 1911s? I’ve been told it is a very easy job with the right jig and peening tool, but I want it done right.

I’ve looked into having Novak cut a dovetail in, but have become so frustrated trying to get straight answers from them in the cost, that they pretty much have turned me off of them. It initially had a tritium type sight and I would like to go back with the same/similar.

Does anyone have any recommendations or the proper skill/tools to do it?


Thanks in advance gals and gents!

 

[Gunbuffer]

Understand the frustration. It would probably run $50 or so to cut a dovetail in it. Just guessing
I’d highly recommend doing that as opposed to staking a tritium sight back. I never felt comfortable staking a tritium sight.
Any gunsmith can knock that out

 

[Moparman485]

Understand the frustration. It would probably run $50 or so to cut a dovetail in it. Just guessing
I’d highly recommend doing that as opposed to staking a tritium sight back. I never felt comfortable staking a tritium sight.
Any gunsmith can knock that out

Right. If at all possible I would like to just have one restaked in place. It seemed like everytime I talked with Novak, more fees and costs were birthed. Figured if I can just buy the sight and take it and the slide to a smith, then I could pay them to install and all go our merry ways. Haha

 

[SPDguns]

What @Bunguffer said. It's tough to get a sight staked without messing up the sight and or the slide. I'd have the dovetail cut....

 

[Moparman485]

Ok. Well that is an option as well. So I guess I’m also open to recommendations as far as smiths go for milling in a dovetail. This slide/pistol means a lot to me, so I want to absolutely minimize the chances of it being damaged by a less than competent smith, myself included. Haha.

 

[panayoti]

I have installed front sights on my 1911 builds. I stake but also use some acraglass. Never had one come off. These were std sights not tritium.

 

[Moparman485]

I have installed front sights on my 1911 builds. I stake but also use some acraglass. Never had one come off. These were std sights not tritium.

Yeah. I’m not sure what caused this one to let loose. In all fairness, it had been on the top for god knows how long. Never dropped or abused. But it was my primary hunting sidearm, so it’s feasible that it got bumped and such while scampering and scouting.

 

[JD8]

Anything worth doing, is worth doing right. If the gun sees use, then get it dovetailed. BTW the two guys that told you to get it dovetailed, know their way around handguns to say the very least.

 

[Moparman485]

Anything worth doing, is worth doing right. If the gun sees use, then get it dovetailed. BTW the two guys that told you to get it dovetailed, know their way around handguns to say the very least.

I understand this. This is why I have asked for recommendations of places that do dovetailing as well.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

It's not hard to stake a front sight into a 1911. I have the jig to do it and I've done it several times...though it's been a while. Staking a night sight is tricky because the vials can break. It's easy to avoid hurting the gun...not so much the tritium vial. Took me 3 tries the first time I did one. Decided not to do that again.

I agree...have the dovetail cut.