# Upgrading sights



## varanid (Sep 23, 2013)

I want to upgrade the standard sights on the 1911 I wound up getting. If I understand it right, it's fairly easy to install something like Novak rear sights but I can't figure out how you'd upgrade the front sight. Am I basically going to be limited to painting enamel on it?


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## ponzer04 (Oct 23, 2011)

it depends on how the sights are install. my front and rear sights are dovetailed in, so all it takes to swap them is a vice, a punch, and a mallet. The last set of sights I changed were taken to a local gunsmith with a proper combination of these tools and changed for like $15.

There is more than one type of dovetail cut for slides on 1911, you need the correct style sight for your cut or to have the slide milled to fit what you want.


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## rex (Jan 27, 2012)

Yes,what 1911 is it exactly.Older Colts used a standard small rear that requires milling to fit a Novak or the many other styles,and the front was staked on.Now Colt uses a Novak style along with many other makers,but they all aren't the same dovetail as Novak's.You have to find out what the current cut is if it is a milled in rear sight,and the easiest thing to do is mill the front for a dovetail front.There are 2 different angles on dovetail cuts,a few widths and depths,and a few different cuts that differentiate a Novak from a Heine from others.The manufacturer should be able to tell you what the rear sight cut is or a copy of,then the sight manufacturer may have sights for specific cuts.Harrison Design has multiple cuts and I think 10-8 does but I don't think Heine or Novak stray from their proprietary cut.Harrison makes top notch stuff.


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## djr46 (Apr 18, 2014)

Is the "Bomar" still available? That's my choice. Properly inletted to have a low profile..,.,
DJ


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

djr46 said:


> Is the "Bomar" still available? That's my choice. Properly inletted to have a low profile..,.,
> DJ


There are different variations. I think LPA is the current primary maker of that adjustable sight.


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## Spike12 (Dec 10, 2008)

BEWARE: Some older Colts and others(?) do not have dove-tailed front sites. They are riveted on, as in my Colt Series 80 MkIV. Still others, Mil-spec, are soldered on. Plus the dove tail cuts come in more than just 2 different angles or depths. I believe Para and S&W and perhaps SA have their own cuts.


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## spcfowler18 (May 6, 2014)

Check out Advantage Tactical Sights. I have them on my Sig and they are great, Fast, and super accurate.

ADVANTAGE TACTICAL SIGHT!


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## AjayTaylor (Nov 1, 2014)

How much do gunsmith's charge on average to put dovetail cuts in a slide? Also, is their enough depth in the material on the top of the slide to put much depth in the dovetail cut? I guess what I want to know is how thick is the steel on the top of the slide?


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

Also have to factor in refinishing the slide after the dove tails have been cut. The slide is probably somewhere between 1/8 - 3/16 depending on the model. Most any 1911 should be able to be cut for dovetails.

For pricing I would think Novak is about the average rate for quit work.
http://www.novaksights.com/products/sights/


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