front sight replacement on SA 1911 milspec

[aetucker1]

Is this even a possible endeavor, or should I give up thinking about it? The front sight is not dovetailed...so I know that it isn't going to be "easy". Is it even possible to remove the darn thing?

 

[Gamez235]

Yes. They are staked on there. It is not impossible, but WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS AND PATIENCE it can be done. If you're unsure or have never done this before, I would suggest taking it to a gun smith for proper installation.

That being said I've done a few of these on my own and here's the in's and out's of doing it yourself.

They are silver soldered on from the factory, so some heat and a very precise dremel bit will be needed to get the old one off. Head the old solder off and begin to very slowy grind away the tang from the old sight. Remove only enough to tap the sight off the gun.

Installation in the reverse. Make sure you have the proper tenon size for the gun and I use a little red loc-tite on my for no reason other than peace of mind. You'll have to stake the sight in by "smashing" the tenon into the slide of the gun. A punch could be used, but the staking tool meant for this job is shaped specifically for this. They will give you much easier and cleaner results. Don't use a screw driver or similar tool. Once you've beat the sight in, it's time to silver solder it in there. Silver Solder is used for it's higher temp resistance. To finish it all off just smooth outside the area around the inside of the slide and refinish any parts that you may have knicked...

 

[aetucker1]

Yes. They are staked on there. It is not impossible, but WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS AND PATIENCE it can be done. If you're unsure or have never done this before, I would suggest taking it to a gun smith for proper installation.

any recommendations of a gunsmith that can do this type of thing with no problems?

 

[aetucker1]

or maybe even someone that can put in a dovetail on the slide? obviously, someone who is experienced and wont screw it up.

 

[Gamez235]

or maybe even someone that can put in a dovetail on the slide? obviously, someone who is experienced and wont screw it up.

What part of the state are you from.. I think in there is a gunsmith listing here on the board somewhere..

 

[aetucker1]

What part of the state are you from.. I think in there is a gunsmith listing here on the board somewhere..

carmel...I was hoping someone could give me a "I had it done by this guy and it works great" sort of comment. I'm not one to just call someone up and blindly trust that they won't screw up something that costs close to $1000.