Ruger GP100MC Novak Sight Replacement

[Wyoming Shooter]

Although I'm generally a Smith & Wesson guy, I find myself shooting, and liking, a Ruger GP100MC more and more: https://ruger.com/products/gp100MatchChampion/specSheets/1754.html. It shoots well, the trigger is good, and it's built like a tank. That said, I found some deficiencies with the OEM sights. The OEM Novak rear sight is not adjustable. The OEM Novak fiber optic front sight fiber diameter was too big for my preference - think big green blob. So, I set off to fix these issues.

First, I replaced the OEM Novak with an elevation-adjustable Novak:

63245

63246

The front sight was a bit more problematic. I first tried a Novak brass bead: https://www.novaksights.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=1100669. This just wasn't visible enough for my taste. Internet searches for "fiber optic Ruger GP100MC front sight" were mostly fruitless. I finally called Dawson and asked for their advice. Dawson suggested that given the Ruger GP100MC uses a standard Novak front sight dovetail cut, this would work: https://dawsonprecision.com/novak-cut-fiber-optic-front-sights/. I went with the .265 x .100. With just a bit of filing, I was able to drift the Dawson into place. I now have elevation adjustment and a cleaner, more visible sight picture. More better. From the Big Empty, ELN.

Here's the progression left to right - OEM Novak fiber optic, Novak brass bead, Dawson fiber optic:

63248

Dawson replacement:

63249

Dawson installed:

63250

New sight picture:

63251

[Colt191145lover]

Thanks for the info!
I was planning on replacing the front on my Wiley Clapp GP100 with a Dawson Precision, I dident know that Novak made a adjustable rear.
It was one of my gripes with the gun as the vertical POI between different ammunition was quite dramatic.

[Edster]

Whoa. I didn't know there was a Dawson option.

I'm satisfied with the Novak tritium that I have in there now but it's good to know there might be other options.

[Johnny Walker]

[QUOTE=Wyoming Shooter;1142057]Although I'm generally a Smith & Wesson guy, I find myself shooting, and liking, a Ruger GP100MC more and more: https://ruger.com/products/gp100MatchChampion/specSheets/1754.html. It shoots well, the trigger is good, and it's built like a tank. That said, I found some deficiencies with the OEM sights. The OEM Novak rear sight is not adjustable. The OEM Novak fiber optic front sight fiber diameter was too big for my preference - think big green blob. So, I set off to fix these issues.

First, I replaced the OEM Novak with an elevation-adjustable Novak:

63245

63246

The front sight was a bit more problematic. I first tried a Novak brass bead: https://www.novaksights.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=1100669. This just wasn't visible enough for my taste. Internet searches for "fiber optic Ruger GP100MC front sight" were mostly fruitless. I finally called Dawson and asked for their advice. Dawson suggested that given the Ruger GP100MC uses a standard Novak front sight dovetail cut, this would work: https://dawsonprecision.com/novak-cut-fiber-optic-front-sights/. I went with the .265 x .100. With just a bit of filing, I was able to drift the Dawson into place. I now have elevation adjustment and a cleaner, more visible sight picture. More better. From the Big Empty, ELN.




Thanks for sharing this post! My GP100MC needs new sights and this will be the cure! I used to love the gold bead type front sights until I turned 54 and my eyesight started that aging thing....... have you looked at any springs kits to help smooth out that action? I use my GP100MC at IDPA and would like to smooth up that action a bit. I still want it to ignite any type of primer so I dont want some crazy light spring setup mandating federal primers only......

[backtrail540]

I'm also using the adjustable Novak rear on my WC.

I chose to go with a front night sight with a colored ring which i believe is marked night fission despite being sold by Novak.

Great combo and i like it much better than the brass bead factory setup.

63256

[jh9]

I'm also using the adjustable Novak rear on my WC.

I chose to go with a front night sight with a colored ring which i believe is marked night fission despite being sold by Novak.


Night Fission installs the lamps. The sight is still almost certainly Novak.

If you buy tritium sights from most places, including Dawson, they manufacture the actual sight and have a 3rd party install the tritium lamp.

I got a similarly marked Dawson tritium sight a few months ago. It turns out other people will get the same sights alternatively marked Trijicon, etc. I assume it just depends on who's available and has the equipment, nuclear regulatory compliance whatever, etc to handle the tritium.

[Wyoming Shooter]

...Thanks for sharing this post! My GP100MC needs new sights and this will be the cure! I used to love the gold bead type front sights until I turned 54 and my eyesight started that aging thing....... have you looked at any springs kits to help smooth out that action? I use my GP100MC at IDPA and would like to smooth up that action a bit. I still want it to ignite any type of primer so I dont want some crazy light spring setup mandating federal primers only......

I have not yet messed with the springs. My trigger is okay but, I sometimes can't leave well enough alone. Please let us know if you find something that works for you. Best, ELN.

[jetfire]

I have not yet messed with the springs. My trigger is okay but, I sometimes can't leave well enough alone. Please let us know if you find something that works for you. Best, ELN.

I strongly recommend the Wilson Combat spring kit. I use the 10lb mainspring for reliable ignition regardless of primer, coupled with the 9lb trigger return spring I get a pretty good trigger out of the gun.

[Colt191145lover]

I strongly recommend the Wilson Combat spring kit. I use the 10lb mainspring for reliable ignition regardless of primer, coupled with the 9lb trigger return spring I get a pretty good trigger out of the gun.


This is the combo I use as well.

[Edster]

I'm also using the adjustable Novak rear on my WC.

I chose to go with a front night sight with a colored ring which i believe is marked night fission despite being sold by Novak.

Great combo and i like it much better than the brass bead factory setup.

63256

Oh wow. This just gets better and better.

https://www.novaksights.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=1441438&CAT=9509

And by "better and better," I mean, "more harmful to my credit card."

[Johnny Walker]

I strongly recommend the Wilson Combat spring kit. I use the 10lb mainspring for reliable ignition regardless of primer, coupled with the 9lb trigger return spring I get a pretty good trigger out of the gun.


Caleb - Thanks so much for this post!!!!!

[Wyoming Shooter]

I strongly recommend the Wilson Combat spring kit. I use the 10lb mainspring for reliable ignition regardless of primer, coupled with the 9lb trigger return spring I get a pretty good trigger out of the gun.

Thanks! Order placed.

[ECVMatt]

Alright this thread just made me buy a gun! I have wanted a MC for a while. I liked the look of the fixed sights, but wanted the adjustable because I like to dial in my guns. I did not know that NovaK made adjustables. All this info has solved my problem and pushed me over the edge to buy one. I am not sure if that is good or bad.

Now I just need to find one nearby.

The hunt is on!

[Salamander]

The front sight was one of the first things to be replaced on my MC, went with the Novak tritium front and am pretty happy with it. My MC is the adjustable rear sight version, so just recently a set of Bowen Rough Country's replaced the original sights. Again, an improvement. It's now close to what I want, still playing with stocks to find the best fit for my hands, another set is on the way.

[ralph]

I'm also using the adjustable Novak rear on my WC.

I chose to go with a front night sight with a colored ring which i believe is marked night fission despite being sold by Novak.

Great combo and i like it much better than the brass bead factory setup.

63256

backtrail540;

How easy/difficult were these to install on your WC? I have a Ruger MC and I wouldn’t mind getting rid of the factory sights for something better.. I do have some experience installing sights, as I’ve installed Dawson sights on some CZ’s I have, as well as 3HK’s I have, all of the HK’s took 45 minutes to an hour to fit the front sight.. Hopefully, these will be easier..

[backtrail540]

I am a total bubba so I'm probably not who you want to ask, but i just used rubber padded vice jaws, a hammer, and a punch from old dawson sights.

Harder than using the same method on a slide, simply because the clamping surface is not uniform or handy, and you can't use a sight pusher (that I'm aware of) but it wasn't a big deal. Same process just a slightly different approach.

[Wyoming Shooter]

backtrail540;

How easy/difficult were these to install on your WC? I have a Ruger MC and I wouldn’t mind getting rid of the factory sights for something better.. I do have some experience installing sights, as I’ve installed Dawson sights on some CZ’s I have, as well as 3HK’s I have, all of the HK’s took 45 minutes to an hour to fit the front sight.. Hopefully, these will be easier..

It's fairly simple. You want a decent bench vise with padded jaws, a brass punch, small hammer, and a micrometer to get it centered. I used blue thread locker on the set screw. ELN

[ralph]

It's fairly simple. You want a decent bench vise with padded jaws, a brass punch, small hammer, and a micrometer to get it centered. I used blue thread locker on the set screw. ELN

You didn’t need to file the sight to get it to fit? Reading Novak’s site, my understanding is that these are drop in fit, basically, tap the old one out, and tap the new one in.. Also, does it matter which way they come out? Left to Right, or Right to Left?

[Wyoming Shooter]

You didn’t need to file the sight to get it to fit? Reading Novak’s site, my understanding is that these are drop in fit, basically, tap the old one out, and tap the new one in.. Also, does it matter which way they come out? Left to Right, or Right to Left?

My Novak adjustable rear sight did not require any fitting. Sorry, but I just don't recall which direction I drifted the old one out and the new one in. Just take your time. You'll be fine.

[Crazy Dane]

On my non match champion GPs the front sights went from left to right. I'm not gonna assume anything on the Novak rears. I set up in a padded vise and used a punch from Dawson set and a 8oz brass hammer. It went fairly easy, relative to the task.

[ralph]

Tritium sights from Novak showed up last week, Using a sight tool left over from installing Dawson sights, I got them out.. The MC was pretty tight, Clamped up in my vise, I had to use a 12oz hammer to get them out, 3 good wacks did it. On my 3” .44 special, they came out with the 8oz hammer, I didn’t put any locktite in the dovetails, as tight as they were I didn’t feel they needed any. Taking both to the range they were both dead on, and about a light year ahead of the green blobs that Novak calls fiber optics... It was really a huge, huge, improvement. Now that they both have very usable sights, I’m finding out these are both pretty dammed accurate revolvers.

[Padwan]

I strongly recommend the Wilson Combat spring kit. I use the 10lb mainspring for reliable ignition regardless of primer, coupled with the 9lb trigger return spring I get a pretty good trigger out of the gun.

Caleb, will the same spring rates work in SP101s?🙂

[jetfire]

Caleb, will the same spring rates work in SP101s?🙂

I don't know, actually I've never really done a lot of work on the little metal Rugers.

[vtfarmer]

Caleb, will the same spring rates work in SP101s?🙂

I'm running my SO101 with the 10 pound level main spring, and the 9 lb. trigger return spring. This is with the spurless DAO hammer. A spurred hammer, being heavier, would give you a little more margin. I can run my GP100s' at 9 lbs. or a bit less, but that level with the SP101 had too many misfires. Bottom line is that every gun is an individual, so you won't know until you try it.

[Wyoming Shooter]

I strongly recommend the Wilson Combat spring kit. I use the 10lb mainspring for reliable ignition regardless of primer, coupled with the 9lb trigger return spring I get a pretty good trigger out of the gun.

I installed the Wilson Combat spring kit today. The kit came with 3 main springs (9, 10, and 12 lbs.) and 2 trigger return springs (8 and 10 lbs.). I used the 10 lb. hammer spring and the 10 lb. trigger return spring.

The OEM trigger weight was 10 lbs. 0.5 oz. After the kit installation, the trigger weight is 8 lbs. 0.2 oz. I had no failures to fire with the first 50 rounds using Federal primers.

New sights + new springs = better pistol. :o