The Art and Science of Keeping Your 1911 Running

[RJ]

Could also grab a coil in the middle with a pair of needlenose pilers and bend it down, out, or in some other direction a bit..the other method I've seen/done is to again grab one of the middle coils and kind of unwind it a fraction of a turn. All of this is super fiddly though and takes some trial and error, practice to get right.

As much as a pain in the butt it can be to do it, it's a lot easier and better than taking your thumb safety off and having the gun deadlined because the detents and springs launched into a slightly lower orbit than AR15 detents launch in (more weight, so it doesn't have the same high orbit escape velocity)

Right now I like to think the 15 or so AR detents I've launched, a couple of 1911 detent/spring combos, about 300 pens and sharpies, and at least 20 pairs of socks are all in orbit somewhere right now, just hanging out, waiting for the next one to arrive...

I joined this club yesterday. Blanking rear half of the blanking plunger assy sprang out just as I levered the TS up and out....I heard it hit the side of my desk trash can liner, and skitter down at my feet. Amusingly, my eyes were resting on the part in my disassembly Aide Memoir where I caution myself that certain parts are under tension...I played "find the damn tiny black part in the rug" for about 15 minutes (did find it, eventually.) Note to self: empty trash can more frequently.

What really stung tho was the extra 5 minutes I spent looking for the spring and front half...which, of course had remained snickering in the plunger tube assy tube, completely out of view. Bastards.

[Evil_Ed]

I joined this club yesterday. Blanking rear half of the blanking plunger assy sprang out just as I levered the TS up and out....I heard it hit the side of my desk trash can liner, and skitter down at my feet. Amusingly, my eyes were resting on the part in my disassembly Aide Memoir where I caution myself that certain parts are under tension...I played "find the damn tiny black part in the rug" for about 15 minutes (did find it, eventually.) Note to self: empty trash can more frequently.

What really stung tho was the extra 5 minutes I spent looking for the spring and front half...which, of course had remained snickering in the plunger tube assy tube, completely out of view. Bastards.

Buy some of these (maybe you can find them cheaper on Amazon, I dunno?)

I keep one of them around my bench/table all the time, and use it to find stuff exactly like that; things that launched and hit the carpet somewhere. I have an old hard drive magnet tied to a piece of paracord for hard to reach places, and you can tape one to the end of a towel as well if you need.

[Robinson]

I’m shooting a bit low at 10 yards with a dot hold. I would normally just buy a new shorter front, but I want to do some experimenting first. I can’t physically move the dot in the sight I have, but I can make it shorter. But of course, I can’t shoot the dot anymore if I do this.

So here is my question:

If I just switched to a Top of Front Sight (TOFS) hold, the POI would be the same as before, i.e., still a bit low, correct? But what I switch to a TOFS hold, AND shorten the Front Sight? POI would raise, since the gun would have to be tilted up, to accommodate POA being the same; the Front Sight being shorter, right?

Ergo et sum, I should be good, shooting TOFS with a shorter front? I drew the diagram below to show this. I think It’s right but I need a second opinion. (Numbers are notional, figure not to scale, look before crossing, may cause bloating, etc.)

If you are shooting low with a dot hold, you will shoot even lower with a TOFS hold assuming the same sights.

I suggest squaring things away so that you can use the sights on your 1911 the same as your carry gun. That will make switching back and forth more natural. My Government Models have a .325 rear and .170 front -- try a .170 and shoot the way you normally shoot instead of trying to adjust your aiming technique to match the sights on the gun. Just my thoughts, not telling you what to do.

[Chuck Whitlock]

I joined this club yesterday. Blanking rear half of the blanking plunger assy sprang out just as I levered the TS up and out....I heard it hit the side of my desk trash can liner, and skitter down at my feet. Amusingly, my eyes were resting on the part in my disassembly Aide Memoir where I caution myself that certain parts are under tension...I played "find the damn tiny black part in the rug" for about 15 minutes (did find it, eventually.) Note to self: empty trash can more frequently.

What really stung tho was the extra 5 minutes I spent looking for the spring and front half...which, of course had remained snickering in the plunger tube assy tube, completely out of view. Bastards.

This is one of a number of reasons that I'm glad my house has no carpeting.

I’m shooting a bit low at 10 yards with a dot hold. I would normally just buy a new shorter front, but I want to do some experimenting first. I can’t physically move the dot in the sight I have, but I can make it shorter. But of course, I can’t shoot the dot anymore if I do this.

So here is my question:

If I just switched to a Top of Front Sight (TOFS) hold, the POI would be the same as before, i.e., still a bit low, correct? But what I switch to a TOFS hold, AND shorten the Front Sight? POI would raise, since the gun would have to be tilted up, to accommodate POA being the same; the Front Sight being shorter, right?

Ergo et sum, I should be good, shooting TOFS with a shorter front? I drew the diagram below to show this. I think It’s right but I need a second opinion. (Numbers are notional, figure not to scale, look before crossing, may cause bloating, etc.)

Attachment 108426

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....=1#post1486799


You could get a taller rear from 10-8, or an adjustable rear from Novak or Dawson.

[RJ]

You could get a taller rear from 10-8, or an adjustable rear from Novak or Dawson.

Thanks Chuck, that's true, but to do that I'd have to go back and swap sights again. I swore that when I put this last set on, if I ever did any more swaps I'd suck it up and buy a real MGW pusher (yeah, finally. I know.) This hammer and punch stuff is getting old. So I really don't want to do that, since the one I want (the Sight-Pro) is around three hundred bucks.

So I've been filing on the front already, as an experiment. It's currently down to about 0.165", which theoretically should get me the correction I need mathematically. I need to fill the front sight dot hole up with some epoxy and paint it over flat black is all I have left to do.

[BillSWPA]

Thanks Chuck, that's true, but to do that I'd have to go back and swap sights again. I swore that when I put this last set on, if I ever did any more swaps I'd suck it up and buy a real MGW pusher (yeah, finally. I know.) This hammer and punch stuff is getting old. So I really don't want to do that, since the one I want (the Sight-Pro) is around three hundred bucks.

So I've been filing on the front already, as an experiment. It's currently down to about 0.165", which theoretically should get me the correction I need mathematically. I need to fill the front sight dot hole up with some epoxy and paint it over flat black is all I have left to do.

You would not regret having a really good sight pusher. Using the MGW and a digital caliper, I can get a sight centered on a slide to within 0.002 to 0.003 inch.

[thatguybryan]

Convinced the woman this was a good pickup. She likes it but man I love it. Colt Special Combat rail gun, supposedly 1 of 100 or so from the custom shop, finished in black nitride.

[RevolverJIM]

Using a Top of front sight hold will cause even lower POI unless you are able to shorten the front sight a bunch.

https://dawsonprecision.com/sight-calculator/

[willie]

Harbor Freight sells a rod with a magnet on the end for picking up nails in a driveway or street. This beats bending over and looking for stuff you can't see.

I learned not to be too exact when grinding on fixed sights because in searching for perfection I f'ed up often. Instead, shoot it like you got it last time, and you may see that your eye, brain, and hand will dial it in. For me this statement is especially applies to service weapons. Gimme a pistol requiring a 6 o'clock hole on a snake head or similar up close, and I'm happy. Dead on up close is low further out.

[Robinson]

Convinced the woman this was a good pickup. She likes it but man I love it. Colt Special Combat rail gun, supposedly 1 of 100 or so from the custom shop, finished in black nitride.

Those are real nice guns. The Custom Shop also made some railed Commanders during that same time.