Well, Elvis has left the building on this one. 😀Originally Posted by Danko
Having installed this very sight on a couple of Springfields and a Dan Wesson, i can say there's fitting required there also. Just not on this level. Normally, I would have saved some money by installing the rear sight myself. However, I had a feeling it might be a project, so I decided to give John the entire headache.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
More on the installation. As something of a shade tree gunsmith I find all this interesting. I hope you all do.
"On the previous slide, I mentioned, when I started filing on the dovetail and saw that it was not cutting. I thought that it might be a type of DLC finish, and maybe thatÂ’s what it is but if you keep on sawing away with the file, all you do is kill an expensive dovetail file.
The front site has issues as well, but not to the scope that the rear site does. The mortise in the top of the slide was cut with the side of a 1/16” end mill, so the ends of the cut are round, so I have to shape the tenon on the side so it will fit the mortise. That is all taken care of and the site is sitting down in the cut correctly.
Tomorrow IÂ’ll drill the hole for the gold bead, fill it with a gauge pin, steak the side in, remove the gauge pin and then install the gold bead."
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
Trooper 224, last night I finished reading The M1911 Complete Owner's Guide by Walt Kuleck. I found it very informative to help start my 1911 journey. In many places throughout the book he stresses the fact that many 1911 components won't simply drop in, they'll often require a little modification. I see that's the case for you and in other accounts I've read.
He does however contend that if gun and parts manufacturers adhered to John Browning's original specs, most of such problems wouldn't exist. He further argues that such companies take liberties with John's specs thinking they're improving the gun's operation when they really aren't. I'm certainly in no position to argue against his contentions. He may be right. What do you think of his arguments?
He's absolutely right. As I've often said, almost everything past the grip screws may need fitting.
When one company made the gun, with others under direct license and supervision during wartime, a lot of these issues didn't exist. Even then things really weren't drop in. Parts were still tested and adjusted at the factory with a complex system of guages,so as to speed field maintenance.
Today, with so many companies making the design parts must be made oversized so they can be fit to a myriad of brands. Most of my 1911s over the years have been Colts or Springfields. This is because Colt is the spec and Springfield has always been good about maintaining the spec. I'm talking about things like the placement of pin holes in the frame, etc. Not relatively minor issues like sight fitment. Even Colt has played mixmaster over the years with dovetail cuts. Sometimes proprietary Colt, sometimes Novak or Hiene. Sometimes a Hiene front dovetail and a Noval rear. Specialness from the prancing pony.
I removed the front sight from a Dan Wesson and sent it to John for a gold bead, rather than buy a sight. DW has used at least three front sight dovetails over the years and I wasn't willing to play roulette.
The issues with the Tisas don't surprise me in the least, in fact, they were expected. That's why I chose to send it off. I don't see these as problems but just part of the 1911 life.
I remember a time when all 1911s came in GI form and everything was a gunsmithing proposition.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
I agree with Mr. Harrison's observation that the steel in a Tisas is hard. I filed the front sight dovetail to true Novak spec with my dovetail file and fitted a Night Fision sight. While I don't believe that my file suffered any ill effects from it, I'm glad that there was only a small amount of steel to be removed.
And for anyone who may want to do that, be warned that the factory front sight is pinned and that the pin is very tight fit. I ended up drilling out the pin and then using the punch on the remains of it, as it would not drive out fully intact.
Be Aware-Stay Safe. Gunfighting Is A Thinking Man's Game. So We Might Want To Bring Thinking Back Into It.
I had a similar experience removing my Stingray front sight.
What did you replace it with?
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
Dawson FO,
I called Dawson to inquire about Tisas's Novak cut and was informed that it wasn't a true Novak cut, and a Novak sight would require an awful lot filing but, they had no better option...
It did require a lot of fitting. I've read that Tisas will change to true Novak cut's ?
I've read that as well. Tisas is now offering sights options of their own.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
I wonder if the Glock dovetail used on the new double stack guns is really Glock then.
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