Changing sights - target to combat

[rplaw]

What's involved in doing the swap? Is is more than just milling the flat on the rear of the slide?

[Sailormilan2]

That really depends on what gun, and how the sights are mounted on the slide. If you are staying with a sight that uses the existing sight cuts in the slide it's not too hard. If you're changing to a totally different style of sight that requires a new mounting cut you need to modify the slide. Which means a gunsmith and more money..
For example. On a Govt style 1911 with the original style sights, the rear sight is in a dovetail cut, and slides out left to right. A new sight will probably have to be fitted to the dovetail. The front sight has a post that goes into a hole drilled into the slide, and the end is peened to keep it in place. This means that if you want to R&R the front sight, you must punch out the old one. Then tap a new one in, then peen the end. Possibly do a little filing on the peened area, so the barrel bushing can be installed.
If it has Novak style sight cuts, it a matter of driving out the old, fitting new, and installing them. On two of my 1911s some kind of adhesive was used to help keep the rear Novak style sight in place so I had to carefully split the sight with a hacksaw to remove the old one.
Each type of gun is different, but sight installation usually is not hard. It usually takes a little time, and some patience.

[ar15barrels]

Originally Posted by rplaw

What's involved in doing the swap? Is is more than just milling the flat on the rear of the slide?

If you are talking about putting a novaks rear sight on the slide, it's milling the flat and the dovetail.
The Novaks dovetail is wider and deeper than the original USGI dovetail if that's what you have now.
There are a bunch of other different rear sight cuts too.

[rplaw]

It's got Bomar's on it now.

I'm probably going to leave it alone. Not ideal, but it is what it is.

[hermosabeach]

Originally Posted by rplaw

It's got Bomar's on it now.

I'm probably going to leave it alone. Not ideal, but it is what it is.

Sights are relatively easy to change.
Bowmar makes several different models too.

Are you looking to solve a problem?

Target sights are too Tight and you want more space between the front / rear sigh picture?

Or mine- I'm getting older and I can't find the front sight in lower light.

There might be a few options that will fit the existing dovetail.


What problem are you trying to resolve?

[rplaw]

Originally Posted by hermosabeach

Sights are relatively easy to change.
Bowmar makes several different models too.

Are you looking to solve a problem?

Target sights are too Tight and you want more space between the front / rear sigh picture?

Or mine- I'm getting older and I can't find the front sight in lower light.

There might be a few options that will fit the existing dovetail.


What problem are you trying to resolve?

I don't have a "problem" per se. I'm really just exploring options for my .22 plinker and thinking combat fiber optic sights might help in certain lighting conditions.

[ar15barrels]

Originally Posted by rplaw

It's got Bomar's on it now.

I'm probably going to leave it alone. Not ideal, but it is what it is.

There used to be a fixed sight that would go into a bomar cut.
I don't know if there still is or if it comes in a fiber variant though.

Here is a fixed night sight that fits a bomar cut:
https://shop.harrisoncustom.com/hd-006-t2-night-sight

[divingin]

Originally Posted by ar15barrels

There are a bunch of other different rear sight cuts too.

What's with the empty space in the dovetail on the Rem/Para sight?

[ar15barrels]

Originally Posted by divingin

What's with the empty space in the dovetail on the Rem/Para sight?

No idea.
Ask EGW as it's from their website.
My guess is that it's a little piece of styrofoam that makes it LOOK like an empty space in the photo.
To the right of that little white spot, it looks like the dovetail is full width in the slide cut.