Citadel 9mm

[Grendel Guy]

I bought it from my son as he was looking to finance another project. Took it out to plink and wasn't too thrilled with the sights. I had a gift card to burn from the LGS so I thought I'd burn it. They said they don't have the sights on hand and it would be a shifft show to mill it for one ($200). So is the dovetail for the different than other 1911s or were they blowing smoke?

[meangene714]

I think the lgs is right. It's been awhile since I upgraded sights on my Citadel buy I remember that only a couple "drop in" sight options were available. Dawson Precision is one, I went with a different brand, whose name escapes my mind at the moment. Also paid a smith to install just in case. They charged their normal sight install fee.

https://dawsonprecision.com/sights/rock-island-sights/

[Grendel Guy]

👍 Thanks

[Sailormilan2]

If it has military style sights, you can find “High Visibility” aftermarket sights that will fit the slide. They are a vast improvement over original military style sights.
If the slide has “Novak” style sight cuts, it is a fairly simple matter to put aftermarket sights in.
However, both of the sight styles will probably need to be filed on a bit to fit the dovetail cut/s in the slide. The filing will be most of the cost.

[Grendel Guy]

If it has military style sights, you can find “High Visibility” aftermarket sights that will fit the slide. They are a vast improvement over original military style sights.
it the slide has “Novak” style sight cuts, it is a fairly simple matter to put aftermarket sights in.
However, the sights will probably need to be filed on a bit to fit the dovetail cut/s in the slide. The filing will be most of the cost.

Interesting. Someone did suggest applying some sight paint to them. Yes, the rear sight looks like a Novak style with a dot on either side of the slot but there is no contrasting paint in the dots. The front dot has a single dot. I think I'll try the paint first, maybe a florescent type. Maybe ask my granddaughter if she has some finger nail polish.

[Sailormilan2]

Interesting. Someone did suggest applying some sight paint to them. Yes, the rear sight looks like a Novak style with a dot on either side of the slot but there is no contrasting paint in the dots. The front dot has a single dot. I think I'll try the paint first, maybe a florescent type. Maybe ask my granddaughter if she has some finger nail polish.

High Visability sights will probably have dots on them. The same can be said for the Novaks. What sets the two styles apart is that the Novaks use a front and rear dovetails of different sizes.
Military sights have a dovetail rear, and a swaged post for the front. The front post can in two sizes, since Colt increased the post size in the 80s(IIRC). Called “narrow tenon” and “wide tenon”.
If your Citadel has military style sights, it more than likely has a “narrow tenon” front sight.

[Grendel Guy]

Good information. I forgot to mention that the dots are recessed with no contrasting paint.

[k1dude]

I think they used to have their own proprietary cut. IIRC, Fusion used to make sights that fit or you could take a Novak and file them a bit to make them fit. I heard a rumor they may have changed the proprietary cut to Novak, but I have never confirmed it myself.

[foothillman]

Interesting. Someone did suggest applying some sight paint to them. Yes, the rear sight looks like a Novak style with a dot on either side of the slot but there is no contrasting paint in the dots. The front dot has a single dot. I think I'll try the paint first, maybe a florescent type. Maybe ask my granddaughter if she has some finger nail polish.

I used a water base paint.
Very easy to paint with tooth pick, also remove.

Left front sight used paint.
Actually prefer the black out rear on 1911

[Grendel Guy]

I'm thinking of a green/orange combo. Both florescent.