New sights for my 1911 - what's out there?

[HeavyDuty]

I have a 1911 that I purchased and modified back in the early 90s. This was a practical shooting gun for me at the time and I did all the work myself - even the beavertail cuts. I'm pretty out of the loop on current go-fast 1911 parts, my knowledge is all state of the art ca. 1993.

Here's a quick pic of what it looks like at the moment:

http://i892.photobucket.com/albums/ac123/HDF62/1911.jpg

It's an early Colt stainless Enhanced Government (one of the ones with the flattop slide) that came with USGI-style sights - a staked front and a small rear dovetail. At the time I removed the factory rear and installed a Kings that overhung the rear of the slide and gave a BoMar-like picture; my intent was to have the slide professionally milled for a buried BoMar. It never happened.

What's the current preference in 1911 sights? No matter what I pick I'll need to have it milled front and rear so I'm wide open to suggestions. At the moment I'm considering fixed Heinies or Novak Colt Competitions - I like having a wide, flat, preferably serrated rear blade positioned at the rear of the slide instead of an inset notch perched on top of the slide.

Having an adjustable rear is appealing, but I don't know if any of the current adjustable offerings are durable enough. I was looking at the Novak Extreme Duty and at the STI TAS rear. My reason for considering an adjustable rear is versatility - this will be used for carry but also possibly for gaming so being able to accommodate wildly differing loads is a plus.

Does anyone have suggestions? If you could choose any sights for a new build, which ones would you be considering?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I'd check out GotM4 posts here for the latest in 1911/2011 sights. I think the answer is going to be a fiber optic front sight and a plain black rear. Thought I think the 10-8 dot-on-dot sights are popular also.

I think the fiber optic/plain rear seems to be the preferred set-up for gaming guns and also growing popularity in defense guns. I think the idea on the denfse gun is that you are going to have a light on the gun or in your hand if you are going to be shooting at night, so night sights aren't as useful. The fiber optic will glow when a light is on. Plus as Travis points out, if the fiber optic breaks or falls out, you still have a standard post sight.

I have fiber optics on both of my 2011 STIs. On my 40SW Edge I have an STI Adjustable rear sight. At a handgun class last year I had to pound the pivot pin back in with the baseplate of a mag a few times because it drifted out. Pin is now expanded on the ends to keep it from drifting. Nothing like wailing on your $2k gun and the instructor sarcastically asking "You pay a lot for that gun?"

On my 45acp 5.0 Tactical I have the TAS rear sight. I haven't had the tactical long, but the TAS seems like a pretty robust adjustable sight. Reminds me of a turtle. Most of the sensative bits are protected, but it looks like it would give enough purchase to rack the slide one-handed on your belt if you had to.

Of course you could leapfrog everyone and and just put a RDS on the slide ala Grant's test bed gun :D

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I'm thinking my drunk monkey ramblings are not the best and only prespectives on 1911 sights. Anyone else have any in-sights for Heavy Duty?

[HeavyDuty]

Sorry - I missed your first reply. Thanks for the input!

I may have found another alternative for an adjustable rear - Tripp's new K-1. It fits a BoMar cut and is spring-and-pinless - it looks pretty tough. Not sure how it would work on a Series 80 like mine, though - I forgot about the interference issued between the FP lock and many sight cuts.

[Dave Berryhill]

I'm seeing guys switching and trying new sights more frequently these days due to the number of options that are available. Because of this I would suggest getting a rear sight that fits a Novak low mount dovetail such as Novak, Heinie or 10-8. It might take some minor fitting to change from one of these to another, it is usually a simple job. There is an adjustable rear sight made by Champion and sold under various other names that fits a Novak low mount dovetail if you chose to go with an adjustable sight but they are not as rugged as a fixed sight.

For a front sight I would suggest a Novak. There are several other brands that claim to fit a Novak front sight dovetail but they tend to vary in size and especially where the hole for the pin that secures the sight to the slide is located. Novak has a large selection of options and heights and you can always get a blank front sight and have a custom sight made from it.

[d90king]

The new Warren Tac rear looks really good. Reminds me of the 10-8... Either of those two would be my choice. Best of luck.

[19852]

I like the 10-8 National Match rear sight made for the standard Colt dovetail.

[militarymoron]

i like the warren tactical series rear sight - i have it on all my pistols that it's available for. i just replaced the 10-8 rear with it (it wasn't offered for the 1911 when i was getting the work done on my 1911). same low novak cut - all it took was very minor fitting.

[David Thomas]

I like the 10-8 National Match rear sight made for the standard Colt dovetail.


If it were mine, I would put one of those (10-8 National Match) on it or one of Mr. Berryhill's rear sights (MEUSOC replica) matched up with a Novak front sight with trijicon insert. However, my reasoning is based on theory and appearance, as I have not had any experience with either of these 2 sights. I do like the minimalist concept behind them.

Like Mr. Berryhill indicated a Novak cut offers the most versatility. The Warren Tactical sights are now available for this cut. They may be the best on the market for the 1911 right now.

The Heinie slant pro Straight 8 Ledge sights are also a favorite of mine. Heinie sights are on most of my 1911's currently.

I do not like the 10-8 sights (other than the national match) or Yo-Bo/Heirloom sights as much as the Warren's, Heinie's, or wide cut Novak's. However, sights are a personal thing and a lot of people disagree with me and they love them.


What is wrong with the current configuration?

The work you have done looks very good. Nice Colt.

[Dave Berryhill]

Yes, there aren't as many options if you want tritium in the rear sight but there are some good rear sights that fit the standard rear sight dovetail too.

[HeavyDuty]

What is wrong with the current configuration?

The work you have done looks very good. Nice Colt.

Thank you!

The original front is very low profile and does not appear very "crisp" - it has a white dot that appears egg-shaped. Plus, I really don't trust a staked front, especially on a Colt of this vintage. The rear was a stop-gap until I could afford something better. IMO the rear blade is too small for a good sight picture.

I was spoiled by the Heinies I had on my Glock from 1995 on - I miss that big, clean sight picture.

I'm going to give Virgil Tripp a call and see how well his sight works with a Series 80; if it's not a good match or is megabucks to install, I'm thinking a set of Novak LoMounts with a possible change to an adjustable rear that fits the Novak cut (STI TAS?). Like you guys pointed out a Novak cut seems to give me a maximum of choices.