Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    Friday night, sitting in the cabin, playing cards by candlelight ( no electricity at cabin, not a gay thing) I dropped a card. Bent over to pick it up, and there is something green and glowing on the floor. If we had electric lighting, I probably would have missed it. It was the front sight for my Kimber 1911 3” .45. Front sight is a dovetail fit, and slides right in and out, easily. Looking gun over under bright flashlight and both sight and gun appear to hav3 a spot on them that I assume was a glue, maybe.
    So, gun gurus, how would that sight normally be held in place? I am the original owner, and bought it from Cabelas. How would you go about getting it rectified?

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    How old is the gun, many rounds through it?

    Front sight is a dove tail so it should be pushed in. Sounds like the sight was either two small possibly too much was taken off when fitted or the dovetail cut to large in the slide and some half ass employee glued it in place.

    I have an older Custom TLE RL II with a whole lot of rounds through it and the sight is tight and can be drifted without coming loose.
    Last edited by Hodgie; December 9th, 2018 at 07:31 PM.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    Quote Originally Posted by Manxdriver View Post
    Friday night, sitting in the cabin, playing cards by candlelight ( no electricity at cabin, not a gay thing) I dropped a card. Bent over to pick it up, and there is something green and glowing on the floor. If we had electric lighting, I probably would have missed it. It was the front sight for my Kimber 1911 3” .45. Front sight is a dovetail fit, and slides right in and out, easily. Looking gun over under bright flashlight and both sight and gun appear to hav3 a spot on them that I assume was a glue, maybe.
    So, gun gurus, how would that sight normally be held in place? I am the original owner, and bought it from Cabelas. How would you go about getting it rectified?
    See this from another thread.

    http://forum.pafoa.org/showthread.ph...62#post3893662
    Corruption is the default behavior of government officials. JPC

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    Those are press fit. They should be extremely difficult to remove. Only option would be to buy a new front sight. Hopefully the sight is the issue, not the slide. Either way you could hand file a new one to fit. If you get them to fit about half way fairly easily then use a sight tool of brass punch to seat the rest of the way. Night sights may need the sight tool. Either that or send it back to Kimber.
    Any vote for a third party is a vote for a Democrat. You are the enemy.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    Maybe 150 rounds down the pipe, less than two years old. I always assumed they were press-fit, then I saw the ‘spot’. I’ll call Kimber tomorrow.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    Make a light dimple on each side of the dovetail (front and rear) at the center, where it will not be visible because the blade covers it up.
    A light dimple from a spring loaded center punch will collapse the dovetail just enough to grip the front sight.
    Spread a little Rockset into the dovetail and center the sight.
    It will not move again until you want it to.
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  7. #7
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    Green Loctite and 7471 primer.
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  8. #8
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    Quote Originally Posted by cdi View Post
    Make a light dimple on each side of the dovetail (front and rear) at the center, where it will not be visible because the blade covers it up.
    A light dimple from a spring loaded center punch will collapse the dovetail just enough to grip the front sight.
    Spread a little Rockset into the dovetail and center the sight.
    It will not move again until you want it to.
    Wrong spot. Bottom center of slot, then use loctite like abner says. Use a sight pusher on tritium, Glass vial in there.
    The Gun is the Badge of a Free Man

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    I had a loose dovetail on a rifle. I put a larger steel bar (3/4 inch?) horizontally between the slots and gave it a few taps with a hammer. I might have tapped a little too much because the sight needed to be oiled and hammered in a little harder than I wanted (use a brass punch).

    If you look really closely you can see a slight indentation of the dovetail channel "wings" on the edges. But it will never move and no glue needed. Worth it to me.

    Also. A lot of dovetails are cut where ether the right or left side is thinner than the other. This lets the sight tighten as it is centered. But make sure you don't try and take it off the wrong way!

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Kimber 1911 front sight issue

    I've also seen the recommendation to use roll pin Loctite on dovetail sights to hold them in.

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