Need Gunsmith for 1911 Staked Sight Installation (with complications)

**Not Revan** · January 31st, 2019, 06:56 AM

TL;DR in bold at the bottom!
So to start this story I'll give some background, as to give an idea of how valuable this firearm is to me.

For my 18th birthday, my Mom and Dad gave me my grandfathers M1911A1. It's a government-sized pistol, blued steel, and very clearly had modifications done to it (hammer, trigger, ambidextrous safety and extended slide release, sights).

Upon doing some research online, I discovered that the slide was manufactured by Remington-Rand, and the lower was manufactured by Ithaca with the serial placing it somewhere in 1944. Suffice to say, not only is this firearm an heirloom, but it has history outside of my lineage that I did not know of until I ran the serial. It's a safe bet to assume I care a great deal about this pistol.

Until I turned 21, I hauled my Dad to the range every chance I could so I could practice with it (range needed parental supervision to shoot pistols if under 21). Of course once I turned 21, I took myself on the regular. Got my LTCF, and started carrying the pistol as well.

I'm 22 now, and this most recent November I'm at the range. I'm halfway through my 5th magazine or so, and I fire a round. I bring the muzzle back down to re-acquire sights and I get terribly confused as I realize I can't find my sight picture. The front sight was sheered off the slide.

The front and rear sights were a pair of Millet sights that I quite liked, and that my grandfather installed several decades ago. Unfortunately Millet doesn't make iron sights anymore, and while I could find some on Ebay I decided to bide my time and consider putting different sights on it all together.

Some good friends of mine understood my unfortunate plight and got me a pair of Trijicon staked 1911 sights as a Christmas present. Problem is, I don't have the hardware required to install staked front sights. Not to mention, I'd be terribly worried about damaging the slide.

TL;DR: OP has family heirloom 1911 from WWII. Front sight sheers off. Needs to install new front sight, but does not have the tools and is afraid to damage the heirloom.

To make matters worse: Most staked front sights you buy for 1911's now-a-days are for series 70 or newer pistols. Problem with that is with the release of the series 70 1911, they significantly widened the stake of the front sight itself making it difficult to install these sights into GI slides from WWII which have much skinnier stake holes for much skinnier sights.

So I need help finding someone who can do this (what I would call unorthodox) job for me. Does anyone have any recommendations for gunsmiths that they would trust heirlooms with, and that should be up to the task of such a peculiar job? I would really appreciate the the help fellas. I'm in Chesco, but wouldn't mind going for a drive or mailing the slide/pistol if I need to.

Thanks a million guys. Hope you all have a great day!

**Gunsnwater** · January 31st, 2019, 02:44 PM

What are you doing about the dovetail slot cut for the front? Sounds like a butcher job. Nobody is going to match steels and color and your gonna have to refinish the whole slide. Just put the millets back in.

**Xringshooter** · January 31st, 2019, 02:56 PM

I believe his grandfather replaced the original sights with a set of Millet sights that had a stake on front sight and it eventually sheared off.

There should be some gunsmiths in your area (I'm in State College so don't know who might be able to do it down there). Any competent gunsmith should have the staking tools for doing the front sight of a 1911. The problem is, you have a GI 1911 and the mortise (the hole in the slide for the front sight) is narrow whereas the newer staked on front sights are wider to match the way the mortise in the newer slides is now. The gunsmith has two options, widen the hole in your slide or make your sight tenon narrower. I would actually not want to take material off the new sight tenon. The tenon on the sight is a softer metal so that it can get staked in (the staking tool mashes down the material into a depression around the mortise in the slide to have the sight held good and tight). Removing the material from the new sight leaves it with less material to hold it in place. Also think about the new sight versus the old GI sight, the GI sight wasn't very big and so it didn't need as much to hold it in place.

Yes this might be an heirloom and have the history in your family, but it has already been modified so it doesn't have a collectible value (since the upper and lower don't match) so making the mortise in the slide bigger to fit your new front sight. IMO, would be the better way to go. If you want to go a bit more extreme to make it so that you can easily replace the front sight, have a gunsmith mill the slide for a dovetail front sight.

**rkrcpa** · January 31st, 2019, 03:55 PM

Harrison Custom sells narrow tenon front sights if you want to go that route.
https://shop.harrisoncustom.com/stake-in-front-sights

A picture of the slide showing the rear sight would help. I have a stake-on Millett sight in my bag of parts from a military rebuild back in the 80's that I'll never use. Was the slide modified to accept the front sight? I think most if not all Millett sights had a flat skirt around the base. Also, Millett made a variety of rear sights which obviously affects the front sight needed. Staking the sight is not a big deal if you have the staking tool.

**cdi** · January 31st, 2019, 07:08 PM

I think I have an old Millett sight staking kit around the shop somewhere.
I do not repair/replace staked on sights- except original 1911 and 1911a1. The reason is, sooner or later they all shoot loose.

I know you don't modify your slide beyond the mods it's already had but you would be far better served with a dovetail front sight.
I can't say for sure because you post no photo but it is likely the rear dovetail is intact- No cutting necessary for the rear, you can find plenty of sight sets that will use a stock rear dovetail.

**Gunsnwater** · January 31st, 2019, 07:56 PM

I only ever had 1 staked on front sight go by by. Colt officer and it was in the first 100 rounds. I don't even remember who staked the new one on. Do recall it being cheap and quick.

**cdi** · January 31st, 2019, 08:51 PM

You've been lucky. I've had plenty of Colt and other makers guns come by with the factory sight missing.
Millett has changed their tenon at least 3 times that I'm aware of, each time in an attempt to get a better bond.
The best chance of success is to degrease the tenon and hole and slather them with bedding compound before crushing the tenon into place.
Dovetails are more expensive, but they're forever.

**Boondox** · February 1st, 2019, 05:19 PM

If you dove tail your front sight , your options get very large. They sell different sized tenons on staked sights but shopping for what you want stinks. Best to open the hole in the slide for installing the sight you currently have. The staking tool from Brownells is about $50 if I recall. When I stake a sight I also use a loctite product I can't think of the name/number at the moment , but have a bottle here if you need me to look it up ............. it basically helps fill the voids and helps to hold.
Should you choose to contact a smith to help and may be willing to ship............... call and ask this guy ....................Dugan's Custom Gun Works (814) 571-0967 in Port Matilda, PA.