How Easy is it to Stake On New M1911 Sight?
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Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
MMC makes a handy little staking tool. Works great! I use a Dremel to grind out the existing metal from the original staking.
, Art
, ArtJohnny Guest
Moderator In Memoriam
Above inf is 'zactly right - - -
- - -But you might want to be aware:
If you're installing a regular size/height front sight, and just replacing the old, original thumbnail type with a slightly wider and squarer one, you'll be fine.
BUT - - - If you've drifted out the original rear sight and replaced it with a higher fixed sight, you naturally need a higher front sight. It took me a couple of tries to realize that the old style FS is TINY, and merely doubling the width, height, and length, about quadruples the mass of the front sight. I don't know much about physics, but the increased inertia of the heavier FS being acted upon by the normal movement of the slide is some gigantic factor.
If you use the larger sight with same size square pin through the slide, it doesn't take too many rounds of full power ammo to shear the pin off and launch the FS blade into low earth orbit. To make the staked-only FS work, you need one specially made with a much larger pin, and hole in slide enlarged accordingly. I finally gave it up and let my gunsmith do what he'd wanted in the first place, which was a combination of staking and silver soldering the sight in place. This worked fine.
In recent years, it has become fashionable - - not to mention, very effective - - to cut a dovetail notch in slide and install a corresponding front sight. Of course, this requires a lot more gunsmithing work than the staking/silver soldering method.
I hope I'm not just borrowing trouble for you, and that whatever project you undertake works out very well.
Best,
Johnny
- - -But you might want to be aware:
If you're installing a regular size/height front sight, and just replacing the old, original thumbnail type with a slightly wider and squarer one, you'll be fine.
BUT - - - If you've drifted out the original rear sight and replaced it with a higher fixed sight, you naturally need a higher front sight. It took me a couple of tries to realize that the old style FS is TINY, and merely doubling the width, height, and length, about quadruples the mass of the front sight. I don't know much about physics, but the increased inertia of the heavier FS being acted upon by the normal movement of the slide is some gigantic factor.
If you use the larger sight with same size square pin through the slide, it doesn't take too many rounds of full power ammo to shear the pin off and launch the FS blade into low earth orbit. To make the staked-only FS work, you need one specially made with a much larger pin, and hole in slide enlarged accordingly. I finally gave it up and let my gunsmith do what he'd wanted in the first place, which was a combination of staking and silver soldering the sight in place. This worked fine.
In recent years, it has become fashionable - - not to mention, very effective - - to cut a dovetail notch in slide and install a corresponding front sight. Of course, this requires a lot more gunsmithing work than the staking/silver soldering method.
I hope I'm not just borrowing trouble for you, and that whatever project you undertake works out very well.
Best,
Johnny
So it looks a bit more difficult than I originally thought! No wonder I come to you guys for help!
I guess the Brownells replacement sights are not as easy as they claim to be. I'll look into getting a staking tool then.
Instead of silver solder, what about red loctite? I've used it several times to fix things like loose (rear) sights and it seems to work.
I guess the Brownells replacement sights are not as easy as they claim to be. I'll look into getting a staking tool then.
Instead of silver solder, what about red loctite? I've used it several times to fix things like loose (rear) sights and it seems to work.
dfariswheel
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If you really want to play around with the 1911, I'd suggest investing a few bucks in Jerry Kuhnhausen's book "The Colt 1911: A service Manual".
This is available from Brownell's, Midway, and on-line book sellers.
This book has about everything known about the 1911, including a method of staking the front sight in such a manner that it won't come loose.
The step-by-step instructions for this and other 1911 gunsmithing operations is well worth the $30.00 or so in price.
There are two basic 1911 sight staking tools. One is the "ordnance" model shown in the Kuhnhausen book, and is sold by Brownell's, Midway, King's and other suppliers.
Another is the Brownell's tool. Either will do an excellent job, and aren't expensive.
Staking a sight isn't that hard, and if done to Kuhnhausen's instructions, won't shoot loose. By his method, no brazing is necessary.
This is available from Brownell's, Midway, and on-line book sellers.
This book has about everything known about the 1911, including a method of staking the front sight in such a manner that it won't come loose.
The step-by-step instructions for this and other 1911 gunsmithing operations is well worth the $30.00 or so in price.
There are two basic 1911 sight staking tools. One is the "ordnance" model shown in the Kuhnhausen book, and is sold by Brownell's, Midway, King's and other suppliers.
Another is the Brownell's tool. Either will do an excellent job, and aren't expensive.
Staking a sight isn't that hard, and if done to Kuhnhausen's instructions, won't shoot loose. By his method, no brazing is necessary.
AZ Jeff
Member
Here are a couple of tricks to insure that your newly staked sight stays put:
1. chamfer the INSIDE of the hole the sight tenon fits into. This will allow the sight tenon to properly spread out when you stake it. I do this chamfering with a small ball end cutter on a dremel tool.
2. clean the hole and the tenon thoroughly with brake cleaner, lacquer thinner, or similar. Apply Loctite to the tenon, and press it into the hole. Stake the tenon using one of the tools that others have mentioned.
3. Let the Loctite cure overnight, and then clean up any swaging burrs from the tenon that will interfere with the barrel bushing when it's installed and rotated.
This procedure should keep most larger than mil-spec sights in place, even with hardball loads.
1. chamfer the INSIDE of the hole the sight tenon fits into. This will allow the sight tenon to properly spread out when you stake it. I do this chamfering with a small ball end cutter on a dremel tool.
2. clean the hole and the tenon thoroughly with brake cleaner, lacquer thinner, or similar. Apply Loctite to the tenon, and press it into the hole. Stake the tenon using one of the tools that others have mentioned.
3. Let the Loctite cure overnight, and then clean up any swaging burrs from the tenon that will interfere with the barrel bushing when it's installed and rotated.
This procedure should keep most larger than mil-spec sights in place, even with hardball loads.
Chuck from arkansaw
Member
I lost a front sight blade in the middle of CCW record shoot. Get it dovetailed and forget about it. It is the only way that will let me sleep at night.
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