rpenmanparker
Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2018
- Messages
- 2,456
I have had an $319 ATI Commander size .45 ACP 1911 for several months. As usual with all my new guns, as soon as acquiring it, I bought new G10 grips for it and began the process of installing a red dot sight on the rear sight dovetail. Hey, it's what I do.
I say process because it wasn't quick and easy. First the Novak cut mounting plate I ordered didn't fit the rear cut. They were look alikes, but not really the same. My local gunsmith shaved the dovetail insert part of the mounting plate to fit the rear cut, and all seemed well. But then I found the sight loosened after about 30 rounds through the gun. I felt the screw holes in the dovetail insert were too shallow, especially since I was taking up some of the depth by using set screws down in the bottom of the insert to tighten it against the floor of the dovetail cutout. Back to the smith with the idea of drilling the screw holes down through the slide to get more "purchase". After a long wait to get that done, it still didn't hold. After 30 rounds the optic was loose again. So I said screw it (pun), applied red Loctite and cranked the screws down at 45 inXlb. I know, I know, stupid. Yep, they still didn't hold, and during the first shooting test the screws sheared off from the excessive tension. So I was left with two screw stubs flush with the floor of the rear dovetail.
That is where Primary Machine in Morgan City, LA came into the picture. I had up until then avoided milling slides for red dots, thinking the dovetail mounting plates provided a quicker, cheaper and easier solution. When proved wrong in this case, I found Primary online with good reviews and a very fair price for milling slides of various pistol types, including 1911s. They specialize in this particular job. Sent them the slide and Burris Fastfire III so they could do it their way and mill a slot for the optic that would be a perfect front-to-back fit and not allow the optic to loosen by moving back and forth during recoil. $180 for the job including the machining, Cerakoting the whole slide, and return shipping with $700 insurance,
Of course the job was easier said than done. The screw stubs were slightly in the line where the new holes were supposed to be drilled. But Bruce Gagneaux at Primary worked it all out by drilling slightly larger than usual holes. See the photos below. I am more than pleased. Looks beautiful, and so far with 100 rounds through the gun since the machining, no loosening of the optic.
But here is what really impressed me: when I offered Bruce $50 extra for his trouble with my messed up gun, he waved it off, saying it was all good. Nice folks who do good work. Also I already had the optic, but their prices on Vortex Venoms is as good as you will find.
The gun is a real tack driver. It was tight before, but now with the Cerakoted slide, fit feels like a custom job. From time to time I will invest a few more bucks into this gun to bring it up to a high standard for minimum money. That is one of the reasons I bought it...to see how that would work out. For now I am really enjoying it as it is.
I say process because it wasn't quick and easy. First the Novak cut mounting plate I ordered didn't fit the rear cut. They were look alikes, but not really the same. My local gunsmith shaved the dovetail insert part of the mounting plate to fit the rear cut, and all seemed well. But then I found the sight loosened after about 30 rounds through the gun. I felt the screw holes in the dovetail insert were too shallow, especially since I was taking up some of the depth by using set screws down in the bottom of the insert to tighten it against the floor of the dovetail cutout. Back to the smith with the idea of drilling the screw holes down through the slide to get more "purchase". After a long wait to get that done, it still didn't hold. After 30 rounds the optic was loose again. So I said screw it (pun), applied red Loctite and cranked the screws down at 45 inXlb. I know, I know, stupid. Yep, they still didn't hold, and during the first shooting test the screws sheared off from the excessive tension. So I was left with two screw stubs flush with the floor of the rear dovetail.
That is where Primary Machine in Morgan City, LA came into the picture. I had up until then avoided milling slides for red dots, thinking the dovetail mounting plates provided a quicker, cheaper and easier solution. When proved wrong in this case, I found Primary online with good reviews and a very fair price for milling slides of various pistol types, including 1911s. They specialize in this particular job. Sent them the slide and Burris Fastfire III so they could do it their way and mill a slot for the optic that would be a perfect front-to-back fit and not allow the optic to loosen by moving back and forth during recoil. $180 for the job including the machining, Cerakoting the whole slide, and return shipping with $700 insurance,
Of course the job was easier said than done. The screw stubs were slightly in the line where the new holes were supposed to be drilled. But Bruce Gagneaux at Primary worked it all out by drilling slightly larger than usual holes. See the photos below. I am more than pleased. Looks beautiful, and so far with 100 rounds through the gun since the machining, no loosening of the optic.
But here is what really impressed me: when I offered Bruce $50 extra for his trouble with my messed up gun, he waved it off, saying it was all good. Nice folks who do good work. Also I already had the optic, but their prices on Vortex Venoms is as good as you will find.
The gun is a real tack driver. It was tight before, but now with the Cerakoted slide, fit feels like a custom job. From time to time I will invest a few more bucks into this gun to bring it up to a high standard for minimum money. That is one of the reasons I bought it...to see how that would work out. For now I am really enjoying it as it is.
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