University of Texas law student leads the way in 3-D printable gun technology

Daily Caller ^ | December 25, 2012

[NVDave]

That video took way too long to get to the point for me... so I didn’t watch all of it. Sorry. I’m going to work off an assumption that if you’re asking how a 1911 sight is held on, it’s a staked sight because you can’t see the slot cut in the slide under the sight with the sight in place.

The early Colts used a “staked” sight, which involves a narrow slot cut into the slide hood. The sight base post is inserted through the slot, retained in a fixture as the slide & sight are turned upside down and the bottom of the sight is peened outwards to “stake” the sight into the slot. The excess is then dressed off.

Newer Colts had a wider slot.

Here’s a picture of a staked installation on a very highly finished slide - this is an example of someone who knows that they’re doing because he not only put in the sight well, he left no marks:

http://www.thesixgunjournal.net/staking-a-1911-front-sight/

You can see the fixture in his pictures.

The newest 1911’s have a dovetail cut into the slide and the sight is drifted in, usually from the left, but if the sight base has edges that are parallel, it doesn’t matter - try sights into dovetails by hand first from BOTH sides of the dovetail before you start bashing them into the dovetail. Some sights that go into dovetails have a slight taper to their bases and they go in only one way and they come out in the reverse direction.

NB that there are both 65 degree dovetails (Novaks) and 60 degree dovetails. If your slide already has dovetails on it, you’re best using a gage or sight dovetail file to make sure of which you have. To cut a dovetail, you need both an regular end mill (four flute, center cutting) to cut a path for the dovetail mill, then you go in with the dovetail mill to cut the angles. You have to cut the initial pass with the regular end mill to, oh, within .005 of how deep you want the dovetail cutter to bottom out. The dovetail cutter won’t cut a path for it’s own shaft, and they’re often not good at cutting in the center of their diameter.

For some hardened slides (eg, older Springfield Armory 1911’s), you will probably want carbide tools.

There are replacement staked sights. To remove a staked sight, you first grind out (CAREFULLY!) the “flange” caused by the staking, then you grind a narrow “V” down the centerline of the sight post. It should come out with a small punch very easily at this point.

Staked sights are OK, but lots of people complain of them shooting loose. This is usually due to the sight post not being peened “authoritatively” enough when it was put in, usually due to the ‘smith putting in the sight not having the correct fixture to do the job correctly.

Brownells has a fixture for staking in 1911 front sights.

[MileHi]

Thanks. Your link answers my question exactly. I appreciate your comments as well.

FReegards!