steel1212 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 (edited) So I was having some issues with my .40 5" tactical hitting low with a .165 front sight. I had my smith put a black .140 on it when I put Tritium sights on my VIP and it still hit hit for me. So I box it up and send it to STI. They tell me it has a heavy trigger and a broken thumb safety but it hits fine when they shoot it with the .140 front sight. So obviously I can't group So my question is how many of you have a 5" 2011/1911 with a .140 tall front sight? I have a .140 tall front sight on my VIP but not any of my 5" guns. Edited September 30, 2011 by steel1212 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 2 1911s, a 2011 and a Para all with .180 front sights and Bomar type rear sights. The rear sight is adjusted down pretty low on all these pistols and I don't think a .140 would zero on any of them before the rear sight bottomed out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Capizzo Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 http://www.dawsonprecision.com/images/Instructions/FrontSightHeight.pdf Maybe this will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 http://www.dawsonprecision.com/images/Instructions/FrontSightHeight.pdf Maybe this will help. I know what is required to get fixed sighted guns to bit were they should the problem I have is that it shouldn't need such a low front sight in my opinion. Had another company do the same thing only with a front sight that was to tall. Regardless if it works or not doesn't mean that it's right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Hello: So if it hits where you want it to hit then what is the problem? I like a shorter front sight so it is closer to the bore. It can be done by sinking the rear sight lower on the slide. I have one pistol that has a 0.160" front sight and a Bo-Mar rear. Less chance to catch it on things also. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2MoreChains Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I put a .140" tall DP front sight on a Colt Officers to get it to match the Novak I have on the rear, does that count? For my 5" Eagle, the rear sight was cranked up pretty high with a .160" front site, so when it broke in half I decided to try a .150", and was pleased with the results. Its hitting good, and I found that I don't like a really tall front sight if I don't need one. A tall front sight seems too much like a lolly-pop to me, and I have to consciously remind myself to center the FO for elevation as well as windage when taking a sight picture, which takes time. But with the fiber optic closer to the slide it seems like one less thing to worry about -as long as it is centered, I'm on. The .150" seems to be a good match with the Bomar-style rear adjustable, but I bet I could probably run a .140" given how much the rear sight is elevated. I'm still using a .160" that came stock on my Trojan, but I think I could probably go lower if I ever needed to change it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 Hello: So if it hits where you want it to hit then what is the problem? I like a shorter front sight so it is closer to the bore. It can be done by sinking the rear sight lower on the slide. I have one pistol that has a 0.160" front sight and a Bo-Mar rear. Less chance to catch it on things also. Thanks, Eric Being a fixed sighted gun there is no adjustment in the rear. The problem I have with it is that like every body else has mentioned they don't have a sight that short with fixed sights. The other gun I had that had a sight to tall had to have a new top end because it wasnt fitted right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjs375 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I had the same problem with my STI tactical 5 in 40. Tried different front sights and finally bought a .170 black sight and went to the range with some files to lower it, got it real close now and am going to buy a black serrated sight and have it cut down when its installed. I used the cheapest front sight to file on, that way I didn't screw up a good sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 Would you mind measuring it as it sits now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oak hill Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I have a Trojan with fixed rear that I to file the front sight down to .155 I hear you on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quack Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 my Springfield Custom Shop 38S and 9mm slide setup's use a .140" front with a .325" rear. my 4.15 Tactical has a .130" front sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 I can see that from a 4.15 gun my almost 4" VIP does too. Is that tear sight on you 9mm a liitle tall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quack Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I can see that from a 4.15 gun my almost 4" VIP does too. Is that tear sight on you 9mm a liitle tall? .325" is the shortest rear sight. I could go with a .375" rear and .190" front to keep the POA/POI the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Carter Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 When you go below .160 front sight you have the possiblity of seeing the slide in the rear notch, not a good thing. In my experience a short front sight is not desirable for fast shooting. A 5 inch gun with common competition rear sights will use .170 to .220 front sight most of the time, it depends on the height of the rear sight and how high the barrel locks up. In general the shorter the sight radius the shorter the front sight will be, an OACP length slide might use a .165 with a Novak style rear but if you fit a match barrel locked up high you will need the taller version rear sight or else end up with a way too short front sight. To answer your original question a .140 front sight height needed on a 5inch 1911 with competition type rears is very unusual. What rear sight are you using? Have you had anyone else shoot your pistol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 When you go below .160 front sight you have the possiblity of seeing the slide in the rear notch, not a good thing. In my experience a short front sight is not desirable for fast shooting. A 5 inch gun with common competition rear sights will use .170 to .220 front sight most of the time, it depends on the height of the rear sight and how high the barrel locks up. In general the shorter the sight radius the shorter the front sight will be, an OACP length slide might use a .165 with a Novak style rear but if you fit a match barrel locked up high you will need the taller version rear sight or else end up with a way too short front sight. To answer your original question a .140 front sight height needed on a 5inch 1911 with competition type rears is very unusual. What rear sight are you using? Have you had anyone else shoot your pistol? Yeah, STI has shot the pistol and says it hits fine with a .140 front sight and that is what they are send it back with. Its the reason I posted this because I'm not exactly happy with it but I thought I would ask to see if that was normal or if anybody else thought it was messed up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rckymtnshooter Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I had the same problem with a 5" Tactical. I didn't want to go the short front sight route. I like the input a tall front sight gives me when driving the gun to the target. STI sent me a adjustable style Novak that allowed me to get the gun to point of aim. I'm not real happy with the rear sight design. In the end I'm going to send my slide to Canyon Creek for their Novak cut Bomar conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quack Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 (edited) If the rear is a .325" tall sight, and it shoots properly with the .140" front, you can change to a .375" rear and .190" front for the extra height. just a thought... Edited October 7, 2011 by Quack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 If the rear is a .325" tall sight, and it shoots properly with the .140" front, you can change to a .375" rear and .190" front for the extra height. just a thought... My question isn't how to make it work, I can easily fix the sight situation, its the fact that they consider a .140 front sight with a standard novak rear to be an acceptable sight setup on a 5" gun, on my VIP yeah, not a 5" gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Corey: If they sink the rear sight deeper in the slide than standard then you would need a lower front sight. I know you know that but they may do that so that it is more out of the way on a carry pistol. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 They never offered so I didn't ask. They did offer to put in night sights for me at a reduced cost for havingthe gun for 6 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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