1911 Sight Systems?

[JM]

Looking for advice on 1911 Sights.

Looks like the 3-Dot sets are the most popular. Either with or without the tritium night sights.

I'm curious about the "Dot the I" type of sights. Seems like it would provide for a quicker sight acquisition, but I've never used them before.

Thanks for any replies.

[paulg]

Assuming we are talking fixed sights, for me the best sight picture is either a fiber optic or night sight on the front and a plain black square notch on the fantail. I’ve tried the “straight eight” sights you mention and didn’t care for them. Like grips, sights are personal and variations seem endless. A lot also depends on what the guns primary role will be. Carry/defensive, range toy, hunting...etc. Not much help I guess. My experience is to try all you can and pick what works best for you.

[Sarge]

These days I am happy with 3-dots of the Colt 80 Series style. I have also used the Harrison Retro with a dot front and it make for a nice, simple sight picture. Which looks much better at arm's length that the photo depicts.

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

[cas]

I was never fond of three dot sights. When I started shooting USPSA/IPDA/3 Gun I really learned to hate them. I found they slowed me down a lot and caused confusion and wasted time. I ended up blacking out any rear dots I had. (I think I got rid of all of them now)

I have one set of bar-dot night sights on a gun that's usually used as a house gun. I will occasionally shoot a match with it just for practice. I put a piece of black tape over the rear bar when I do that. I don't know how well they'd work in a real life or death situations. I think I could make them work (by "them" I mean both the front and the rear) in a slow careful aimed shot, but that's unlikely to ever happen. I find myself having to pay way too much attention to the rear sights, even just playing with them. And now the rear sight is just a glowing blur, so it really doesn't help.

I started to favor a plain black rear with a fiber optic front. Many of my guns are setup that way and I'm slowly waking as many that way as I cam.

[JM]

Thanks everyone. I'm considering some form of a Commander sized 1911 someday. Intended usage would be to hit a 6" to 8" target at 10 yards as quickly as possible under poor lighting.

I have tried a 3-dot system before & don't care for it much. I have a red plastic tube fiber optic type sight on the end of a shotgun & don't really care for it much either.

How about the XS Sights "Big Dot" type of sight?

[bigbrowndog]

The big dot sights take some getting used to but like every other sight system they work if you like them and practice with them.

In competition I became familiar, Happy and content with a Bomar rear and fiber optic front, my carry 1911’s have the same sight just with a fixed rear. Being so familiar with using a FO front for rapid target acquisition and transition from target to target, I have grown accustomed to using them on my hunting revolvers as well.

For defense the biggest attribute that comes with competition is the many many gun presentations you have to make at speed from the holster or picking a gun up off a table, doing so allows for thoughtless sight alignment at man sized targets inside 10-15 yards.

Trapr

[zeus]

Personally prefer a nice square rear notch slightly opened for more light around front blade. I either use a gold vertical line front sight or gold bead or single night sight in front blade only.

On my Wilson’s, they came with a “U notch” style sight. Don’t personally care for it greatly. Started replacing the rear sights with serrated Heavy Duty versions from John Harrison. Love them.

[sixshot]

A bomar or serrated S&W rear with a fiber optic front is the very best for me because I shot so much USPSA. I also like them for shooting small game. If I were target shooting the front sight would be a post style, narrowed to 1/10".

Dick

[gregs]

I prefer fixed sights, lamped front and tall rear. For the two lamp style introduced by Heine as the straight eight design, two lamps stacked vertically like a figure 8. With lamps, the rear is alot less cluttered as with the two dot rears and single dot front.

When ordering, the rears are now available in .125, .140 and .156 slots with the standard .125 front. This allows alittle light on the sides of the front sight and folks feel they are alittle quicker. I prefer 140 slot but might move to 156 here shortly as my eyes age.

On the shorter 1911 slides (Cmdr, Off and 3"), opt for the taller rear (.050 taller) so you have a taller front sight.

I generally install the factory rear and a blank front and regulate for a POI 2" high from POA @ 25m with 230 ball. I then either serrate the face of the front and mag park or order a Novak front at the height needed.

If it is in 9mm range shooter that consumes various loads and weight projos, you might want to consider an adjustable rear.

For fixed sights, I prefer 10-8 or Heine rears and Novak front dovetail. The 10-8 rear works in a Novak sight cut.

[AxeHandle]

Boxers or Briefs.... In good light, for precision shooting, make mine patridge front with a Bomar or equivalent rear black on black. Skinny front sights are good for fast but for 50 yard X ring shooting my front and rear need to match up pretty good. For my carry gun I want a front sight that will dominate my field of view. Went to the Trijcon HD until I found the Ameriglo for more than $40 less. ameriglo.com/collections/glock/protector

[ezekiel38]

I prefer the "dot the I" method it is very fast for me and I learned it shooting Sigs in police work and competitions. Carry Kahrs now (CW9, CM9) now with that configuration. On the CW I have a FO from Dawson and on the CM I have a night sight. This is the system that works best for me. FWIW!

[cas]

Jan 2, 2018 8:07:24 GMT -5 AxeHandle said:

Skinny front sights are good for fast...

The common feeling, but everyone's eyes/brain are different as I found out. I learned it the expensive way that they don't work for me. I put a spendy thin aftermarket fiber optic sight on my Limted gun and found out it not only made me less accurate, but slower.

Bought the most expensive front sight I;ve ever bought , ended up destroying the factory sight getting it off. Stunk up the place for a handful of matches with the new sight. Sold the new sight at a loss and had to track down a replacement factory sight. That whole lesson was a kick in the pants.