1911 sights

[yeahbub]

A friend has a Charles Daly compensated 1911 that shoots 12" low at 15 yds. It seems lowering the front sight isn't an option, so I need a higher rear by .088. Can someone suggest a rear sight, preferably fixed, but adjustable would be fine too. This pistol shoots beautiful groups, so it's a keeper. This sight situation has to be taken care of, though. I was looking for sight height dimensions on various web sites, but not many vendors publish them in their adverts.

[HeavyMetal]

You may be out of luck as far as a taller rear sight is concerned.

First is the gun new? If it is this is a warranty issue and needs to be taken care of by the factory or factory warranty station!

I can also understand not wanting someone to "adjust" the gun instead of the sights!

So if your determind to do this yourself how tall is the front sight?

Most 1911 types run right around .200 tall for a lo mount type fixed sight.

Brownell's sells blank front sights that dove tail into the slide, then you file to suit your load and sight picture.

The original stake in type sights will fly off the gun if you try to get much taller than .185!

Post a little more info concerning front and rear sights, your skill level and how in depth you really want to get with this and you'll get lots of help here!

[Scrounger]

Remember that pistols shoot to different points of impact for different people. A weak wrist causes high shots, A strong wrist will shoot low. So will a "push" flinch. And the recoil spring can come into play also. Complicated business....

[10-x]

How does it shoot from a rest? How does it shoot for someone else?As Scrounger said, there's many factors that may cause this.[smilie=1:
I've used King Tappin fixed sights for 20+years on 1911s, think Brownells still sells them. Might give them a try.
Now if you get lucky you may find some old Colt factory adjustable sights......:drinks:[/SIZE]

[yeahbub]

It's definitely not a new pistol, though it's in very nice shape. It has dovetails front and back, so changing either sight won't be a problem. The owner already removed half the front sight height before realizing that there wasn't enough front sight to fix the problem (he didn't trig it out first to find out how much of an adjustment was needed). At 25 yds, it'll keep them on a silver dollar with 230gr factory FMJ of a couple different brands, and it shoots to the same point of aim for both of us. I really don't want to mess with the internals since it groups so well. The only thing I can think of that might cause a low POI might be an unusually long link to get maximum lock-up, but I don't think it would get that low. Any words of wisdom?

[10-x]

What type of barrel bushing does it have, cone, collet or??Have the locking lugs of the slide been cut deeper? Also wondering about the compensator, is the bushing part of it?

[yeahbub]

It has a coned barrel arrangement with the comp affixed to it somehow, mounted in a slide that's an inch shorter than a standard 1911 so the OAL is the same as a government model. When he had it apart, I didn't notice anything unusual about the lugs on the barrel but I didn't examine the slide. I wondered if the comp could drastically lower POI, but a friend who used to built comps for 1911's said his didn't have that drastic an effect, since everything's still in battery until after the bullet leaves. The cone lock-up in the slide seems to be tight. It also has a full-length spring guide, on which I found a problem with the spring retainer cap that fits in the slide and houses the front end of the spring (apparently, the spring is a standard 1911-length). It looks like a "top hat" with a milling cut .25 or so up into the cylindrical portion removing almost half it's diameter. At the corners created in the cylindrical section, there are stress cracks radiating forward at 45 deg, conspiring to meet on the side of the "top hat" opposite the milling cut. They don't seem to be getting any worse, so they may be in an equilibrium state, but this, too, will have to be dealt with lest those cracks meet and the spring head down-range. is it possible the spring guide could cause such a low POI? I don't see how, but stranger things have happened.

[missionary5155]

If that rear sight has a flat blade why not solder a higher blade to it. Just use the back side of the sight and cut a piece of steel taller than needed. Solder it on and then get out the Dremel for cutting the notch and slimming it down to desire.

[clintsfolly]

maryland gum works make a site that replaces a gi rear blade this site can be bent up to sightin brownell has them clint

[exblaster]

Is it just my meds confusing me or do you lower the front sight to move the boolit impact up?

Exblaster

[KYCaster]

Check to see if the bullet is hitting the comp on the way out. Not unusual.

Jerry

[Dave Berryhill]

Is it just my meds confusing me or do you lower the front sight to move the boolit impact up?

Exblaster

Either raise the rear sight or lower the front sight (or a combination of both) to raise the point of impact. .088 is quite a bit to take off a front sight that is probably .160 to .200 high.

I could have a longer link, the cone on the front of the barrel, the shorter slide, the compensator or a combination of these that has lowered the POI. Check Brownells. You should be able to find a rear and a front sight combo that works. What type of rear sight dovetail does it have?