Front site loose on 1911A1 Auto ordnance: Fix?

[ruskiegunlover]

Had my bachelor party on my family's land this last weekend, camped out, fished, shot, did some airsoft. In the coarse of shooting it, I realized it had come loose. This is the GI park 1911A1, but as I have not ever looked at the attachment point in the slide, what will be the most likely fix for this? It is just loose, not completely out like happened to my Indian high power....And I just staked that.

[edwardyoung]

The one in my Commander wasn't staked in. When it came loose, I used some JBWeld on it and have had no more problems. I've only fired a few hundred rounds since then, though.

[pcbunker]

You can do the following options:

Using a M1911 front sight staking tool you can put the slide in a padded vice and use that tool to re stake the blade.

Using some sliver solder, flux, a plubming torch and some solder overflow paste/chalk (check brownells on the exact item, its been a bit since I've use that stuff) around the top of the slide, and an old leather belt wrapped around the slide area forward of the site to prevent heat transfer and weld the sight blade in place. Heat under the slide at the pin hole and the solder at the front base of the site and you are good to go.

Go to a local gunsmith and let them restate or re solder the sight.


Hope that helps

[pa_guns]

Hi

The front sight staking tool is the expensive part of the fix ($30) and a new front sight is the cheap part. You can either stake in the part you have or get a new part and stake that in. The only complicated part of replacing your existing sight is finding one that's the same size and shape.

Bob

[ruskiegunlover]

how exactly do you stake the site in? Its not a dovetail.....Put it in a vice, and go at it from underneath? Sorry guys, just can't seem to figure this out for some reason. Thanks for the help though. But how exactly do you stake it?

[pa_guns]

Hi

There is a pretty good sticky on how to do this in the gunsmithing forum. It explains it better than I can.

Here goes:

You get a magic tool, Brownels sells one.

The tool holds the sight down on the frame

Depending on which tool you have you then use it one way or the other to bash on the bottom of the sight where it comes through the slide.

The net result is that the sight is down tight to the slide and the shank on the bottom of the sight is mushroomed out under the slide to keep it that way.

Bob

[John]

I am sorry to say that if the stake on the sight becomes loose once, restaking it is not that simple. Most probably the flat part inside the slide is broken all together or damaged. Restaking whatever is left of it, won't hold the sight on the slide for long. The best alternative is to get a new site and stake that one on the pistol.

[pa_guns]

Hi

Yup, you can only stake it if there's still material there.

Bob

[wichaka]

ruskiegunlover, might post a pic of the inside of the slide where the front tenon is, and let us have a look at your dilemma.

If there's still material to work with, you pay for shipping to me & back.........I'll fix 'er up for ya, no charge.

But might be cheaper to find someone local.