Original 1911 front sight/hammer question

[T.J. Marks]

I have a original finish(blued)1918 M1911 that has a defective front sight. It seems it was broken at one time and then silver soldered back together. It doesnt show other than the sight has a slight cant to it.

My problem is this. Where can I obtain a new or used front sight? I contacted Colt and inquired about a sight for their repro 1911 and they said they do not sell parts for that gun. They gave me the name of a couple other parts sellers and they didnt pan out. Any suggestions?

I could also use the correct grip safety as mine appears to be a leter version with the slightly longer spur.

Finally, what would the correct hammer be for this gun? I checked out a couple .45 1911 books and they show along spur hammer while a couple other sources(CoolGunSite for one) and they show the exact hammer I have on their example of the 1918(mine being SR# 295000) as being correct for a gun of this vintage.

Thanks for any help in advance and I hope I came to the right place in the forums to get info as this is my first post.

TJM

[exitwounds]

Finally, what would the correct hammer be for this gun? I checked out a couple .45 1911 books and they show along spur hammer while a couple other sources(CoolGunSite for one) and they show the exact hammer I have on their example of the 1918(mine being SR# 295000) as being correct for a gun of this vintage.

The photos at coolgunsite are correct and depict the Long Hammer with the rounded rear edge.

[pa_guns]

Hi

Pictures of your pistol would be a help.

Bob

[Doran]

This thread contains the sketch of a 1911 sight I measured. It also mentions a 1903 sight as a possibility.

http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=17466

[exitwounds]

I have not tried one myself, but there is a front sight installation/removal tool made by Strover(?). I read an article where a midwest pistolsmith used this tool, to recover front sights off of 1911 pistols that were demilled, and was able to reuse them. When I was a unit armorer there was no recovering the old ones. May be an option if you can't locate one or repair yours. Do you have any pictures showing the sight?

[Hawkmoon]

Can you measure the thickness of your sight? I know Sarco sells GI front sights, but they are probably M1911A1 sights, which may be thicker than what you need/want. If all else fails, though, perhaps one of those could be judiciously shaved down to the correct thickness.

[T.J. Marks]

figured it out...http://members.aol.com/m42dodge/219a.jpg

[T.J. Marks]

The sight...

http://www.members.aol.com/m42dodge/fs2.jpg

[T.J. Marks]

another shot. Thanks for you help so far.

http://members.aol.com/m42dodge/fs.jpg

[Doran]

That looks wider than normal. Is the rear sight widened to match?

The front of the slide looks modified also. That might be problematic to fitting a different front sight. A fix might be to mill off the two sides to print to true up if it leans to one side. That may require a different rear sight if the original was modified.

[exitwounds]

T.J., I agree with Doran in the fact that the front sight is wider than normal, and appears to have been modified, which may present issues replacing depending upon how it was fitted and installed. It appears the front of the slide it pretty battered, which likely explains why the original sight is no longer on it. I would also check the rear sight as well like Doran suggested, it to was likely modified to fit the front sight in the sight picture. Do you have any better pictures of the hammer? And perhaps one of the under side of the slide where the front sight is attached? thanks.

[pa_guns]

Hi

I would put a micrometer or a set of calipers on the sight and see what it measures. That way you can be sure of the replacement being a good match.

Bob

[Hawkmoon]

That looks wider than normal. Is the rear sight widened to match?

The front of the slide looks modified also. That might be problematic to fitting a different front sight. A fix might be to mill off the two sides to print to true up if it leans to one side. That may require a different rear sight if the original was modified.
Agreed. I'm a lot less knowledgable than Doran and some others here, but the owner of my local gunshop just yestarday showed me an M1911 he recently acquired, and the front sight is probably half that thickness or less.

[T.J. Marks]

Very interesting. I figured the sight for a M1911A1 sight. The end of the slide is a bit beaten, but of course the photos make it appear much worse. The sight appears to be staked in originally then soldered at one time. Here are some photos of the rear sight. If a particular view would help, I can post it to help. Thanks again.

TJ

http://www.members.aol.com/m42dodge/rs.jpg

[T.J. Marks]

Here is the shot of the hammer and the inside of the slide. Hope these help. Thanks again.

TJ

http://www.members.aol.com/m42dodge/frt.jpg

[Doran]

The rear sight is modified or replaced. Thinning the front sight to straighten it up may result in too much "light" in the rear notch to satisfy you. Issue rear sights are still available if you want to replace it.

[T.J. Marks]

The problem is the sight that is on the front now is soldered on, not staked. The fellow who owned the gun before me had the sight come off when he fired it. He discovered that the sight was originally staked in, broken off and soldered back together. Instead of getting a new front sight, he had the piece soldered back in. I had not planned on not shooting the gun , but I wanted to correct the front sight, so in the event it ever was fired, it wouldnt come apart.

Am I to gather that the WW1 era rear sight is available, but not the front?

Thanks.

TJM

[Doran]

I occasionally see 1911 rear sights at gunshows but never front sights. If the fellow before you shot the pistol without incident it probably won't come apart.

[pa_guns]

Hi

I suspect that a front sight would be fairly easy for a good gunsmith to fabricate for you. It's not going to be as cheap as a "stock" part, but it's something you could do.

Bob

[T.J. Marks]

In addition to checking out web sources, I started hitting local gunsmiths to see if they might have the parts I need. The shows will be the next step.

Are the sights on there now a later type military sight? The 1918 sights are narrower both front and rear, right?

Any takers on the hammer question? It is the same as the hammer shown on the CoolGunSite which seemed to be a great resource and reputable to members of this forum.

Thanks again for your help. I really appreciate it.