Lost my rear sight at range, odd size dovetail, what to do??

[bobotech]

I have a Norinco 1911.

It had a loose fitting sight that was held in place by a set screw.

Well yesterday I went to the range and proceeded to shoot it and had a good time doing so. Brought it home and once home, discovered that the rear sight had gone missing.

Went to my local gunsmith and he couldn't find a sight that would fit it without it being really sloppy.

Brought it home and did a coarse measuring of the bottom of the dovetail cut and as best as I can tell using a caliper, the size of it about .350 for the widest part of the dovetail.

The slide is chromed and I really don't want to ruin the finish on it.

What can I do and what kind of sight can I get to fit it? I really don't want to spend a great deal of money since this is just a Norinco and not a Kimber or other high dollar gun.

Any suggestions?

[niemi24s]

The other measurement you'll need in your search for a replacement sight is the corner angle of the dovetail cut in the slide. This angle is usually either 60° or 65°, but there are a couple of other odd angles.

Your best bet, however, may be to search with a magnet for the original sight.

[Jim Watson]

Man, that's tough. I have seen ads for "rescue" front sights for sloppy dovetails, but not rears. My FLG could handle it except he will not work on Chinese pistols.

[sevenL4]

Call Brownells

[bobotech]

FLG?

Anyways, I think I fixed it. I went to one of my gun dealers and he had a standard Brownells stainless rear sight (.330 I'm assuming) that of course fit sloppy in my dovetail.

I then went to my local hardware store and bought a cheap set of feeler gauges.

Came home and used a .015 feeler gauge and cut a tiny piece of it off. I then used that as a shim for my sight. I had to use my brass drift and hammer to tap it into place. I had to use a significant amount of force to get the sight to slide into place so I'm pretty confident that its not going anywhere.

Someone on another forum gave me the idea and I was pleased that it works.

[Jim Watson]

FLG = Friendly Local Gunsmith

I have seen sights held tight with shims like that, but feared yours was too sloppy for that.