Colt 1911 Advice

[Sasha and Abby]

I've got a 1911 Commander and want to put some high viz type sights on it. I can knock the rear pin out but how do I replace the front one?

 

[dsk]

The front sight is staked in place. Replacing it involves using a special tool, so you'll need to have a gunsmith do it. You didn't mention how new your Commander is. The newer ones made after 1988 or so have a fairly decent front sight that can be retained if you get a different rear sight. The older ones however had tiny "GI" type sights, and you'd need to replace both. Also, FYI the small ones before 1988 are known as "narrow tenon" front sights, while the newer ones are called"wide tenon". That refers to the width of the staking tenon that goes through the slide.

 

[James K]

I don't think you will need a special tool on the front sight, just some care. You can pad the slide, then grab the sight with lock tight pliers and pull out frontward or backward. Don't twist it to the side. It helps to use a small dental burr in a Dremel tool to cut some of the staking away inside the slide.

But if in doubt, take the previous advice and have a gunsmith do the job.

Jim