Need Recommendation for new Iron Sights Colt 1911

[Member 86575]

I have just acquired a 1977 made Colt 1911 45 ACP Series 70 Gold Cup 5" .
The Stock Elliason sights feature notched rear sight and a raised rectangular
front sight. All black.

I would appreciate hearing from those who have target shot the 1911 and
developed a preference for a better open sight system.

I hope I have expressed this in a way that is understood.

Please see pictures below.

Thank you for your ideas!

Read More

 

[Cerberus Group]

Keep the rear black and go with either a fiber optic front sight, or just paint the existing front sight a bright color such as chartreuse or the like.

Stay away from 3 dots or the like. Competition shooters look for any advantage to gain over the next shooter...if 3 dots or some kind of design on the rear sight were all that, they'd be using them.

Keep it simple...and you'll do fine.

 

[oremike]

Those are target sights and will work very well. I would suggest that you shoot the pistol a lot with those sights before throwing money at it. You can't fix a problem until you recognize the problem. Here is a little primer to get you started.

Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol

 

[Yarome]

There's a lot of personal preference involved and what is easiest/quickest for you to get a sight picture locked in. Also in play is how you intend to use your firearm. IE., target shooting only in fair weather daylight hours vs. multi situational use. KWIM?

I tend to prefer the black rear and fiber optic front sight for target and other uses, but more multi purpose... I prefer a combo tritium/fiber 3 dot.

If you have any vision issues... that'll certainly be a point to consider as well.. but fully agree with the "keep it simple" approach.

 

[orygun]

Very nice gun. If it were mine, I'd not change a thing. If, like the OP, I wanted a bit more visibility I'd consider a fiber optic front sight. I have one for my carry gun that I want to install, but I misplaced it...

 

[oremike]

To clarify a little bit, I'm a competitive shooter and have been for a long time. I have pistols with 3 dot, fiber optic front, and blacked out just like you have there sights. I shoot them all the same as if they were blacked out. The only difference for me from the link I showed is that I prefer a center of bullseye hold compared to the 6 o'clock.

 

[orygun]

The only difference for me from the link I showed is that I prefer a center of bullseye hold compared to the 6 o'clock.

Every iron sight gun I own is sighted this way. It's the only way that makes sense to me.

 

[solv3nt]

I like black rear and a gold dot on the front. The Langdon Beretta comes standard with fiber front, and I'm slowly being converted.

 

[jbett98]

I've used a leather hole punch to make assorted sized colored dots from adhesive stickers that my wife has in her craft room.
I stuck them on the front sight and when I found a color (white) that worked for me, I then used a toothpick and some appliance white touch up paint to dab on the sight after cleaning the metal with some brake clean.

 

[coreymet]

I used a florescent orange model paint on my front sight. Works well for my eye/optic nerve/brain connection.

 

[RVTECH]

I at one time had essentially the same gun, same era and I liked the Elliason sights however - if i still owned it the rear would be replaced with a white outline rear of some sort - probably an LPA - and i would just paint the front red.

I really like the white outline rear sights as they help with the sight correction in my shooting eye!

 

[orygun]

I used a florescent orange model paint on my front sight. Works well for my eye/optic nerve/brain connection.

My Model 10 has that treatment. I didn't do it, it came that way and it is effective.

 

[Member 86575]

I would like to thank everyone who shared their experience with this sight system.
I am thinking that to start with I will add a white vertical stripe on the front sight.
The stripe will be about 1/3rd the width of the surface. Not a dot but a rectangular
stripe in white. Sadly I am no Picasso...

 

[orygun]

I would like to thank everyone who shared their experience with this sight system.
I am thinking that to start with I will add a white vertical stripe on the front sight.
The stripe will be about 1/3rd the width of the surface. Not a dot but a rectangular
stripe in white. Sadly I am no Picasso...

A cheap, temporary way to try it out is to use White Out.

 

[DirectDrive]

I was taught at a young age, the 6:00 hold.
It was hard for me to wrap my head around it at first, but I got accustomed to it.
Seeing all of my target instead of covering it up makes sense to me.
When I shoot longer ranges with a 6:00 gun, I'll switch to a center hold or a combat hold.
Best of both worlds.

Favorite pistol sight system is black serrated rear and fiber optic front.

 

[GoodFellow]

To clarify a little bit, I'm a competitive shooter and have been for a long time. I have pistols with 3 dot, fiber optic front, and blacked out just like you have there sights. I shoot them all the same as if they were blacked out. The only difference for me from the link I showed is that I prefer a center of bullseye hold compared to the 6 o'clock.

Mike, I would like to try to learn to be a better shooter. The 6 o'clock setting is the one I was always told to use but if you want to
shoot in the middle of the bullseye with a black front sight on a black target there is no reference point-at least for my eyes. You?

 

[oremike]

Mike, I would like to try to learn to be a better shooter. The 6 o'clock setting is the one I was always told to use but if you want to
shoot in the middle of the bullseye with a black front sight on a black target there is no reference point-at least for my eyes. You?

My thoughts run this way. The 6 o'clock hold works very well for a known size target at a known distance as in bullseye shooting. I don't always shoot only that so I prefer a more dynamic sight picture as in center hold. I aim at whatever I'm shooting at rather than under it. More like a hunter as compared to a bullseye shooter. One of my favorite games to play I call happy can which is bouncing a can around a gravel pile. This gives me different presentations and distances so it's easier to aim at the can rather than to guess the point of hold because it's not the same size and distance as a bullseye target.
One think about the black on black center hold is that if you relax and let you eye look naturally it will seek out the center of a circle so you just put the sights on the center and shoot away. Once you get used to it it's just that easy. You can prove this by drawing a circle or holding up a paper plate and putting your finger in the center. It's almost like you can't not without effort.

 

[Pepe-lepew]

Adding a different color to the front post only works for contrast to the target. Black is better for most targets, except black. However, for bullseye, they use 6 o'clock to get the contrast of a black on light target and precision aiming point of the bottom of the black bull.

Adding fiber front is for fast front sight acquisition. Even USPSA and speed steel shooters are still using the top end of the black post on a fiber sight to get precise aiming at far targets.

For getting a center of black bull target picture, a wide sight helps. Which the pistol already has.

In my opinion, those are excellent sights for most applications. The only difference between those and what I used on my 1911's for action pistol sports is I added a fiber on front for fast close targets where precision aligning the post did not matter.

 

[Papercidal]

Not much better iron sights than found on a gold cup. If it had a dovetail cut I'd perhaps switch the front to a Dawson fiber optic but I don't know of anyone that makes a staked in fiber optic sight.

 

[Catfishmoon]

If your goal is a carry gun or fast action shooting I would consider changing those iron sights. If your goal is a target gun shooting as precisely as possible, I would leave the rear sight as is and I would only change the front sight if your eyes see something better than the existing black post. I see a fiber-optic best and prefer the color green, others prefer a gold front post or bead, etc.
The advantage of your existing, adjustable rear sight is it can be precisely tuned to match the ammunition you are shooting and the point of impact will vary depending on ammo manufacturer, projectile weight, shape, etc.
Actually, I recently paid a fair amount of money to install similar adjustable target sights as yours on my Dan Wesson Valor in .45 acp.