Yeah, that set up would propably shoot a little high. You could always file down the bottom of the rear sight to adjust for this, but you'll probably Mar and scratch the slide from taking it off so many times. F.y.i. I installed that same sight on one of my guns and it was an awful sight, pun intended. It looked terrible on the gun and was way too big, way to hard to close the gaps. I eventually scraped it and went with a standard Novak sight. Novak sight cuts don't really lend themselves to adjustable sights very well.

 

Yeah, that set up would propably shoot a little high.

 

this lpa novak cut sight works well with a .180" front.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/72...oduct/721189/springfield-armory-adjustable-rear-sight-1911-novak-cut-steel-blue

 

I just put a dawson adjustable Novak on my Baer custom carry. The stock front sight is .175 tall. Took it to the range and with the rear cranked all the way down it shot about 3" high at 15 yards. I'm going to get a .190 tall dawson FO front to get it closer to POA/POI.

.230 seems real tall and the dawson/ken sight look identical. Dawson recos.180-.200

 

Adj. rear sight....

There is no way a person can advise on what is the best sight system with such little information, since there is no mention of the gun or caliber....

Any gun in any caliber may lock up differently due to the barrel fitting process, so even that is a variable.

When building a gun, I usually use a Bo-mar style rear sight cut, and a Bomar style adj. rear sight. For the dovetailed front sight, I start with a blank, then take it to the range with the most often used reload I use for that caliber. I often shoot mid-range loads in my handguns. For 9mm guns I use a 125 gr. bullet and for most .45 shooting I use a 200 gr. bullet. I then place the adjustable rear sight adj. so it is pretty much in the middle of the elevation setting. I then begin shooting the gun from a rest at roughly 15 or 20 yds. using a center hold on the target. Usually, the tall front sight will cause the POI to be low. I then begin carefully filing the front sight height shorter until I get the correct POA with the correct POI. I then test the gun thoroughly to make sure the load and gun works well and is accurate. If the primer hits all look OK on the fired case (not too far off center) and my upper barrel lug engagement is .043-.045", then I will use that sight height for that particular gun. Often times I use the same front sight blank and modify it to make a Fiber Optic sight using a .060" drill bit for the light rod. If I decide to use the same bullet weight with a faster muzzle velocity, often times the hotter load will shoot lower on the target.....having the rear sight elevation screw in the middle of the elevation adjustment allows the rear sight to be raised to be able to raise the POI for hot or combat loads.

Often times I will use the "sight calculation formula" with any available front sight in my gun parts box to get a quantitative measurement idea if the sight needs to be higher or lower. Here is the sight calculation formula:

amount of adjustment needed = (distance wanted to move group x sight radius) divided by distance to target. All dimensions in inches. For example: If you want to move your group 6" @ 25 yds, then the rear sight adjustment needed = (6" x 6.25"sight radius) divided by (25 x 3 x 12) = 0.042". (The sight radius used is an assumed number).

 

Originally Posted by jamiesaun View Post
Yeah, that set up would propably shoot a little high.

Rod, maybe he was holding the gun upside down!

OSO:

You haven't stated how you determine POI. 6 o'clock or center hold!

Use the above stated formula to determine what change must be done to get the POI to match your POA.

You can choose a sight that is a little high and reduce the hight as needed.

All the best,

 

The .230 measure is for a front sight with the BoMar rear only using the original GI dovetail cut. If you bury or low mount the rear sight .180 is fine. The rear has plenty of elevation adjustment.

 

Front sight height.....

The .230 measure is for a front sight with the BoMar rear only using the original GI dovetail cut. If you bury or low mount the rear sight .180 is fine. The rear has plenty of elevation adjustment.

Is this post assuming the OP is using a .45 cal 1911.....? He never mentioned the caliber or the type of gun he is building....:scratch:

 

Point of Clarification

Is this post assuming the OP is using a .45 cal 1911.....? He never mentioned the caliber or the type of gun he is building....:scratch:

Sorry - I forgot where I was and didn't give any details specific to the gun. The build is a commander 9mm. The frame is STI with a Caspian slide (flat top cut). I will be using a Nowlin barrel.

To clarify the literature/directions from Kensight for their adjustable combat sight states that the front sight blade should be minimum height of 0.230". Their document does not stipulate what type of slide, barrel, caliber or pistol grip preference. Weak hand upside down through a mirror... not mentioned.

Hence, my question for practical experience with this issue. As far as POA/POI...I couldn't tell you at this point since the gun consists of a shoe box full of parts. I am trying to build a balanced gun that I can use for IDPA as well as daily carry. With this in mind I am trying to set it up for both daytime and night shooting with high viz/night sight combo. I like the adjustable combat sight (with tritium inserts) which I will run 147gr loads if I use it for IDPA, and much faster loads for conceal carry. I like a high visibility front sight but wanted a night sight capable option (Trijicon HD combines both). The project is in a holding pattern while I determine if the front and rear sight combination will work and how to work around using a 0.230" front sight. Once I sort out that answer then maybe I can source a HD front sight blade (2 months into a backorder with OpticsPlanet).

To ensure everything works and fits together I will ask Ed Vandenberg to work his magic, which includes machining the slide for sights and serrations.

Any insight or suggestions are greatly appreciated!