There are some basic tools that are required to change your sights: Small hammer, bench vice w/ padded jaws, heavy card stock, 65° dovetail file or appropriate angle dovetail file, one 3/8” and one 1/2" diameter sections of aluminum round stock approximately 6" long, drill press with vice, 1/16” drill bit, 1/16” punch, aluminum blackener, and the correct size hex wrench. The four notch styles we currently offer are the most commonly sought styles. If you damage any of the items, it will void the warranty on the sights and possibly the pistol. Make sure to take your time, go slow, and do not remove too much material so they slide right through the slide dovetail. Understanding Sight Heights and Adjustments.
It is presented so you can form your own conclusions and is not intended to be the “all knowing” advice. If the cut is too wide the sight slides through the dovetail and is hard to keep in place. ... (On our ring height charts, the height is for the front ring.) When using an adjustable sight, the rear should be set in the middle of the range of adjustment, and then the front can be tuned for POA/POI. The fronts are commonly referred to in those sizes because the early front dovetail cutters where .330” in size, so the name kind of stuck. There are a lot of differences from firearm to firearm and caliber to caliber because of so many variables.
No sights. This section will help you to understand point of aim/point of impact and its basic relationship to the components of the pistol.
For Front Sights: center the sight on the existing roll pin hole if applicable, or level the slide in a drill press and using a 1/16th” drill bit, center the bit into the sight roll pin hole and drill through the slide. Once a front sight is pinned, it cannot be drilled and repined in a new location. However, we only offer the four current styles, in certain sight models only, as described below. Even defense in the gravest extreme, could result in serious legal, civil, and psychological consequences long after the incident. If the rear is more eye catching than the front, you will have a harder time finding the front sight quickly. This usually will change the elevation more than the windage. The different basic styles available for front sights are plain black, white dot, tritium dot, fiber optic, brass bead, and 14kt. SPECIAL: Free Returns + Exchanges | Spend $100 = Free US Shipping / $12 Canada. The key to a good installation is determining the interference between the slide dovetail and sight dovetail. The tremendous amount of misinformation and false advertising has caused a lot of confusion with our brand. The Novak LoMount® rear dovetail size is .495” tptp x 65° at .125” depth. The reason for this is that it is far easier and more cost effective to do. This is an ultra fast and very simplistic sight alignment process. This causes a slightly low point of aim point of impact for most individuals.
We offer our professional installation service and it includes the warranty on the installation and sights. Some older or damaged slides will require welds to fill or fix before a dovetail can be cut. Also, do not use steel punches to drift the sights. If you are even a little unsure of installing any sights, please have it done by a competent professional to avoid any unwanted damages. The various front sight types will aid in the shooters eye being attracted to the front sight. Elevation changes will require a different front sight height – taller to lower the bullet impact, shorter to raise the bullet impact. Gold beads tend to reflect slightly more light in low light conditions. Novak rear sights are not parallel on the sides and this causes the sight pushers to push at an angle when installing them into the dovetail.
The minor machining is usually a flat that is cut behind the rear of the dovetail, or a flat cut overtop of the rear dovetail to form a pocket that will allow the sight to sit just below the top of the slide, and/or a relief cut in front of the dovetail. Her inseam is 30”. Do not attempt to install the sights unless you are completely confident that you are capable of doing so without damaging your pistol or the sights. We hope that you find this information helpful and thank you for choosing “Genuine Novak Sights®”. What we consistently observed with the rejected notches was the overwhelming fact that they added to sighting confusion from beginner through highly experienced shooters. If too little resistance, the sight can move in the dovetail when the pistol is fired. There is nothing more important than protecting or defending yourself and/or your loved ones.
The rear dots tend to overpower the front and your focus shifts to the rear allowing for confusion when aligning the dots. This is all personal preference when choosing the size and style. Once the flat cut is made the sight will install the same as a direct replacement style. The actual true measurement of the front dovetails are .342”x 65° x .075” base and .342”x 65° x .060” base or in short .075” base and .060” base Novak fronts. Drift only on the base of the dovetail of all sights. Although in some cases, it may be too bright or overwhelming if fiber is on both the front and rear. We value all of our customers and want to give you the best possible tools to help insure you win the encounter, while hoping it never occurs. This may be confusing so please notice the diagram showing the difference between the two presentations. If it is too shallow, the sights stand up off of the slide, which creates a condition in which the dovetail will open up from the repeated flexing that occurs from operation of the slide, then becoming loose, moving, and falling out. There is only an approximate minimum of .025” of metal covering the vial and any slight dents or damage to the blade can destroy the vial. These size charts apply to all the patterns in our site us and metric size charts. Another drawback would be the lack of a rear reference point in dark conditions.
After the cut is made, the slide will have to be refinished accordingly. If you decide to carry or use firearms, we implore you to learn the proper mindset to handle, store, carry, and use your firearm in a safe, law-abiding, and responsible manner. Please seek out proper professional training from a pinnacle resource like Gunsite Academy and be very leery of the latest “tactic-cool” marketing fads and “internet commando” drivel. —a moderate fit accommodating most head sizes, with intentionally unisex sizing and styling. If you check with Browning or Winchester, they will likely inform you that the BPCR dovetail slot is 3/8” with 60 degree shoulders and is cut to a depth of 0.090”; all of which are accepted as an industry standard on modern firearms.