Colt .380 Government

[riverdog]

Colt .380 Government, Stainless, Series 80.
The front sight is very hard to pick up when shooting. Is there a good alternative besides painting the front sight? I was thinking of putting a Tritium sight on the front, but that would affect the value of the pistol. It would definitely make it easier to shoot though. Any suggestions?

 

[JohnKSa]

The sights on this gun, IMO, are its weakest point.

Do what you need to do to get it functional for you. Chances are the next owner will appreciate it if he's a shooter. Just don't try to sell it to a collector.

If you get a good solution, post a pic. My wife has a couple Colt .380s that also need some sight work.

Good shooting,

John

 

[Smoke]

GO to Colt380 they have smaller Novak type sights that they can install. I have a set and love them. They're not real cheap though.

 

[VaughnT]

I was thinking about getting one of these girls and decided to install an XS Big Dot on the front. These aren't long-range weapons so a sight isn't high priority. The Big Dot or Standard will be more than enough even without a rear site.

 

[riverdog]

Gunsmith will be removing (grinding off) the factory sight and installing an AO Express Small Dot, dovetailed. Rear sight will be the corresponding shallow V-notch. Should work well. Sorry, no pics.

Regarding collector value, I simply gave the guns functionality a higher priority. It may be an issue to some, but the gun is much more useful if the front sight is visible. Besides, it isn't mine, why should I care about collector value. If I end up buying it, maybe I'll get a discount 'cause it isn't original

 

[Dr.Rob]

Dad bought one of those, ended up blackening the front sight, also tried painting it with nail polish. He's thinking of a tritium insert too.

I like the 380 Gov't but the sights are a weak point.

 

[Kahr carrier]

Scott Mcdougal and Associates do nice work on Colt 380s.

 

[Strzelec]

Scott, McDougall & Associates would be my first choice - I have dealt with them in the past (bought parts), and they have a great rep.

However, Doug McDougall is seriously ill, and Mac Scott is clearing up the work backlog. Have no idea if/when they might be taking on more work. Mac has been posting updates on www.380colt.com .

May want to check Novak and see if they have any recommendations.

 

[provalov]

You might try what I did on my Colt .380 -- get some "Ghost Glow" sight paint. It stays on well when applied as directed, gives you a better front sight picture, and as an added bonus, will even glow in the dark after some recent exposure to light.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

I own a Colt Mustang Pocketlite....

I love the pistol. It was the first pistol I purchased after I got my Kentucky CCDW license. However, as perfect as the little auto is, in a dark indoor range, I have to guess where the front sight is located. I just can't see it. (It's been great practice for point shooting though. )

KR

 

[Ledbetter]

Got two. Got a bunch of other guns that have invisible front sights too.

Best solution I have come up with is Testor's bright orange flourescent paint, comes in a marker pen, renew as needed.

Oh, $1.95 at the hobby/model store.

 

[riverdog]

I'll try the Testor flourescent paint on another pistol with hard to see sights, but at this point, the gunsmith has it. The bad news is now that she has seen the sights it will soon have, there's no way she'll sell it. Guess I should have bought it before sending it out ... naahh, that was her first gun and it will be good for her to shoot it well.

I'm not familiar with Scott, McDougall & Associates, but if you'd like to see a "small" sample of Terry Tussey's work, he shows a couple Kimbers in the March 2003 G&A.