Installing sights on a Kimber

[DJAllen]

I got a couple of fiber optic sights for my Kimbers, talked to several gunsmiths in the area and they can't install them. and I'm not sure I can do the job. Is there any other way other than shipping them of to the Kimber custom shop?:banghead:

 

[Wildfire]

Gun smiths.

Hey there:
Your gun smiths should have the proper staking tools for the front sight.
if not they probably are not very good gun smiths.
Kimber can do the job. My Kimber is dove tailed front and rear. Shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[Bwana John]

Ive noticed Kimber sights are pressed in with a kazillion pound press, and the rear sight has a propritary shape, you need sights that match the Kimber slide, and a kazillion pound press.

 

[ocharry]

i will second the kazillion pound press,,,,

friend has a kimber and he wanted to put one of the fiber sights on the front,,, after lots of cussin and a call to kimber!!!!! after talking to them i kinda got the impression they shear the sight in,,,how they can get that much pressure on the thing and not crush the sight or wreck the slide is something....

i told him i knew how to skin this cat,,,,put the slide in a fixture and run an end mill through the slot,,,,yep i wrecked the original front sight,,,but i got it out and put the fiber sight in and he was happy

sight press never even wiggled it

if you are going to replace the sights on your kimber,, the front one anyway ,,,good luck,,,,,i would bet you will end up milling it out

my .02

ocharry

 

[Ske1etor]

Evidently the Slides are made from Adamantium (The stuff that the X-Men's Wolverine's skeleton is made from...) Unbreakable metal... or at least the portion near the rear sight...

I got my sights changed out and the smith was back at his desk banging around for a few minutes. When he emerged he wiped thirteen pints of sweat off of his forehead, dislodged the hammer from his hand and handed me my slide. It had a bit of wear on the top of the slide where the old sights came off but I told him after all the ruckus I had heard I was surprised the slide came back at all!

Evidently the kazillion pound press is accurate. That and the fact that it is run by a 1.21 gigawatt motor.

 

[ktd]

I was pretty disappointed, mine came out readily with medium force. Most people say you should send em back if you do not have the equipment.

 

[DJAllen]

Thanks for the info! even though it pain's me greatly to sacrifice the present sights. I think I'll pay a call to my favorite machinist and have him mill out the present sight. I'll keep ya'll posted on how it turns out. I'm just a bit concerned about the Rimfire, as it has an aluminum slide.
I called Kimber this morning and they wiill not install aftermarket Fiber Optic Sights.

 

[ktd]

Kimber does not make the rimfire conversion themselves, so the sights might be easier to drift. Or not, I am not sure.

 

[Fatelvis]

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=163458
I just used one of these to replace my Kimber's rear sight. It worked wonderfully. I tried using the mallet and punch method first. The sight was waaaay too tight for that . The $122 was money well spent, as it is versitile. I already used it on two other non-1911 pistols, and a 1885 Browning front sight.

 

[Bigmatt91783]

i mainly use a file to cut your width of your dove tail, just don't file to much or you will be buying a new sight and a MGW sight pusher in the shop. That sight is a pain to install anyways