Choose the Dawson Precision plain black dovetail front sight for your dovetail cut and the blade height that you want and I'll install a .080" diameter14k Gold Bead in it. The end of the bead that protrudes will be shaped into a hemisphere and polished to a mirror finish. After the machine work is done, the sight is bead blasted and reblued. Then the Gold Bead is secured in the sight blade using a two-part industrial epoxy.
The Dawson Precision dovetail sights are not drilled for the 1/16" vertical roll pin at the front of the blade. If you want yours drilled, we have to have the slide, so we can install the sight, center it and then drill the blade so it matches the original hole in the slide. If you want to have this done, order item "111F Install Dovetail Front SIght"
Note that once you order this, it is non-cancellable, non-returnable and non-refundable. Be sure to measure your old sight and be certain that you order the correct height. Obviously, with a gold bead, or tritium lamp, etc. you cannot shorten the front sight to correct elevation.
Stake-in front sights create an element of risk of the top of the sight "mushrooming" or swelling slightly when the sight is staked. The blade is weakened to a small degree by drilling a hole that is roughly 5/16" deep, then filling it with a gold rod. With gold being noticeably softer than steel, when you put the top of the sight against a hard surface so as to back up the sight against the riveting force coming from the bottom of the sight's tenon, remember that the force is going through the top of the sight.
I feel a warning to the installer of the sight is in order. First, be sure you have ground an adequate chamfer around the mouth of the mortise for the tenon to upset into. After you have done any fitting needed to fully seat the sight in it's mounting cut, observe how much of the tenon is sticking into the slide's bore. If you have a wide tenon sight, you may want to consider shortening the end of the tenon until all you have protruding is equivalent to the wire in a large paper clip, so you are not trying to beat down an excessive amount of tenon material . Use red loctite in the joint. Use controlled taps of the hammer, watching as progress is made in the riveting. You want to see it swell in the chamfer, just do it with controlled taps. But be aware, in the end, the risk is yours as to whether or not you mushroom the sight blade.
FWIW, in my shop, I do not install the gold bead prior to staking. I fill the hole with a tight fitting steel gauge pin, do the staking and then pull out the pin. Then I can install the gold bead and have pretty much a zero chance of mushrooming.
Price does not include the sight. Delivery 2-3 weeks, depending on bluing schedule.
