Novak sights

Minuteman · Nov 6, 2017

School me.

And pardon my ignorance, I'm not much of a 1911 guy. Is there a better resource than this: http://stores.kensight.com/common-1911-sight-dovetails/

I know these have been around a long time and became the default 'best' sights for 1911's.

I even see them on a couple other new guns, so I guess my first questions are:

Are these still considered the best sights? Are they pretty much exclusive to 1911 guns?

What other guns use standard Novak sights?

What manufacturers have their own 'proprietary' notch or cut, that prevent standard Novak sights to be used?

I have a set of Delta1 Novak sights and I'm having difficulty finding any gun they will fit on, out of the box, without any tooling or gun-smithing. Any recommendations?

If it can't be done out of the box, who do you recommend I mail the slide and sights to, for them to mount; and how much can I expect to pay for this?

Thanks... in advance. :thumbsup:

Racer Doug14 · Nov 6, 2017

I have Trijicon Novak NS on my P229. They are not the "best", but are nice for not snagging when drawn from concealment. That's all I have for you.
The delta1 sight you have should tell you what size they are.

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Nov 6, 2017

It would be very difficult to find better sights for a carry gun than Novak. Target sights are a different thing...but for a combat handgun, there's Novak and then there's everything else.

Minuteman · Nov 6, 2017

Racer Doug14 said:
I have Trijicon Novak NS on my P229. They are not the "best", but are nice for not snagging when drawn from concealment. That's all I have for you.
The delta1 sight you have should tell you what size they are.

That's helpful. On the manufactures website it only says that they fit all standard Novak dovetails, but no list of guns they fit or don't fit.

,....

holy cow! The owner/designer of these sights just called me, we talked for about half an hour!

I think I'll have to do an article or write-up, he had a lot to say, they are expanding their product line, and using new materials and manufacturing; their new models will glow.

He also set me straight on all the variations and proprietary-ness with Novak sights. Bottom line is that their (Delta1) 1911 sights will work on about 95% of all Novak dovetail sights. The big exceptions are only three (3): S&W, Kimber and ParaOrdinance (the Canadian company); they all have proprietary notches that prevent folks from just slapping on his, or any other standard Novak sights. You can make them work, but requires a little machining/tooling. Also Remington tolerances tend to be a bit tight for standard Novak sights, including his (Delta1); and may need a little more tapping to install. But the good news is every other manufacture that uses standard Novak sights (that they have come across) work! I specifically ran down a long list of guns, and he answered each one, all were yep, works, including: RockIsland, Baer, Wilson, Sig, Ed Brown, Nighthawk, Colt, Springfield, etc.

I told him my preference was to put them on a 9mm, and I held my breath, expecting maybe a 1911 .45 purist lecture... but nope. He took it in stride and said that was a good idea, a lot of military/police do that and they work great.

I'm super stoked, now I have to find a gun to slap these on and begin the tests.

TheOriginalMexicanBob said:
It would be very difficult to find better sights for a carry gun than Novak. Target sights are a different thing...but for a combat handgun, there's Novak and then there's everything else.

I agree, and have now read the history of these Novak sights, originally they were taller, but quickly changed to the lower profile we have today.

Thank you both, and anyone else that has a comment or suggestion for a gun to host these sites. Always appreciated.

Minuteman · Nov 6, 2017

oh, almost forgot:

alucard0822 · Nov 6, 2017

You are somewhat limited to the dimentions the sight manufacturer milled out, and for 1911s there are several, Novak being one of the more popular, but there are about half a dozen that are relatively common. It can get confusing, but essentially a 1911 can have a "novak cut", and the corresponding "novak lo-mount compatible" sights, Novak being the manufacturer. THere is a reason Novak low-mounts are so popular, they are really good snag-free sights, good balance for combat being they are easy to see, but their wedge shape and low profile keep them out of the way. There are options as far as notch and post widths, materials, adjustability, and visibility enhancements, those are largely personal prefference

Blaster229 · Nov 6, 2017

What kind of "testing" will you perform?

Minuteman · Nov 6, 2017

Blaster229 said:
What kind of "testing" will you perform?

Want to join me? Will probably be in December, I'm looking to see what 9mm guns I can put these on, hoping one of the new Sig modular guns will work, if I can't find one, will probably go with a traditional 1911.

There's also the 7 day Maryland wait, so there's that to add to the timeline. arggg.

Blaster229 · Nov 6, 2017

Minuteman said:
Want to join me? Will probably be in December, I'm looking to see what 9mm guns I can put these on, hoping one of the new Sig modular guns will work, if I can't find one, will probably go with a traditional 1911.

There's also the 7 day Maryland wait, so there's that to add to the timeline. arggg.

I'm sorry. But I believe Fidelity has me under gun testing contract.

Minuteman · Nov 6, 2017

Blaster229 said:
I'm sorry. But I believe Fidelity has me under gun testing contract.

LOL. cool.

I think the P250 (discontinued, but modular) uses novak, I'll have to double check that. Spare parts will be a challenge.

Blaster229 · Nov 6, 2017

Minuteman said:
LOL. cool.

I think the P250 (discontinued, but modular) uses novak, I'll have to double check that. Spare parts will be a challenge.

Sights ain't helping any p250.

John from MD · Nov 6, 2017

If you have a flat file and a triangular sight file, you can make a Novak cut on a 1911 slide. It is much easier to do on a mill but I have done it by hand on several pistols. If it is a Series 80 type slide, you may have issues due to the firing pin block. I'm only guessing as I haven't handled a series 80 in many years.

Racer Doug14 · Nov 6, 2017

I'll also say that my P229 has the standard Sig cut. #8 I think. Not a Novak cut. Your 1911 Novak cut sight would not fit.

Minuteman · Nov 6, 2017

Great tips, thanks all.

Novak sights

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