Why novak sights

The available option of making a custom height front sight insures that the pistol can be zeroed, but it is an extra charge and is not returnable.

Making adjustments to move the point of impact left or right should be done with the rear sight. The front sight should be centered and pinned into place on the slide to insure that it is secure. The rear sight has a setscrew that will have to be loosened before and adjustments can be made. To make the adjustment you need to move the rear sight in the direction you want the impact to move. For example, if your impact is left of point of aim and you want in to move to the right, you need to drift the rear sight to the right.

An easy way to remember this is: Move the rear sight in the direction you want the impact of the round to go. The impact change from the movement of the rear sight is about the same amount as the height impact change with the front sight. We recommend that you make a fine pencil mark on the slide and the sight to keep track of the movement. Some of our current production sights have windage reference marks that translate into.

The only time the front sight would need adjustment for windage would be if there is a issue with the lockup, location of the barrel, ammunition, or the pistol in general. Once a front sight is pinned, it cannot be drilled and repined in a new location. If the front sight has to be adjusted for windage, please consult the manufacturer or competent gunsmith.

Novak Sight Dovetail Basics. The first thing you will need to learn about is the dovetails on the sights and the dovetail cuts on the slide.

The key to a good installation is determining the interference between the slide dovetail and sight dovetail. That is where the basic part ends. It takes time and whole lot of patience when learning about dovetails.

Do not expect to be an expert or capable of cutting dovetails once you read the information below, this is only a start to understanding the entire process. This is not meant to be a guide to make dovetail cuts, but only to understand what is involved in the process. Receiving proper technical training and having the proper equipment is a must for attempting to machine your slide.

Understanding the basic fitment of dovetails is key. The male portion must have the same angle as the female portion. This may be confusing so please notice the diagram showing the difference between the two presentations. Correct fitment is key in ensuring that the sights stay on the slide and do not come loose, move, or fall out while shooting. The size of the dovetail on the sight male must be slightly larger than the dovetail cut on the slide female.

For example, if the rear sight dovetail is. This type of fit is known as a slip fit, which is wrong for a handgun. There needs to be some interference to the fit.

The sight has to have resistance when being driven into the dovetail, but not so hard that damage is done to the sight or the slide during the installation. Conversely, if the dovetail on the slide is oversized, there are only two methods that can correct this issue. The first one is having an oversized dovetail on the sight and the other is peening the slide dovetail to make it smaller. Peening the dovetails is not the optimum way to do the install, but is acceptable if the only options are to weld or replace the slide.

The Novak front and rear dovetails have been discussed as to their true sizes. The following paragraphs will explain the size and how to measure them. The theoretical point to theoretical point measurement tptp is an actual. The dovetail size measurement must be made over pins and the proper calculation done to get the size, this is the correct way to measure the size of a dovetail.

Placing calipers on the edges of the dovetail to measure our sights is incorrect. We purposefully removed the sharp points for ease of fitment reasons. The depth or base of the dovetail is. The oversized dovetail required hand fitting to the individual cut so it would go snug and stay securely.

While we still offer limited styles in some of these OD dovetail sights, we will be eventually discontinuing them. The Novak front dovetails are available in two sizes,. The fronts are commonly referred to in those sizes because the early front dovetail cutters where. The actual true measurement of the front dovetails are.

The front sights, which are more prone to becoming loose, need the five points of contact to minimize this from happening. The five points are the front underside of the blade, both angles of the dovetail, the bottom of the dovetail, and the rear underside of the blade.

Having contact with all five of those points and having the roll pin installed, as an added protective measure, will keep the front sight in place under the most extreme conditions and help prevent fatiguing or opening of the dovetail cut.

The rear follows basically the same rules, but use four points of contact and a setscrew to secure it. If you have any doubts or issues, do not get discouraged. We have seen manufacturers, life long machinists and gunsmiths have issues with installing the first set or so.

If you are not sure about installing them yourself or someone else doing it, we provide the service of installing the sights and we only warrant our installation — no others and no exceptions. If someone other than us installs them improperly, it is their problem to resolve with you, so please be certain that they do quality work that you will be satisfied with. The sections below will help to explain the basics of sight dovetails and the process for each method of installation.

It is not hard to install sights, but there is a learning curve to doing it and mistakes can be very expensive and disheartening. If you are even a little unsure of installing any sights, please have it done by a competent professional to avoid any unwanted damages.

Again, we do not recommend any installers other than ourselves. Improper installation of our sights will void the warranty on them, absolutely no exceptions. If any damages where done to the slide, that would be the problem of whom ever tried to install them. Please be certain that you are comfortable with the installer and or methods of installations before making any changes.

When installing tritium sights it is important to understand that the tritium vials inside the sights are made of glass. When installing the sights, extra care should be taken to avoid any impacts or applied force being made in the area of the tritium vial. All sights only should be installed by using the dovetail portion of the sight as the driving surface. This will allow the sight dovetail to have the installation force applied inline with the slide dovetail.

There are two main reasons for installing all sights in this manner. First, using the front sight blade as the driving surface to install the sight can cause the tritium vial to fracture or shatter allowing the tritium gas to leak off. There is only an approximate minimum of. Secondly, it is possible the blade can be bent or broken off if it is being forced into place aggressively when not fitted properly. This can also cause damage to occur to the dovetails as well. Both reasons will void the warranty on the sight and the tritium vial.

Please be extra diligent when installing or having them installed. Installation - Direct Replacement. These sight models, usually referred as DCR type sights by us will fit into the existing dovetails on the factory slide.

This is true with the majority of these sight types with a few exceptions, which fall into the minor machining class. The first thing to remember is that there is a tolerance to the factory dovetail cuts and the replacement sights.

The majority of the time, the sights can be installed without any minor fitting on the dovetail surfaces of the sight.

Sometimes they will need minor fitting to get the interference fit desired, which is usually a couple of minor file strokes on the rear portion of the sight dovetail. Absolutely Do Not File on the slide dovetails… the sight dovetails need to be fit to the slide dovetails. It is okay to start to fit the sights and then have to back them out to relieve a little more material to get them to go on. Make sure to take your time, go slow, and do not remove too much material so they slide right through the slide dovetail.

If too much material is removed, the sight or dovetail will need to be modified by peening or purchasing a new sight. 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. If you damage any of the items, it will void the warranty on the sights and possibly the pistol. We offer our professional installation service and it includes the warranty on the installation and sights. The following instructions are a basic guide on how to complete the task of installing the sights.

Before attempting any work, unload, clear, and disassemble your pistol. Then remove the recoil spring assembly and barrel from the slide. To install the sights, first tape the sides of your slide with masking tape to prevent scratching. Place the slide in the vise between brass or aluminum smooth jaw protectors and cardstock. Position the slide so the sight you will be working on is located in the middle of the vise. Make sure that the sight dovetail will clear the vise jaws when drifting the sights off and on the slide.

Loosen any retaining screws or drive out any roll pins on the sight. Take a piece of the card stock, fold, and place between the sight base on the opposite side of the ejection port and the aluminum drift. Drift only on the base of the dovetail of all sights. Also, do not use steel punches to drift the sights. Please beware of any firing pin safety plunger that may be under the sight and remove carefully so not to loose any parts or damage them. They will need to be reinstalled with the new sight.

Clean any Loctite or debris from the slide dovetail. Take the replacement sight and start it into the slide dovetail from the ejection port side. Depending on how hard the sight starts to go in the dovetail, it may require some very minor filing of the sight dovetail so it will have a decent amount of resistance while being driven in.

If too little resistance, the sight can move in the dovetail when the pistol is fired. Center the sight in the dovetail or into the position where the old sight was located. For Rear Sights: Tighten the setscrew and Loctite green can be applied to the dovetail for added assurance. Wipe any excess Loctite off of slide before it dries.

Make sure that the Loctite does not enter and interfere with its operation. Loctite green can be applied to the dovetail for added assurance. Clean and assemble the entire pistol. Windage corrections can be made on the rear sight by drifting the sight in the opposite direction of the bullet impact. Elevation changes will require a different front sight height — taller to lower the bullet impact, shorter to raise the bullet impact. We have seen tremendous damage caused from the use of these tools on sights and slides.

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. That causes the metal to gall and does damage to both the sight dovetail, the slide dovetail, and also on the sides of the slide from the pusher tool.

Installation - Minor Machining Installation. If you cannot enable cookies in your browser, please contact us — we are always here to help! Unfortunately we are unable to offer our excellent shopping experience without JavaScript. Please add " opticsplanet. Trijicon SA34 Novak Compact. Search Feedback Did you find what you were looking for? Tell us what you think of our search results and how we can improve. Install the app.

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It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Novak sights - why? Thread starter fordag Start date Sep 3, Tags combat novak one hand sights. Do you think it is important to be able to manipulate your pistol with only one hand?

Yes, I understand it is a possibility and I practice it. Votes: 7 Yes, I understand it is a possibility but I don't practice it. Votes: 2 No, I don't believe the chances are high enough and it is not a concern for me. Votes: 1 Total voters Why are Novak sights still being put on pistols intended for combat use? Since their introduction I have never been a fan of Novak sights.