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The 1911 is one of the most popular pistols in the country, and 1911 sights come in a variety of styles. Selecting the correct pistol sight set for your 1911 may be difficult if you are unsure of what specific dovetail cut your 1911 has. If you want to upgrade your current iron sights to Tritium/Fiber Optic night sights or you you plan to install a new slide that currently has no sights, you need some background info before swapping parts. This guide will go over the common dovetail cuts found on 1911 model pistols and assist in selecting the correct set for your specific model. Keep in mind, many 1911 sights require hand fitting or modification to fit properly. You must be willing to do the work yourself or have your sights installed by a professional gunsmith.
Novak
The Novak 1911 dovetail cut is the most common cut found on 1911 pistols. This cut is currently being used by many manufacturers like Rock Island Armory, Remington, Ithaca, Jacob Grey Custom, Stealth Arms, Colt, and more. Unfortunately, not every Novak style set will share the exact same tolerances due to some manufacturers using imitations of the Novak sight or dovetail cut. This may mean that the Novak set you purchase will require some modification to properly fit your Novak cut.
G.I.
The G.I. is the smallest of the 1911 sight cuts and is found on G.I. style handguns like the Springfield 1911A1, Iver Johnson 1911A1, and more. While this is a somewhat common sight cut, it used to be more popular than it is currently. You can often find it on older model 1911s.
Elliason
The Elliason rear sight cut is not very common but can be found on older Colt Gold Cup 1911’s. Newer Gold Cup 1911’s come with the Bomar sight cut.
LPA
The LPA sight cut uses an adjustable rear sight with an elevation adjustment screw located in the center of the dovetail. This style is very common. If your 1911 uses an adjustable rear sight, it’s likely it uses LPA sights. Some common 1911’s with this cut are the Springfield Range Officer, STI with adjustable rear sights, Springfield Loaded Target, Rock Island Pro Match Ultra 5in, Iver Johnson Eagle XL-SS10, and more.
Bomar
The Bomar sight cut is very similar to LPA and is also an adjustable rear sight. However, the elevation adjustment screw is located slightly behind the dovetail cut as opposed to being centered like LPA sights. Bomar sights are less common than LPA sights but can be found on 1911’s like the Colt Gold Cup National Match .45 ACP, Springfield TRP Operator, and Les Baer 1911.
Proprietary Sight Cuts
Several firearm manufacturers use their own style of sight cuts that are designed specifically for their firearms. For example, SIG SAUER uses a proprietary cut for their P220 Hunter and Supermatch SAO. Smith and Wesson also use proprietary rear sight cuts for their adjustable and fixed rear sights. Kimber 1911 fixed rear sights are proprietary as well. Kimber’s adjustable rear sights are similar to LPA and Bomar cuts. You can measure the front of your sight cut to determine if you have LPA or Kimber Adjustable sights. If it measures .430in, it is an LPA cut. If it measures .413in, it is a Kimber Adjustable.
Summary
Understanding what dovetail cut your 1911 model pistol has is the first step to selecting a sight set for your 1911. If you are still unsure, reach out to the manufacturer of your firearm directly or contact a sight manufacturer for more information. Installing your sight set may require modification as there are some variations between manufacturers for the same cut. Employing a gunsmith may be a good investment if you are not willing to modify your sight set on your own. For more information on maintaining your 1911 pistol, read our guide on How to Clean a 1911.
