How do you guys like brass bead front sights? I want to change the front sight out on my kimber and it would be a solid upgrade I think .

The grey factory front sight is functional but a brass bead should pop nicely and be much faster to pick up?

Started my daughter with a Browning Buckmark rifle at an early age.
She loved it then, and still does.

Shot the Guardian today after the new sights and springs.
Is it possible for a 9mm 1911 to shoot any softer, because it sure felt that was the case today.

The new sights were dead on at 25, and about an inch to an and a half high at 15.
Dead centered, no left or right.

Thanks that’s what I need to hear.

I have a gold bead on a Beretta I got from @03RN.
Very functional, better than brass in my opinion.

If I can't have tritium I want a gold bead. If I want a gun for long term shtf use I want a gold bead.

I'm probably going to do a gold bead on my loaded when I finally get around to it

That one's even a tad off center. Unless it was pitch black it was picking up some light. I wish I saved where I got that insert. It was like $90 but worked really well.

It is, but really doesn't effect aiming it.
No worse than a huge fiber.

I've had brass and gold bead sights. The gold bead is what you want the brass bead to be but isn't.

My Alchemy has a gold bead. 11/10 would order again.

Indeed, sounds like I want a gold bead. Off to look at options

I love gold bead front sights, probably an even tie with tritium for me.

Not bad, $95 so prices have remained fairly consistent !

https://www.heinie.com/kimber-1911-serrated-cross-dovetail-gold-bead-front-sight.html

I didn't realize how much I liked the Harrison gold bead on my Baer until I shot a 1911 in the same conditions without one. It grabs light like a FO but not as glaring. Plus it looks cool which is 87% of shooting

I have a gold bead on this Hackathorne Special. I like it quite a bit. Absolutely more durable than the plastic fiber optic style.

I have been carrying and competeing with this lately.....Wilson CQB. Love it, love the RMR.

I wonder how much difference there is between the Harrison and Heine gold bead front sights?

I have been lusting after a 2011, but my purse-strings are definitely too short to afford the big boys toys.
Looked at RIA, the Prodigy, and the Tisas.

I went Tisas because:
+ I found one for $634.00
+Read 10,000 reviews about overall Tisas quality.
No MIM.
Even with a cheap dot, I was able to land it for less than a grand.

The double-stack 9mm they offer, the BR9, is where I settled.
Shot for the first time yesterday, in the small window of time I had between my honey-doo list. 75 rounds, zero issues.
Passed the 10-8 extractor test.
Shot to POA with the factory sights, tho I did paint the white-front-dot neon orange.

More mags, depending on who's I purchase, start at about $40.00 for Prodigy mags, and Atlas are 2x that amount.

The Tisas is cut for the RMS-c pattern, and as of yesterday, no plates are available. Wasn't gonna put a $500+ RMRcc on a $600 buck gun, so I went Vortex:
Specifically the Vortex Defender CCW, which I acquired from Euro-optic for $225. It was easy to mount, came with multiple sets of lock-tite covered screws for different weapons, a cover, and the adjusting tool. Top mounted battery as well!  I went 6moa to mimic my RMRcc on my carry gun.
Once sighted, it shot great, and for a cheap dot, it functioned well. Time will tell about it's durability.

What am I going to do with it? Well, I shoot in a local outlaw match, thought I'd try it there.  Other than that, ummm, don't know...


It is NOT your svelte single stack 1911 by any means, and I'm not sure I like that or not. It is/was accurate and reliable for my 75 round litmus test. Time will tell if I grow fonder of it. It's fun and all, but not anything like my RO Elite or my Guardian.

20 yard accuracy. The left side was dialed in.
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50 yard accuracy:


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I’ll take it a step further and say that I prefer a good gold bead over any other front sight (including fiber or tritium), especially on a quality 1911. The one on my Classic shines with the light of thousand suns.

(Not to get off topic, but as I’ve bitched about before, the new style Vickers’ Glock version is brutal because they dulled the front of it but not the sides, which entirely defeats its purpose. The first the time I had one installed, I thought it was a dud. Vickers CS told me that the original ones — the ones that were used on the Vickers RTF2 19s/17s — were “determined to be too bright and distracting.” )

First shot at 7 yards I kid you not!!

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Working remote today..

Back in hand. It’s really well fit. Might need to break it out for some OC

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Another random day walkin' the doggo.