I should probably elaborate.... I have never had a staked-on front sight come loose,
when it had been installed by the factory. However, I DO have experience with replacement front sights that were staked in. That is what I meant about never having staked front sights stay put - REPLACEMENT front sights!
Since coltnut says this:
Quote History Nothing worse than out shooting and losing your front sight in the middle of the fun.....been thru that various times.
View Quote
I guess I am not the
only one to see a staked front sight come loose, huh?
So, CAN staked in front sights be permanently installed and not come loose? It would certainly seem so, because the factory can put the original in and it never becomes an issue. However, there are an awful lot of gunsmiths out there who don't have the tools or the expertise to install the replacements properly. OTOH, the factory can control both the cut in the slide and the size of the front sight staking post, so they have an advantage the guy replacing it does not.
To each his own, but I simply will not consider purchasing a 1911's with staked front sights. I like to change sights to my preference, and life is just too short for such aggravation! (Unless of course, it is a historical piece, like a great WWI edition!)