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Old March 14, 2011, 10:20 PM   #26
Will Beararms
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Interesting watching Springfield knock it out of the park right now. I remember when West German Sigs were par excellence. They still are IMHO. Then there was the Kimber rage. They are also still nice weapons.
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Old March 15, 2011, 08:13 AM   #27
shanzlik
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I read a lot of reviews and they all need to be like this one...Bravo Sir- Bravo!
Thanks, much appreciated.

I'll be adding a review of the Harrison rear sight some time this week. I ended up having to be out of town over the weekend and didn't get a chance to install it.

Flat - usually a beavertail will require at least minor fitting, for appearance sake if nothing else, and I presume that would still be the case if you took an RO beavertail and installed it on a milspec. I can't say for certain though.
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Old March 16, 2011, 12:29 PM   #28
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The Harrison Extreme Duty rear sight is now on my RO. Here are some pictures. More info to follow.











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Old March 16, 2011, 01:06 PM   #29
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This review will cover the Harrison Extreme Service rear sight and the UNI-2ooL Universal Sight Mover I used to install it on my Springfield 1911. But first, a little background on why I changed the sight in the first place.

I bought one of the new Springfield Armory Range Officer 1911-A1 pistols in February 2011. According to Springfield, the Range Officer was created with the idea of offering an affordable, factory production 1911 that was still capable of winning shooting competitions. The idea was to get a pistol in the hands of those wanting to try competition shooting, with enough features to help them win and a solid enough base that they could further customize it if they so desired.

The Range Officer accomplishes that goal. It comes with low profile, fully adjustable target sights. That's good for a competitor because it is easy to finely tune it to sync up with a particular load the shooter favors. However, what's good for target shooting may not be so good for concealed carry or other uses.

The problem is the rear target sight. A target sight is typically made up of angular pieces, which can more easily snag on clothing or other objects. The adjustments are set and kept using screws. In a pistol carried daily, it is more likely that these screws could loosen over time, which could throw your sights off. Finally, target sights are a little more prone to breakage because they are made up of multiple pieces.

Since I am not going to compete or limit myself to target shooting with my Range Officer, I needed to solve those problems while keeping the other great features of the pistol intact. I looked into various sights that would fit the LPA cut Springfield uses with the rear target sight. I chose the Harrison Extreme Service rear sight (model HD-002) as a replacement.

The Extreme Service sight is a one piece, CNC machined, low profile rear sight. It has 50 LPI (lines per inch) serrations cut into the rear to reduce the chance of glare affecting your sight picture. The blade has a squared off front face that you can use against the end of a table, counter, or whatever to operate your pistol one-handed (right there you know that this sight is more rugged than an adjustable sight - try doing that with an adjustable target sight and you may break part of it off in the process).

All of the edges and corners were treated to radius cuts during the machining process, so they are much more comfortable while handling, concealed carrying, and operating the pistol. If you want, you can even get night sight models with tritium inserts. They are currently available in either the 3-dot style or the single dot Heinie Straight-8 style.

Since this will not be primarily a carry pistol, I chose the standard sight without an insert and saved a little money. If I had changed the rear to tritium, I would have needed a tritium front sight to make proper use of the design.

My impressions of the sight are that is machined well, looks good, and adds different functionality while losing the original target sight's adjustability. I didn't need to make any kind of fitting adjustments to the sight during the installation process. It is a tight fit, as it should be, so you will want to use an installation tool designed for the purpose if you do it yourself. It has a wide notch just like the rear target sight, so you have essentially the same sight picture. The only complaint so far is that the matte black finish seems to possibly be a little bit thin. There were some wear marks on mine where it rubber against its plastic bag. Otherwise, I am very happy with this sight.

To install the Harrison Extreme Service rear sight, I first needed to remove the existing target sight from my Springfield without damaging anything. To accomplish that, I ordered a UNI-200L Universal Sight Mover from Brownell's.

Why buy a slide pusher instead of having a gunsmith install my sight? Well, as a woodworker and mechanically-inclined kind of guy, if I anticipate needing a tool more than once I usually go ahead and buy it. That saves money in the long run. First, you have the right tool for the job, which saves time and reduces the chance of fouling up your project. Second, you can use that tool over and over again for the one-time upfront cost of buying it the first time. Finally, you effectively pay for the tool after a few uses by not having to hire anyone.

The UNI-2ooL is machined from heavy bar stock steel, and features coated jaw faces to reduce the chance of damaging either the pistol or the sights during the installation process. It is capable of removing and installing both front and rear dovetailed sights on the majority of semi-automatic pistol slides. It comes with an installation video on DVD, a vinyl fabric lined storage case, and an instruction sheet.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then the video is worth 10,000. If you watch the video, you probably won't even need the instruction sheet. Here are a few cautions I'd like to stress. Make sure the padding that should be stuck to the clamp jaws is in place so that you don't leave marks on your slide. You should also make sure there are no other objects, such as grit, on either the slide or clamp pads so it doesn't get ground into your slide. Also, when lining things up, make sure that neither the front nor rear set of pushers will contact any part of the slide itself. It may take some effort to begin to move the sight, but don't over do it if it doesn't seem to be working. You may be trying to move it in the wrong direction and you don't want to damage anything. If it's not working, stop and re-evaluate and maybe break out the written instructions.

The tool is very easy to use, you just need to lock your slide into place in line with the sight pushers and tighten down the two clamps. Then you just take your time to lineup the correct set of pushers connected to the top steel bar with the lowest point on the dovetail portion of your sight as you can without having it contact the slide at any point. Turn the handle to move the sight in the proper direction for removal (may vary by firearm manufacturer) until the sight is free of the slide.

Remove your slide at this point and start the new sight into the dovetail by hand. Return the sight to the Uni-200L and lock it into place. Turn the handle the opposite direction and push your new sight into the dovetail. When you have it centered, you're now good to go and your new sight is installed. The Harrison sight has a set screw in the top to help secure it in place, so tighten that down but don't over do it or you will possibly damage the slide underneath.

Okay, that's it. Installation should be about a 5 minute process if you're used to doing things like this. If not, take some extra time to make sure you don't damage anything.

In closing, I highly recommend both the Harrison Extreme Service rear sight (HD-002) and the Uni-200L Universal Sight Mover.



Harrison Extreme Service rear sight (HD-002)

Features: fits the LPA style cut (common on Springfield Armory and other 1911s with target sights)
CNC machined with 50 LPI serrations on the rear to reduce glare
squared off front face of the rear blade allows one-handed operation of the pistol
all edges and corners are machine radiused for handling, carrying, & operational comfort
rear notch dimensions 0.135" x 0.125" to allow adequate light for rapid sight picture
often regulates with OEM front sights that range from 0.170" to 0.200"
also available with tritium inserts

Finish: black

Price: $67.95 + shipping

Website: http://shop.harrisoncustom.com





UNI-200L Universal Sight Mover

Features: adjusts both front and rear dovetail sights on semi-automatic pistols
steel frame and inserts are machined from heavy bar stock
coated jaw faces reduce the chance of damage to pistol and/or sights

Price: about $160 + shipping

Website: http://www.brownells.com (see item 080-000-688)

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Old March 22, 2011, 12:15 PM   #30
shanzlik
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I took the Range Officer back to the range yesterday to try out the Harrison sight. 250 rounds later and I still like it. It did change my POA/POI relationship a little bit as it now strikes about 1" lower at 15 yards.



No problems of any kind running the Magtech 230gr FMJ through the pistol. I was pleased with the accuracy and put up this group at 15 yards shooting offhand (no rest). Four out of five into about one inch. I jerked the trigger a bit on the flyer.



I know I said it shoots low, but I quit using a six o'clock hold to shoot this group. The original target sight was right on with the six o'clock hold (at the factory setting) but this one works better if I cover the desired POI with the front sight.


I should have a report on the new Dawson Precision tritium front sight in a week or so after I get it installed and shoot with it.

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Old March 22, 2011, 04:08 PM   #31
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Great review and wonderful pics also. Thanks for your contribution.
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Old March 23, 2011, 08:34 PM   #32
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Quote:
Great review and wonderful pics also. Thanks for your contribution.
Thanks, glad you liked it.
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Old March 24, 2011, 09:08 AM   #33
shanzlik
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Received the Dawson Precision tritium front sight and installed it yesterday. It's a very good combo with the Harrison.





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Old March 24, 2011, 11:45 AM   #34
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Very nice.
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Old March 24, 2011, 09:28 PM   #35
nutty ned
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I've tried 5 different brands of JHP in a range officer and they all function.
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Old March 25, 2011, 08:06 PM   #36
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Very interesting series of reports, thank you sir.
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Old March 25, 2011, 08:08 PM   #37
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Thanks, glad you liked them.
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Old May 2, 2011, 06:25 PM   #38
tmharley5
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range officer

I purchased a range officer last week. Finally I got the time to try it out.
I went to my local shooting spot with 230gr remington rounds and set up at 25yds with a range finder. It took a while to adjust the sighting,but once it was on I put 20 rounds into a 4" group off hand. I am not normally that good with a 45,what a surprise. To say I'm pleased is an underststement.
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Old May 2, 2011, 07:21 PM   #39
shanzlik
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Congrats! It is definitely one of the better buys out there right now.
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Old October 22, 2011, 02:55 PM   #40
daileyservices
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SA Range Officer 1911A1

I found my new RO to be very stiff, and it REQUIRED a bushing-wrench to field strip. Used some 600, then 800 grain emory paper to polish up the INSIDE of the slide (where the bushing goes), plus the interior and exterior of the bushing, and finally the expanded diameter end portion of the bbl. Once these surfaces were all polished and cleaned, I treated everything with CLP (the M16's friend), resulting in a MUCH BETTER operating firearm. I also noticed that the barrel-bushing profile was every-so-slightly larger than my tried-and-true bushing-wrench, so left the pistol alone, and relieved the wrench where the bushing points went. In addition, I gave it 100 strokes with JB Bore Butter through the tube, which SUBSTANTIALLY finished up the barrel from leftover tool marks and such.

I can't help but wonder why an arched mainspring housing wasn't part of the package, but I'll be adding one, anyway.

Overall, I'd give it an 8.5 - shoots well, consistantly, and comfortably. Guess it doesn't get a whole lot better.
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Old November 1, 2011, 10:40 AM   #41
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Had the opportunity to shoot a friend's RO alongside my TRP recently.

His RO exhibited the same kinds of tight groupings as my TRP. Accuracy-wise, the two pistols were interchangeable regardless off which one of us was shooting which pistol. Our groups landed in slightly different places relative to POA but the groups were similarly tight.

We can both verify that the RO is nicely fit for the 1911 shooter who wants good accuracy. It should work admirably for the entry level competitor, and if you fit a fixed rear sight as shanzlik did, it becomes a rugged fightin' 1911. The factory rear adjustable sight might not be desired for concealed carry, but that Harrison sight is a heavy-duty smooth beauty.

Since the TRP costs nearly twice as much as the RO, I can strongly assert that the RO is a fantastic value.
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Old November 1, 2011, 07:36 PM   #42
shanzlik
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Thanks for the input. A little follow-up on mine....

I took my RO to a Duty 1911 course a month ago and it did very well. I continue to be impressed with it. I used a Garrett Silent Thunder holster and dual mag carrier, and they were very good, too. The leather lining on the holster makes for very smooth and fast draws.


Something else I didn't point out in the review is that the plunger tube was well staked. That's an area some manufacturers don't do too well.



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