Red dot milling a 5906 - Anyone found a good gunsmith for it?

Borderboss

Borderboss

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I've been wanting to get my 5906 slide milled for a small red dot. I've looked through a number of the previous threads that addressed this, but there didn't seem to be anything I could conclude from it.

Has anyone found a good gunsmith or company that machined your 5906 slide to put a small red dot mount into it? I've got a Vortex Venom that would be at home on it. Thanks for the help!
 
Hi guys,

some tips that can help...(moderators, the intention of this post is to clarify the issue of the red dot mount)

I have mounted some red dots using the Optima 2000 mount (available online for around $20). To me, it is the easiest way to solve the issue of mounting a red dot on a 3rd gen. I do not cut the slide, I believe the technology is moving too fast, and I don't want to modify a slide irreversibly...

The Optima mount uses the dovetail, it is light, thin and sturdy, keeping a low profile. It used the "shield" pattern, and can be modified slightly to use a "modified shield" pattern.

For more info on red dot patterns AND available sights for those patterns, I suggest to visit:
Footprints/Mounting Standards on Red Dot Sights - Optics Info

So, that mount would fit a: shield red dot, a sig rome zero, lei-old delta point pro, holosun 407K and 507K (modifying the mount), JP, Optima...and some others.

The optima mount was designed to be used in the 5906 slide, but it will fit the 3913/6906 slide. It can also fit the 45's but small modifications are required.

Another option that BMCM has used in the past are EGW mounts, modified to a specific need. I am working now on a project for a 5906 target champion using a EGW mount for an LPA adjustable sight...

Some examples using an Optima mount:











Hope this helps,
Guzzi
:)
 
I have a 4006tsw slide at Impact Machine right now. I previously used the mount that Guzzitaco recommended and it worked fine but I prefer milled with back up iron sights. I’ll post when I get the finished product back.
 
Mounting a red dot to the dovetail is good for proof of concept if you are not sure about milling the slide.
But once you know if you like using a red dot, it needs to be milled and back up iron sights installed.
So in other words, dovetail mounts are too fragile and irons sights are good to have as a backup.
 
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I can see wanting iron sights for backup if it's a carry gun . Neither of mine are carry guns , more for once in a while range guns . I'm almost 65 and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be . For some reason the 2 I had Guzzi do up I couldn't hit squat with , but with the Sig Romeo on them they are deadly .
 
Friend Guzzi,

I’ve been meaning to contact you privately about this, but maybe if we chat about it on this thread others will benefit as well.

I got the Optima kit to use on my 439 slide with standard, non-adjustable sights. The adaptor that replaces the factory sight is very loose in the dovetail and the two collars that accept the screws are not centered front to back. For this reason, the screws that go through the Tasco reflex sight and the adaptor plate don’t reach in far enough to engage the threads. In addition, the adaptor plate doesn’t sit down fully on top of the slide.

Do you think I can get by with longer screws, or do I need to modify the dovetail part, the plate, or…?

Best regards,
Your Friend the Frog

PS Per our several conversations, I’m having that NOS set of Millett adjustable sights mounted on the other (915) slide. FRANKEN-SMITH LIVES!
 
Green Frog said:
Friend Guzzi,

I’ve been meaning to contact you privately about this, but maybe if we chat about it on this thread others will benefit as well.

I got the Optima kit to use on my 439 slide with standard, non-adjustable sights. The adaptor that replaces the factory sight is very loose in the dovetail and the two collars that accept the screws are not centered front to back. For this reason, the screws that go through the Tasco reflex sight and the adaptor plate don’t reach in far enough to engage the threads. In addition, the adaptor plate doesn’t sit down fully on top of the slide.

Do you think I can get by with longer screws, or do I need to modify the dovetail part, the plate, or…?

Best regards,
Your Friend the Frog

PS Per our several conversations, I’m having that NOS set of Millett adjustable sights mounted on the other (915) slide. FRANKEN-SMITH LIVES!
Click to expand...

Hi Froggie,
I have used the mount on several projects. The plate that gets into the dovetail is never a tight fit, however; it does not need to be tight. Due to the shape of the dovetail (and dovetail plate, trapezoidal shape wider in the bottom and narrower on top), it will get retained in once the screws are tight.

Have you tried rotating the plate? Plate is not simetrical...the collars need to be closer to the rear of the slide.





If after doing this, your screws still do not reach, then yes, you might have to get longer screws. Normally the red dot come with 2 sets and you have the set of the optima mount, so if you are lucky one of those should fit, if not...a trip to the hardware store should resolve the issue.

I recommend to apply BLUE locktite and 10 pounds of torque. Check for loose screws after the first 50 rounds...

Hope this helps...
:)
Guzzi

PS: I have to disconnect for a few hours...must het the wife Christmas present...:D
 
Sorry for the delay in responding. Work has been crazy the last couple of days so I haven't been able to do any follow up yet. But I will soon, as this is a project I'm really interested in.
 
Thanks, Guzzi. I’ll try again. Here’s wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Froggie
 
I did one using Aristocrat's mount. The same set upor close, Works great. They also make a mount that replaces the tri set sight, like on PPC 9s.
 

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Cactus-jack,
I’m a strong believer in the “Erector Set” theory of semiauto pistols. My FrankenSmith started life as a Model 639 with standard, non-adjustable sights. The slides in question are orphans, a 439 and a 915 that I can swap on or off with no permanent change to my pistol… “no original pistols were permanently harmed in the building of this project!”

Guzzi,
When you get back I’d like to address this question; the “collars” seem a little short. When I put the dovetail adaptor in place (with collars to the rear) then put on the plate, it will lightly catch the collars on their front edges, but seems to almost skate over the rear. Both of the tops of the collars are below the upper surface of the plate, so the screws, both sets of which seem to be about equal length, are too short as things stand now.

I’m going to try turning the dovetail adaptor around backwards, and if that doesn’t give me what I need, I’ll look for longer screws at my local Ace Hardware.

Hope everyone is enjoying the blessings of the Holiday Season.
Froggie
 
catcus-jack said:
Why ruin a classic pistol.
Why not get a newer pistol that is already cut for a red dot?
Click to expand...

I bought a 4043TSW slide on eBay to have milled as a spare for my 4006TSW CHiPs pistol. I took the single sided safety out of a spare 910 slide I bought cheap on GunBroker so it would function as intended with a DA/SA frame. My Police issue gun can stay stock but I can get more modern functionality from it. Plus I can throw in my spare 5906TSW barrel and run it as a 9mm.

A 3rd gen pistol with an integral rail, cut for a red dot, is every bit as potent a weapon, possessing just as many advantageous features, as any modern, polymer striker fired pistol.
 
catcus-jack said:
Why ruin a classic pistol.
Why not get a newer pistol that is already cut for a red dot?
Click to expand...

This is a common gun, and some previous owner took a rotary polisher to it, giving it a slight engine turned look. A little more customization won't hurt it.
 

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Thanks for the Question on the 439 and the answer. I was trying to sort that out myself for my 439 and couldn't find any docs on that. I'll start collecting parts and finish my project....Thanks to all as this has given me a MERRY CHRISTMAS....so Merry to you'all and a Happy and Plentiful new Year

Squirls b crazy
 
I decided that the best course of action for me would be a dovetail mount. It seems that milling the slide would be blazing new territory for most gunsmiths, so I didn't want to do that. I already have a Venom Viper (6 MOA dot) that I really want to use on this gun, so the Optima mount is out. Guzzitaco's advice was to contact Cody at Evolution Gun Works about their mounts, as the mount 49330 is thought to work with some 5906s.

I had a great discussion with Cody today. He looked at a photo of my rear sight (see below), which is the early fixed read sight (1989-1991) that is the same fixed sight as used on the Model 59. After this, near as I can tell from SCSW V4, the 5906 switched over to the use of the Novak Lo-Mount fixed rear sight. The EGW 49330 will likely work, with a few potential tweaks, with slides having the Novak Lo-Mount dovetail as this dovetail is similar to the dovetail on the S&W 1911 slide.

But that would be too easy. Cody's suggestion was to go with their model 49314, the Vortex Venom blank mount. Essentially, it's a block of aluminum with the venom mounting plate cut in the top. The gunsmith will need to mill the bottom of the block to match the dovetail size and shape in my slide. It also prevents modification of the slide in case I ever want to go back to stock configuration.

That's where it stands so far. Once I get the block, and get the block machined, I'll post some photos of the results.

 
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a couple of new examples:

M5906 Target Champion. EGW mount for LPA, Holosun 507K red dot.












M6946. Mount Optima/Tasco for S&W59. Ritton red dot. These red dots con be found at a great price online. Some retailers offer the combo of S&W mount + Riton red dot and IMHO it is affordable way to try the set up on your 3rd gen.













hope this helps
:)
Guzzi
 
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