Hey guys, I have a SA Mil Spec I have done some work to and I would like to add a Piccatinny rail and night sights to it.
I know that novak will put the sights on and the rail, but was curious if there were any other options out there for 1911 work.
So other than Springfield’s custom shop and Novak are there any other places I can send it to?
Thanks
See the stickies at the top? Plenty of professional smiths frequent and contribute to the forum, I’d start with one of them.
Where are you located? If you can find a good “smith” near you you will be able to save on the cost of shipping which can be rather expensive - if you are having work which requires the frame.
If is just the slide of course the shipping is much cheaper.
Well to add sights they will need the slide and to add the rail they need the frame so I will probably at the very least send the upper and lower stripped.
I live in the Tampa Bay Area and the only smith I know of near me is not really a pistol guy. He primarily works on rifles.
I’ll check some of the stickies at the top, but I was curious if anyone had any personal experience.
Yeah I checked the stickies. I see one thread about custom work and the rest is all picture threads, but thanks for your help none the less.
The two options you named are probably some of the best for the work you need.
you can find a exelent smith with this link just go to members and look for on in your area. These are the smiths who took the time to submit a gun for inspections and aproval. They are some of the best of the best. I everyone says their smith is (fill in the blank for complents and accolades) but these guy know their craft to a T.
There are only two guys that I will have work on 1911’s. First is John Harrison who has did a full house retro build for me a few years back and is doing another hard use build currently and Larry Vickers who is not taking in any new at this time.
I would give John a call and see if he can squeeze you in. I know he is several years booked but at times he will sneak some work in if his schedule will allow it. You can reach John at 770.419.3476. He also makes some of the best parts in the industry. Make sure to check out some of his sights. 
His site is www.Harrisoncustom.com
John is highly respected by some of the top 1911 master smiths in the country and builds a lot of guns for high profile 1911 gurus.
Best of luck.
I’m in the Bay Area as well and I can tell you there really is no one in the area that is worth sending your 1911 to. Most of the good smiths elswhere are backlogged 3 years in some cases.
Bob Rogers told me he hoped to live long enough to get to work on my gun.:laugh:
Steve Morrison from Mars Armament turned around my pistol (original Dawson rail install, sight and mag release modification) within a week. That was last week and didn’t include shipping since I am local to him.
When you can’t find a local smith for a particular project, hit up your trusted local gun shop (the one that deals with high end 1911’s) and ask them for recommendations.
If I were you, I’d ring MARS or the SACS.
I like Novak’s turnaround time for stuff like this. Going with David Thomas’ recommendation, I also believe you are right there on the right track with Springfield’s Custom shop too.
You probably don’t need Jason Burton, et al, to accomplish an above average result for the required work.
I don’t think Novak’s will install someone else’s sights. the SACS will do anything you want.
For what it’s worth, I had some minor work done by MARS (msh/magwell and lanyard loop) and they were fast, courteous, communicated quickly, and the work was excellent.
Thanks for all the info fellas and I will look into it. I don’t think there is anyone locally good enough to send it to, but I will check some of the local forums just in case.
Since the gun is a Springfield it might make sense to send it to them. I wanted some 10-8 sights so sending it to Novak seems kind of dumb.
Thanks again guys.
Send it to SACS. The service will be second to none. The turnaround will be reasonable and smokin fast compared to some mentioned earlier. The work will be excellent in most cases…or they’ll make it right.