Hunting, Sights, & Low Light

[eagle24]

I'm mainly a bowhunter, but I have been in the woods twice in the last couple of weeks with my flintlock.  One thing I have discovered for sure, is that I'm having problems seeing the sights early and late when the light is low.  What tricks do you use to make the sights more visible?  I wonder what the longhunters did 200 years ago to make their sights more visible?  I had a deer at 20 yards the other evening just before dark and couldn't see my sights at all when I put them on the deer.

[BrownBear]

It may be cheating, but I carry one of those little bottles of secretary's "white out" in my possibles bag.  Brush a dab onto the front sight and presto!.  Want it off? Fick it off with your thumbnail. 

[jim m]

a front sight made of coin silver or sterling silver will show up best in low light

[Black Hand]

Darkening the sides of the front sight while leaving only the back edge of the blade shiny does help.  On a previous gun, I went as far as soldering a piece of brass on the back of the front iron sight (bead) to help with visibility. 

As to "just before dark", I'm afraid that nothing can really help with that.  At a certain point, you won't be able to clearly see the sights (as opposed to scopes that tend to "collect" light).

[eagle24]

Thanks Guys!  The sight on my hunting rifle is coin silver, but I still have trouble seeing it right before sundown.  I've been hunting a thick area between two fairly high ridges (we call it a holler in the south).  It gets pretty dark back there well before sundown or on an overcast day.  I was planning to put some high viz paint on the front sight next time.  Should come off with little effort.  I was just wondering if there was something they used to do in the old days.  I know they recognized it as a problem and I'll bet they did something about it.

[rex]

Hi: I hunt with a silver front sight. Turn it around so you afre looking at the longer plane. Also open up yopur rear sight, make oit U shaped. Rex

[BJH]

My rifles all have brass front sights. The rear edge is set up at a 60 degree or so angle to catch light.  Keep her polished they shine nicely in any light that I can positively ID my target.  If the front sight is too bright for range use take a thumb full of instant tarnish from your flintlock's pan and schmear the face of the front sight to reduce glare.  Carry a little square of scotch brite or similar in your patch box or bag to shine her up.

[Ezra]

When all else fails, use a large bore smoothie with buckshot. 


Ez

[Daryl]

There are high-vis light gathering isotope paints for applying to sights.  Stores or shops that supply this sort of thing for IPSC and other 'combat-type pistol and revolver shooting may help - I'd try googling for high visibility sights or paint - that sort of thing.  As to what I use, a fairly wide rear V and a silver front blade slanted at the rear and polished, or a brass bead, also with a rear slope highly polished for light reflection. I could not bring myself to use the modern slight gathering, light emitting sights, but some do.  Even pellet guns today have those 'high-tech-type sights.

[Madcaster]

 One time I was coming off a hillside on National Forest during deer season,a couple of fellas were following me down the trail.It was late dusk.
 I stopped and waited for them,they were carrying inlines.
 I asked if they could still see their sights?
 No.
 So I told them to look down my sights.The German Silver stood out like a sore thumb!
 May have made a good impression there!

[ottawa]

there was a thread on here a while back where a guy srry cant remember his name put a pieace of ivoy or bone in his front site to make it easyer to see

[Daryl]

Bright white bone shows well - and if polished, even better. bone itself makes a terrific sourdough original-type front sight, but usually are easily broken.  Making a wide front sight for hunting only, with a groove down the middle, filled with bone or real silver solder is an excellent idea. The steel protects to bone or holds the silver.  Rubbing the front sight's face with a piece of canvas or denim usually brightens the solder of bone's surface as it removes any oxidation from storage.

[George Sutton]

I posted a picture of a front sight with an ivory insert a few months ago. Glen McClain makes a great iron front sight with ivory inset into the blade. I file a 45 degree angle on mine. the sight is great in all light conditions.

Centershot

[Daryl]

A soak in a little peroxide will brighten bone nicely.  That's what is used for short skull-cap US and European 1/2 skull  head mounts where only the skull & antlers are plaqued.

I think the very best low light hunting sight would be a wide shallow V (of course) with a large irvory jungle-sight bead of ivory or bone. the rear sigth has an inlayof ivory or bone from the bottom of the V to the base and about 1/16" wide. Inlow light, you can't see the wings of the V, but the white 'post' shows. Put the while bead on the post and take your shot.  The English had all this stuff figured out in the mid 1800's from all the hunting and shooting in Africa, India and China.

[BrownBear]

I like your thinking, Daryl.

For close to 20 years I hunted exclusively with handguns, and the best all around sights were unquestionably the accessory "express" sights for the Ruger Redhawk:  Gold bead front and wide V-notch rear with a single vertical white line terminating at the bottom of the V.  Many was the time that the bead and white line were all I could see of the sights.  And often I had to wait for the light to come up a bit so I could make out that brass bead, even though I could clearly see the white line on the rear sight.

[Daryl]

I run an ivory bead on my little .375 Winchester - best bush sight there is.  I filed the factory rear out into a wide V express-type notch - it also has a white line to the bottom of the V.  Fast and visible.  I ran the same shaped sights, except for a brass bead on the 14 bore rifle. It's express sights were filed  in, in 1986 and are still true. Shot it a couple weeks ago and - spot-on old Chap.

[tg]

Sometimes we juast have to make do and accept the limitations of the traditional type gear or go modern, I prefer the latter as it was why I got into the spoprt in the beginning.

[Daryl]

The express-type sights I spoke of are traditional.  I guess a guy just has to pick his area. There is nothing wrong with a wide V blade and a polished brass bead front with a flat face.  If you want further limitations, like a sloppy V cut and a sourdou front, both barely off the barrel go for it.  Perfect for hunting, not so good for plinking or target shooting where the barrel heats up a quickly.