front sight

[jim m]

what's your favorite treatment of the front sight so it really stands out. saw one yesterday that had a vertical slot cut in it then the slot was filled with red powder paint. showed up pretty good to my old worn out eyes but did seem a tad dark. guess you could use hot pink [LOL]. any ideas

[Candle Snuffer]

I never really found anything I liked or that continued to work in all light conditions Jim, so I just decided to stay with low profile silver and in some cases -  brass blade front sights and make them work as best I can.

I do own and shoot several different rifles that carry a globe front sight and rear peep, but they are specialty rifles for matches like the x-stick.

Oh, to have the young eyes again...



 

[Daryl]

This is the front sight I like. The rear face has forward slant, but is flat across the it's rear face so light coming from the sides doesn't cause off shots due to glare.  In the bush it's a bright round beakon, and a swipe with a felt pan makes it dark if needed on light targets.  A deer, moose or bear doens't have any light areas in the kill zone and for targets it works equally well.

[Dale Halterman]

I like a fluorescent orange bead, but haven't had the courage to put one on a flintlock yet....

Dale H

[Edd]

I ran tests for about three evenings, while trying to decide which "stood out" better...orange or mint green on a front sight.  My tests proved to me that mint green was better and continued to show up even after near darkness had settled in...

Edd

[Daryl]

I'm in the same boat as Dale - I will not put flourescent paint on my flinters sights, or nipply gun for that matter. I might try it on my express sighted M46 9.3x57, though.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

This is the front sight I like. The rear face has forward slant, but is flat across the it's rear face so light coming from the sides doesn't cause off shots due to glare.  In the bush it's a bright round beakon, and a swipe with a felt pan makes it dark if needed on light targets.  A deer, moose or bear doens't have any light areas in the kill zone and for targets it works equally well.

So how did you make the yellow spot??

[George Sutton]

Ivory works best of all!! 



Centershot

[Frank]

I just like a plain silver blade. It really picks up the sunlight.

[Candle Snuffer]

I think it might be worth mentioning that if you belong to a buckskinning club or some reenactment era club, you probably won't be allowed to paint your front sight unless the rules are rather lax in that area.

This is a main reason for me using silver and brass blades, though I have used (made) iron front sight blades and blued them.

As for our muzzleloading hunting season here in Nebraska, our deer season is the month of December, so I do find that my dull front brass blade works best for this time of year.

I'm also somewhat color blind as I couldn't tell you green from blue at times or orange from a bright red, and sometimes a yellow from an off white color.  I use to have the good eyesight and could see colors.  Least Uncle Sam thought I could see colors enough over 30 years ago to allow me in the Infantry to wear the o.d.green...

[Daryl]

Tim - the yellow spot is actually the rear end of a rod of solid brass, soldered to a steel base, with the front end, tapered with a fine file. In the picture, it wasn't finished as it needs a swipe with a file across the rear end to leave a smooth, small round bright brass surface.

[Edd]

I gather that we are reluctant to put something foreign on our longrifle's front sight, for fear of appearing more like the year 2008.  Having braved that, am I correct in thinking that homemade paint was available in the year 1800?? Seems to me that some morning, an inventive shootist living back then, would have crawled outta the bed one fine day and boldly stated, " let us this day, put something like paint on our front sight for a change!!"

Edd

[Candle Snuffer]

Edd, I personally would put any sight needed that was legal on any one of my muzzleloading rifles during our muzzleloading hunting season, if I felt I needed it.

For competition, if there is no rules against enhancing sights, and again if I felt I needed to do this, I would.

If at a competition that required pre 1840 "as issued" sight rule in effect to include and extend to both military and civilian firearms, I'd stay within that rule with no enhancements.  Many don't, either through a lack of understanding the rules layed out, or a simple disregarding for the rules.

In any event I personally don't care what a person does to enhance their front sight.  I'd rather compete against someone who can see their mark through their sighting system then to compete against someone who can't.  Others my differ on that opinion?

[black kettle]

I dont and wont paint the sights on my flinter or cap gun, I like the silver
blade as is. I did open up the back sights so I could see the front one
much like a peep sight. Works for my eyes. Maybe not so good for others.

[George Sutton]

The question is ; what is modification or enhancement? Should a brass sight be legal where everyone else is using  iron sights? Should silver be illegal where everyone is using brass sights? Should it be illegal to file an angle of the front sight so it gathers light better?

The old timers sometimes darkened their sights with candle smoke so they could see them better. Some old timers used shaders. Did Alvin York wet his finger and wipe the top of the front sight? Was this used to remove any dirt or wet the sight to enhance light gathering, or maybe just for good luck?

For line shoots where no one complains I don't have a problem with the use of flourescent paint or diopters. However, I don't agree with the use of flourescent  paint or diopters for primitive shoots. I do however support the use of sights with a brass inserts such as Daryl pictured and my use of ivory inserted into the front blade. These are materials that were accessible in the 18th century. I can't believe there are not guns out there with modified front sights.

With the exception of as issued military musket shoots, if you have a primitive front sight that works for you, use it.

Centershot

[Daryl]

 : As Candlesnuffer said, it is an unfair competition is one is competing against someone who cannot see his sights.
: But - where do you draw the line?  If someone can't see his sights, I don't have a problem with enhancements - however someone elses who doesn't need enhancements will perceive them as an advantage and sue for rule change, pretty soon, it's a race gun event, just like in IPSC (or whateve they call it today) The end result is breech loading match rifles, competition slings and scopes.  Ya, Ya, that's an exaggeration - -  or is it.
: I am referring to peeps as being an enhancement.  Modern adjustable sights are enhancements - even the TC's type of sights are anything but primitive and in a primitive match, should not be allowed, in my opinion. Yes - I know they are very poorly made and do nothing to enhance the rifle's accuracy, but where do you draw the line?
: For someone to have to put some reflective paint on his sights - I've no problem, but would not do that myself. I personally prefer ivory, brass or silver beads.

[Roger Fisher]

Two of my builds have the ivory center in vertical position in the slotted blade.

My old Long Rifle that I stocked in 89 has the same set up; but the insert is a piece of a flourescent red toothbrush handle. Gotta go with what you 'got'!

Primative - I blacken said sight with - what else but 'black'!

If the rules allow I often use shaders frt and rear - that puts your sights in silohuette and makes them sharper for old eyes

[Ken G]

toothbrush handle!  I like it.  I may have to give that a try. 

[J.D.]

The rear face has forward slant, but is flat across the it's rear face so light coming from the sides doesn't cause off shots due to glare. 

Hmmm, I'm a little dense so a rear face slanted forward, but flat across the it's rear face doesn't quite compute.

Does that mean that the bead is tipped so the bottom is closer to the muzzle with a flat face that is also slanted downward?

If that is the case, wouldn't the top of the bead be visible, and would it contribute to glare?

Thanks,
J.D.

[northmn]

I use a sight similar to Daryl's in that I have always liked a brass bead to see the top of the sight.  File a U in the rear sight.  Mine were always pretty much square to the sight.  Made mine by using a steel sight and brazing a bead on the front then filing to shape.  They tended to tarnish enough over time to work in most light conditions.

DP

[Dave K]

My favorite is an iron front sight, kind of partridge style. But, the very top 1/16" of the sight has 45º notch filed and replaced with a touch of silver solder. This is filed on the very edge to about a 33º angle. If there is any light at all and the angle is filed correctly, it reflects a little glow back to the shooter.

[Daryl]

JD - the sight's rear face is slanted to the top is closer to the muzzle, whereas a pistol's target sight is either square, straight up and down, or even slanted as you noted, with the top edge closer to the breech.  Since the face is flat, it doens't pick up light from the sides, which caused a big glare on one side and causes off shots.  In the bush, the sight is always just a round, bright bead in the rear sight.  I have one other picture that might show this. I'll edit to include it. In the picture, there is a small bright brass bead sitting just about in the middle of this chunk target. The picture isn't great, but if the front sight had been a steel blade, the shop lights probably wouldn't show it at all on the black target. Indeed, had the sigth been a steel blade of typical straight up and down form, it would have been invisible on the black surface. This is the square blade's nemisis - only getting a good sight picture with it out in the open, whereas something that is shiny must be used in the bush, normally, depending on the colour of the target.


; Amended to include sight picture and a drawn profile of the front sight. The taper of the sight is in 3D, ie: all way around. This way is it impossible for light to reflect off the sides, top or bottom of the bead.

[Daryl]

Above post amended to include drawn sights.

[J.D.]

Thanks Daryl, that explanation was as clear as the front sight bead in the photo.   

thanks,
J.D.

[tg]

I like a low plain brass sight much like was used on originals, I prefer to try and duplicate the experience as it was in the past as much as possible, just my personal take on the sport and what I find most rewarding, I may not be able to shoot quite as early or as late or in deep cover on a dark day but usually at the 50 yds limited I have impossed there will be a good chance of a shot.