Front Sight help

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I'm starting to have more and more difficulty seeing the front sight adequetly, especially where the shade of the target is similar to the sight. Last time out I even wrapped a piece of day glow green around the back of the sight blade to help with viewing.

Does anyone have a good idea to increase visibility of the front sight, such as angle or shape or color. Anything.

[Stormrider51]

I'm in the same boat myself.  There are solutions some of which are PC and some aren't.  Replacing the front blade with one that has a brass or ivory dot on it will help and is fairly PC.  Filing a dovetail in the rear of the sight blade and filling it with epoxy containing bright orange or bright green coloring dye isn't PC but sure does brighten up that front sight.  (For an example of what I'm talking about look at the front sight on some S&W revolvers.)  If you are like me and the front sight is blurry thanks to old eyes, installing a vernier tang peep sight will solve the problem and bring that front sight into sharp focus as well.  I'm sure others will have solutions as well but that's my 2 cents.

Storm

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The design of your front sight will be affected by the type of shooting you most often do.  For example, in the bush, on trail walks, I find that I can see my front sight best if I file a 45 deg. slope on the tip of the sight, equal in length to the thickness of the blade.  This provides a tiny square of silver that catches light and illuminates the sight.  Also, I often undercut the metal below the square so that it is in shadow, which further makes the tip stand out.  On many of my rifles, placing this bright square over the notch and flat of the rear sight, gives me a zero for ~ 100 yards, holding the front sight in the centre of the target.
Another observation...open up your rear notch a little at a time until you can see your front sight clearer.  It'll help for most of the shooting you do out to about 100 yards, but you (I) still need a very fine sight for 200 yards.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

On many of my rifles, placing this bright square over the notch and flat of the rear sight, gives me a zero for ~ 100 yards, holding the front sight in the centre of the target.
Another observation...open up your rear notch a little at a time until you can see your front sight clearer.  It'll help for most of the shooting you do out to about 100 yards, but you (I) still need a very fine sight for 200 yards.

Taylor, I've already gone to an open v rear sight and it helps some. I also went to .080" silver blade, and that helped some. I had the back of my blade about 80 degrees and tried painting it white that didn't help much.  If I understand your suggestion, back file the bottom portion, then file the top at 45 degrees to the thickness of the blade. I'll give it a try.

[ChipK]

My favorite .40 has a iron sight.  Great for shooting under a cover for monthly shoots but it just disappears in the woods.  About 15 years ago we filed a small groove straight up the face of the sight and pressed in a bit of gold wire.  Now in the shade I get the same dark sight but in the woods with a bit of light on it the gold wire stands out like day glow paint.  One of the best things we ever did to the rifle to make it truly one of my favorites.

[Don Steele]

For those lower light condiions, that "Gold Wire" idea sounds like an IDEAL solution without having to resort to glowing paints, etc.
Thanks for sharing.

[Ken Rummer]

Buy some Whiteout at Office Max and paint the front bead.  It will show up great except on white paper targets.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Buy some Whiteout at Office Max and paint the front bead.  It will show up great except on white paper targets.

Thanks Ken, I tried that already it works OK for a while but it tends to get dirty too quickly, trying to fina a more permanent solution.

[BrownBear]

Buy some Whiteout at Office Max and paint the front bead.  It will show up great except on white paper targets.

Thanks Ken, I tried that already it works OK for a while but it tends to get dirty too quickly, trying to fina a more permanent solution.

I just flick it off with my thumbnail and reapply.

Another thing that helps old eyes is to go to a wider front blade.  That works for me with or without the whiteout.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I just flick it off with my thumbnail and reapply.

Another thing that helps old eyes is to go to a wider front blade.  That works for me with or without the whiteout.

Thanks Bear, I'm already using  a .080" thick blade sight. Never thought about going thicker but maybe a little. I may revisit the whiteout solution.

[BrownBear]

I may revisit the whiteout solution.

I use it all the time for hunts- add it first thing, then flick it off when the light comes up, then add it again in the evening.  I may add/remove several times in an hour as I move in and out of deep woods.

Haven't tried it yet, but I recently heard good reports about using white nail polish.  It doesn't dry quite as fast, but is as easy to remove while being a little tougher.  One thing for sure, it would be easier to find that whiteout these days!   

[Daryl]

I'm finding as my eyes get poorer, beads are giving me better accuracy than blades do- even with the 45 degree angle Taylor noted. That polished, but flat surface 45 degree angle is necessary for me as well, when using a brass blade. 

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I'm finding as my eyes get poorer, beads are giving me better accuracy than blades do- even with the 45 degree angle Taylor noted. That polished, but flat surface 45 degree angle is necessary for me as well, when using a brass blade. 

Daryl, I just made a new sight with a .080" silver blade set up like Taylor suggested 45 degree on top with a back cut below. I'm going to give it a try Wednesday, I going to bring some whiteout to try as well, if I'm lucky one will work for me.

[Daryl]

Sounds about right. We usually carry a can of sight black on the trail for when it's too bright.  Here's what the sight picture looks like from my hunting rifle. Wide V and slanted, flat faced brass bead - smaller than .080", though, more like .062".

[Harnic]

Micah, Daryl suggested the bead idea a while back & I just got around to trying it.  I have a .080" silver blade which just blurs out of sight no matter the light, so I took a round needle file, cut a notch near the top on the back edge & soldered a 0.165 stainless ball bearing on.  Works like a charm!  I filed a round bottomed notch in the rear sight & keep the same amount of space on both sides & the bottom which makes a 3 sided aperture sight!  I'm shooting much better now.

[SCLoyalist]

If it's a matter of aging eyes, next time you have an eye exam, ask the doctor for suggestions.   In my case, my vision has tended more and more to farsightedness.  Through trial and error (mostly error), I've found a relatively cheap pair of reading glasses (I'm using some mail order 0.5 diopter reading or computer glasses) gives me the clearest sight picture I've had in years, with relatively little blurring of the target.   And, for rifle shooting, I like to have something between the hammer and my eyes.  Since everybody's eyes are different (shooting conditions, too), that solution might not work for you, but it's an avenue to explore if you're a mind to.    An eye doctor might suggest a solution that would help you.  Good luck, SCL

[Roger Fisher]

Buy some Whiteout at Office Max and paint the front bead.  It will show up great except on white paper targets.

Thanks Ken, I tried that already it works OK for a while but it tends to get dirty too quickly, trying to fina a more permanent solution.

Suggest you try fishing jig paint, must use white underlayment then florescent orange or red on top. Fairly long lasting, easy, simple and works.  Do this on that 45 degree slope you filed on top of frt blade facing you.  I do like that gold line pressed in as suggested by another poster.  This paint deal may have to be covered or removed if you get in to a primative shoot. Depending of course on the rules....   This works best if you are shooting away from the light rather than towards it.....

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Suggest you try fishing jig paint, must use white underlayment then florescent orange or red on top. Fairly long lasting, easy, simple and works.  Do this on that 45 degree slope you filed on top of frt blade facing you.  I do like that gold line pressed in as suggested by another poster!.  This paint deal may have to be covered or removed if you get in to a primative shoot. Depending of course on the rules....   This works best if you are shooting away from the light rather than towards it.....

Fishing jig Paint, great Idea, never thought of that!

[Daryl]

Harry - glad it's working for you. I find the wide V is the easiest for me to see - not fuzzy, while all other normal sights are really bad. Of course, an aperture-type sight is also easy to see. 

Too - even though the bead is also fuzzy, I know the ball hits the centre of the bead and that's easier (exact, actually)than trying to figure the actual top of a fuzzy blade, as the top is where the ball hits.  With a blade, the sides and top are important, but with a bead, it's the centre that's important and your brain tells you where that is.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Sounds about right. We usually carry a can of sight black on the trail for when it's too bright.  Here's what the sight picture looks like from my hunting rifle. Wide V and slanted, flat faced brass bead - smaller than .080", though, more like .062".

Sorry Daryl, somehow I skipped right over your post. That's a nice sight picture. I save a copy of your photos and may try it if Taylor's solution doesn't work for me.

Micah

[Herb]

Here is my .58 fullstock flint Hawken I built, with sights like I describe in my tutorial on fitting sights.  The steel front sight is .090 thick, covers more than 8 inches at 100 yards,  and is .240" tall.  I made the rear sight and the hole is .182", center is about .340" above the barrel.  The hole "sees" about 36" at 100 yards.  For 100 yards, I aim with the top of the front sight in the center of the hole.  You may note a fine cut at the center edges of the hole, did that with a jeweler's saw, but those cuts are useless.  The eye centers the top of the post in the hole. If I aim with the top of the sight at the top of the rear sight, that is a 12" raise at 100 yards, or about a 200 yard zero with my elk load of 140 grains of Goex 2F.  Here I am testing some patching by shooting at gallon milk jugs at about 170 yards.  Can hit them, too.

Here are some tests with .019 linen patching I did, 100 yards, first target was .019 pillow ticking.  Then the linen.  Bottom two targets compare the .562 and .570 balls with 140 grains of Goex 2F, the velocity and accuracy are about the same.

I tested some of the patches at 200 yards, just for fun.  The paper is 10X12" and with the top of the rear sight hole, I hit it with my three shots.

[Vomitus]

  Jeez Daryls, that front sights so bright it's almost ...like cheetin,lol. Good pix.

[Daryl]

I agree LB - with The Gentle Lady, it is.
Terrific hunting sight - bush or veld.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Just a follow-up. Went to the range today with sights modified to a combination similar to Taylor and Daryl's suggestions. Off the bench the hold point for 25yd and 50yd came out the same with 1" groups at 25 and 1 1/2" groups at 50. best I ever shot with that rifle. Off the bench at 100yds was about 4" low but when I corrected I went 4" high. need some more work at 100 with some bigger targets. we were using about a 1-1/2" orange dots in the middle of a 8-1/2x11" sheet. I need to pick up some 100yd targets. I couldn't even see the orange dot at 100 yards. Off hand the groups opened up to about double the bench groups they were at both for 25 and 50 yards. I didn't even attempt offhand at 100 yards.

Big improvement, I guess you can't hit what you can't see. Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the help.

[Daryl]

Sounds good,  Micah.
I find with apertures, 4" solid black is a terrific 100yard aiming point and that 5" allows me a good aiming point with blade or bead for a 6 o'clock hold.  With some sights, like the hunting sights on my Sharps, I can hold nicely on a 4" round black bull at 100yards and get 1 1/2" groups with it, but the 5" seems best with the muzzleloaders.

The target must be large enough to be easily seen, but not so big it enlarges group size. There is a fine line between too small and too large. The smallest target you can properly align your sights on, is the right size aiming point - for any range.

For me, 4" round works for 50yards, perfectly - blade or bead.