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Painting the front sight?

Started by E. Massey, June 03, 2009, 06:13:34 PM

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E. Massey

June 03, 2009, 06:13:34 PM
Hi,

I tried shooting the 100 yd AQT target standing for the first time today, best I could get out of three tries was a 44/50.

I was wondering if painting the front sight a color other than black is something that should be considered.  The AQT targets are black, so the contrast beteween the front sight and target seems to be a little low.  I had problems determining where exactly the tip of my front sight was when I got the sight picture set up.   I was thinking that red might be a good color?  Does anyone else do this, or is it a bad idea?  Thanks!

PS:  I was using the tech-sights on a marlin 795.

vic303

#1
June 03, 2009, 06:37:24 PM
White on black would offer the best contrast.  Most handgun sights are white on black...just a thought.

Cowdog

#2
June 03, 2009, 07:11:19 PM
Nail polish holds up well as sight paint. It comes in more colors than I can name. You can try different colors and see what works best for you. I like orange. If your don't like the colored sights, you can buy black nail polish and paint back over it. 
My avatar is the Flag of John Proctor's Westmoreland County Provincials, from 1775

CaptG

#3
June 03, 2009, 07:18:21 PM
http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=6308.0   See this for some good info.

It's been discussed before

Guy
"If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."
Winston Churchill

E. Massey

#4
June 04, 2009, 01:05:02 AM Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 01:28:25 AM by E. Massey
Thanks for the replies.  I did try a search with word "painting front sight" before I started this new thread and didn't get any hits, but thanks for the link to the other thread!

I noticed on the other thread they were saying military rifles only have black front sights.  My friend, who is an ex usmc scout sniper, said they painted their front sights for combat Iraq.  He mentioned white or pink.

I have a green front sight on my pistol (green dot anyway) and it seems to work pretty well too.

With that said, I was at an indoor range today with fairly low light.  Even so, I have had problems in the past shooting black targets with a black front sight.

Garand

#5
July 21, 2011, 07:15:57 PM
If I remember correctly, Jeff Cooper recommended painting the front sight red since red would not blend into any background in the field.

Old Dog

#6
July 21, 2011, 08:30:37 PM
red turns to black except when you have good light

whilte works well in any lighting conditions

you want the front sight to be "precise", so any glare off it (based on color and lighting) or unevenness (excess paint hanging over an edge) wouldn't help you as much.
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."

—Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

AFTERMATH

#7
July 21, 2011, 09:20:07 PM
Black as night, black as coal!

Any color is going to cause more issues with lighting variations because the reflect more light.
After all, that's what you see as color.  Nothing more than a reflection of the different lengths of light waves in the spectrum - White is all of them put together.

True black is the absence of any of that.  However, creating anything in a true black is improbable.
Therefor, there will always be some distinguishable difference between your front sight and the target.  Even if they are the 'same' color.  If you're truly focusing on the front sight; you will see at a minimum a contrast in texture.   In certain lighting conditions and/or with visual impediments; you're eyes will have difficulties focusing on the front sight.  And it will be more likely to blend as you get closer to a true black caused by the absence of light.  That's what colored sights were originally invented for.

With the onset of high-speed close quarters.  Color can indeed be useful - as front sight acquisition becomes more important than placing it precisely on a small target.  Your eyes can pick up the color faster, but that doesn't mean you can focus on it faster.  But when your target's within 100yrds - chances are you have a fairly liberal margin of error.

"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

franklinfarmer

#8
July 22, 2011, 10:47:22 AM
Here's a suggestion for the 100 yard AQT:  Keep your black front sight, and use 12 o'clock hold with a "line of white," i.e., a thin line between the bottom of the silhouette and the top of the front sight.  (Shoot 5 sighters with this hold first, and then adjust your elevation accordingly.) 

Actually, you should ideally dryfire for a few days to develop consistency with the line of white technique before even sending anything downrange.

I tend to have more trouble with "shiny corner" on my front sight rather than trouble with contrast.  The thing is just not (flat) black enough!
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