Front sight fiber optic or black?

[sergeantbernie]

I did some drills yesterday and finished up with a dozen El Prez runs with my CZ Shadow 2. During one of the runs, the front sight fiber flipped out and was lost. It was momentarily distracting but I finished the run with a 76% score, well above my C class classification (but not out of line running the same drill over and over).

 

The next two runs I scored 85%, then 87% using the now black front sight. The black sight with the pinhole of light through it seemed sharp and less....distracting, leading to two of my better runs of the day. I only completed a few runs with no fiber as it was time to wrap up.

 

Made me wonder, do I leave the front fiber out for a match and see how I do or do I replace it and maybe sharpie dim it? I have excellent vision (certainly a superior attribute to my marginal athletic skill...), So not sure if that helps. I've read that as eyes age, the fiber contrast becomes more useful.

 

Any thoughts from the A and above shooters that I hope to join the ranks of in the next year?

[Sarge]

Many shooters shoot all black sights. When my FO rod fell out a few top shooters quipped, "your gun is trying to tell you something". LOL

[Jmo2011]

I choose to use a .40 green rod with the sharpie treatment.  I made some black fiber out of broom bristle to try black sights without buying a new front sight but found dim fiber was better for me. It was an easy enough experiment though. 

[CTJer]

I really liked my red FO at first, but I'm interested in a change.   Post up what you end up doing and how it goes.

[MemphisMechanic]

Cut a bristle off of a cheap plastic broom and use it as “fiber optic” in your sight for a match or two.  

 

 

Edited August 12, 2018 by MemphisMechanic

[Eureka1911]

I started with red, but then settled on green. I pick it up easier.

[Blackstone45]

bullseye/ISSF shooters definitely favour full black sights, but for the faster action shooting disciplines where accuracy is not as important, i personally like having a fibre optic front sight

[Stuey]

I started with red, but then settled on green. I pick it up easier.

I did the same. Wanted to try something new. It was either that or go with a black sight. The green is easier to pick up compared to the red.

[paperchasin]

Been using all black here and so far its been fine.

[GOF]

When it comes to front sights, much depends upon the shooter's level of vision. Experimenting is good. The targets & timer don't lie. Whatever works for you.

[davidb72]

I have been using a red fiber, but just bought some green to try on the recommendation of a friend.

[Captiontom]

If you go back to a fiber rod use super glue to hold it in. You won’t lose the fiber optic again 

[cjsmith223]

I swap back and forth between red and green. I usually change it about every month and a half. by changing it back and forth it seems to help me with sight focus, Draws my attention into the front sight. I struggle focusing on my front sight when i need to so this helps. 

[synchronicity]

For me, Green is GO!.

[motosapiens]

On 8/18/2018 at 10:59 AM, GOF said:

When it comes to front sights, much depends upon the shooter's level of vision. Experimenting is good. The targets & timer don't lie. Whatever works for you.

 

agree with this. everyone is different. I found that red (or even green, if too bright) washes out the edges of the sight, making accurate shooting more difficult. I personally prefer green, as small as I can get it, and dulled slightly with a sharpie or a few months of gunpowder and oil, but you may find something different works for you. whatever you settle on, try it in all conditions.... hoser 3-5 yard targets with wide transitions, 30 yard mini-poppers, and everything in between.

[motosapiens]

2 hours ago, cjsmith223 said:

I swap back and forth between red and green. I usually change it about every month and a half. by changing it back and forth it seems to help me with sight focus, Draws my attention into the front sight. I struggle focusing on my front sight when i need to so this helps. 

 

piqued my interest. I have many leftover red pieces. perhaps I'll try one in practice to see if I notice it drawing more attention... i too get easily sucked into target focus at the worst times (like on swingers or long-distance steel).

[MemphisMechanic]

@motosapiens do you black out the top of the fiber with a sharpie to calm it down? Helps a lot for me.

[cjsmith223]

3 minutes ago, motosapiens said:

 

piqued my interest. I have many leftover red pieces. perhaps I'll try one in practice to see if I notice it drawing more attention... i too get easily sucked into target focus at the worst times (like on swingers or long-distance steel).

Its worth a shot. Its just what i have found works for me. I came from 3 gun and was really bad at focusing on the target instead of my front sight. it has been the hardest habit to get rid of for me. 

[motosapiens]

1 minute ago, MemphisMechanic said:

@motosapiens do you black out the top of the fiber with a sharpie to calm it down? Helps a lot for me.

the top and a bit on the front too. i think I am a little light-sensitive. I barely leave the house without sunglasses on.

[Yagi]

whenever my fiber optic breaks it doesnt really bother me as i am busy lining up my sights as fast as i can see them towards the target...

 

when i shot open in nationals i always adjust my red dot to the the lowest acceptable setting i can possibly shoot fast..

[cjsmith223]

The fiber isn’t used to shoot with. It’s used to get your attention on the sights faster and then line them up. It’s just a speed thing. That’s why it doesn’t bother a lot of people when it somes out. 

[MPF]

I like the TTI fiber optic front sights. The rod is smaller than most and doesn't overpower the site profile as much.

[davidb72]

Just switched from Red fiber to green - not sure yet if I can tell a difference although I have had several people telling me that I had to try the green because it was so much better.

[Mason]

I prefer fine optic  because it’s easier for me to see 

[sergeantbernie]

Well, I wound up putting a green fiber in for the front sight giving it a shot during my all classifier match here last weekend.

 

It seemed to work out fairly well for me, but unfortunately I didn't make B class like I was hoping to.

 

In low-light indoor conditions the pure black site seemed to require a little bit of hunting to find it, so that's why I just went with the green fiber.

 

I had a good buddy of mine who is a much better shooter tell me that the reason my scores may have picked up in the last practice session with the missing fiber was potentially just due to it being a different set up causing increased focus.

 

This is certainly possible. I think the takeaway for me is that whether it's a red fiber, green fiber or no fiber - the most important aspects of performance are going to be practice and skill!

Edited September 9, 2018 by sergeantbernie