Pittbug Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I came across the phrase and don't know what it means. It's in a paragraph that reads: "But there are other championship-level shooters who believe that their routines are very important. They've got everything down to how they load their gun, where their extra bullet comes from, where they sight black - the whole shooting process is a routine." Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Might be reference to blackening of metalic sights with either spray-can sight black or for the old schoolers, with a carbide lamp that deposits black soot for an extra crisp sight picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pittbug Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Thanks Carlos, that's what I initially thought, but it sounded almost like a process rather than a product, otherwise it may have read: " where their sight black is kept..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve J Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Birchwood Casey still sells Sight Black (soot in a can). If you use a leather holster you will very quickly wear the bluing off of your front sight. That presents a less than adequate sight picture. Sight black helps, but it wipes off fairly easily. Most have switched to open race holsters or kydex holsters with generous sight tracks to avoid anything touching the front sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
openshooter Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Sight black works well if you have a fiber optic front sight but it's too bright for you. Just spray some sight black on and it will make th fiber optic dimmer, you'll still be able to tell that it's there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigD Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Birchwood Casey also makes a pen that you push the tip into the pen part and it absorbs the black paint. Then you just paint it on. It works pretty well. I keep one in my range bag. http://www.pentagondefense.com/2150352.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Ok No now I feel old. Jeeze I used to own a carbide lamp/blacker. That is the darkest sight black known to man. Doesn't seem to work on the C-more though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCK Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Ok No now I feel old. Jeeze I used to own a carbide lamp/blacker. That is the darkest sight black known to man. Doesn't seem to work on the C-more though What do you mean you FEEL old I carry a Birchwood Casey Flat black touchup pen in my bag as well for my rear sight. Bill, I'll bring a mirror tomorrow night and you wont FEEL old anymore You really have one of these "lamps"????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I sold or gave it away. It was like a small handheld cig lighter. Brass with a can ole Carbide to stoke it up. Lot's of guys had a miners carbide lamp. Wish I still had mine even with my fancy fiber optics. Kidding about the old. I love beating 20 or even 30 somethings. Baby Boomers rule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I use a carbide lamp thingy for PPC. Seems I remember that we had to buy about 5 containers of carbide at a time though (ie: I have a lot...) It used to be a normal type of thing that miners would use in thier headlamps, but now it's "dangerous" and we had to order it from a special company. Nothing's blacker than the original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 BSeevers: What's a "baby boomers" ??!?! And while you are at it, can you define "music on vinyl" ?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 BSeevers: What's a "baby boomers" ??!?! And while you are at it, can you define "music on vinyl" ?!?! Punk Gen X Kid Its what you refer to as "DJ's" used to make scratching sounds to get paid millions of dollars. I can get my cat to make the same sounds for free maybe I should make him a DJ hmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonub Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I use a cheapo black marker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty79 Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 I am sorry to resurrect this ancient thread, but I am new to action shooting (2 speed steels and 2 3 gun matches so far) and this doesn't make sense to me. In, the competition section of, Brian's book, he recounts a stage where he is making ready for a particularly complicated World Shoot stage. He mentions "blacking sights" as a last minute item. Does he really mean he's blackening sights just seconds before the start signal? Seems a little late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightUp_OG Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 (edited) Back in the day we used to carry a spray can of sight black. You can think of it as easily removed spray paint. The rear sights take a beating over time and it would dull and smooth out the rear sight to make a crisper sight picture. I would hit the sights at the first part of Make ready. ETA: It really rubs off easy so that is why it was done on every stage and at the last second. So yes and not too late. Edited August 18, 2013 by StraightUp_OG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redial Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 He's probably checking during "Make Ready" that his sight black is still intact and giving it an aerosol "spritz" if needed. A carbide lamp is standard gear for Bullseye, PPC, and Service Rifle shooters. I'm old enough to own both the "cigarette lighter" style and an old brass miner's lamp, but worse - I've used the provided "smudge pots" on military ranges! Egad! One of the funniest things I've seen is a Bullseye shooter applying an acetylene flame to the synthetic front sight of his Hammerli 22. Oops! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WidowsSon683 Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 BSeevers: What's a "baby boomers" ??!?! And while you are at it, can you define "music on vinyl" ?!?! "Baby boomers" are those children born in the 10-20 years immediately following WW2. Vinyl is the medium on which some of the greatest music ever recorded was recorded on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amerflyer48 Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Still have my Lamp from Gil Hebards in my Bullseye box Champions Choice still sells them I think and damn I am out of Carbide oh well not much Bullseye going on around here anyways and I bet indoor ranges would have a fit if you sparked one off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Yep, I have an original aluminum gunsmoke carbide smoker and it is still in good condition. Vaseline on the threads helped a lot as did rinsing it out after every couple of matches. I'd carry it to the line in a small shooting bag with extra mags and such, undo the cap and drop a little spit into it, screw the lid back on spark it up and smoke the sights, blow out the flame toss the smoker in the shooting bag, take a sight picture, insert mag and stoke 'er up, take the mag out, reholster, top off the mag with the extra bullet held in the teeth or levi jean's watch pocket, then unholster and insert full mag...took only about 20 seconds to do all that and it was my version of a mind clearing pre-stage ritual that a lot of folks did. Then the spray on sight black in the small cans became available and most folks started using that. Not as good as real soot, but it is easier. I still use the spray on sight black as I just like a good sharp front sight and rear notch, no fiber optic rods for me. you can get the carbide in tubes (bangsite) at some fireworks stores. just takes a few grains to give you good smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 When I was shooting Olympic pistol I used a lighter to soot the front sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 I also used the little carbide smoker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RammerJammer Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 You mean there is a way other than burning an MRE spoon? What a fantastic world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeBoys Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Still have my old carbide smoker. Still have shirts with stains from the same era! Now in spray cans and was using that but I switched to fiber up front and just bead blasted and reblued the rear, no more black stained shirts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 If I remember correctly, the stains came from the spray can sight black, not the carbide. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that I don't remember correctly ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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