Sight picture on black targets

[George D]

I have had difficulty in reliably picking up a black front sight when shooting black targets with the sun shining on the sights. I have experimented and found that painting the front sight red or fluoro green improves sight acquisition on dark targets.

What is consensus of opinion on this subject?

[Jake Di Vita]

I'd say that helps the majority of the time, you could use a fiber optic too for the same effect. Just hope that the color you decided to paint your front sight isn't the color the MD decides to paint steel on a match day.

[benos]

If the targets will be predictably black, a green or red sight may help for acquisition.

This probably isn't the case, but if you should happen to be shooting accuracy oriented targets like black bullseye targets, slowfire, I'd still go with the black sights, heavily sight-blacked.

be

[vluc]

Have yet to see green steel, so go with the green fiber optic or green fluoro paint.

Bright Sight's makes a decent sight paint in both regular and fluoro...

[George D]

For Bullseye events I do use black partridge sights.

In Service match, from the holster, 6 shots at 10 yards in 4 seconds and 6 shots at 25 yards in 6 seconds on multiple black paper targets is where the problem arises.

[benos]

"In Service match, from the holster, 6 shots at 10 yards in 4 seconds and 6 shots at 25 yards in 6 seconds on multiple black paper targets is where the problem arises."

Right. A color should help with that.

be

[George D]

Thanks Vluc for the tip on Bright Sights. I've just visited their website. Such products are usually un-obtainable in Australia but fortunately they have online shopping.

Thanks also to Brian for confirmation.

(Edited by George D at 10:30 am on Oct. 15, 2002)

[Flexmoney]

I like my front sight black with a small white dot in the center.  (kinda like the dash-board on a good sports car)

I shoot a lot of black steel (and other colors)...often half in the sun, half in the shade.  This (small white dot on black sight) has been my best bet...short of going to a fiber optic.

The real trick is to get the eyes to the next target as quick as possible, the gun will follow.  (I was just talking about this in an email to a shooting buddy.)  The big loser here (and I do it too often) is to try to watch the front sight as the gun swings from target to target.  That makes it hard, and slow, to find the next target.

(If you do some digging...Brian explains this stuff much better.)

[George D]

Thanks Flexmoney for the opinion.

Co-incidentally, I was just reading Brian's explanation in

"Target to target transition" under Tips for improvement.

[mcoliver]

I'm shooting black on black sights now and was wondring if I can be better served with a fiber optic FS.  If you can have the fiber optic (FO) FS custom-made, which do you prefer:

1. The FO to be in the middle of the FS (equal metal at the top and bottom of the FS)?

2. FO near the top of the FS such that you have minimal metal at the top?

IIRC, I had option 2 but this caused me to put my shots a bit low because the FO was drawing my attention and I was trying to put it in the middle (top to bottom) relative to the Rear sight. Thanks.

[Phil Dunlop]

I've just put my FO back in the gun, just for a change.

This time I did file it down so the dot is right at the top of the post (its a dawson.09")

I also put a green fibre in which I find really good, not as distracting as the red for some reason, but just a visible.

I'll let you know how i get on.

P.D.

[bountyhunter]

I used to paint the sights when our league shot at the dark target and strip it off for the tan background targets.  came up with a new trick I like:  I paint an orange square on each side of the sight at the rear and a "stripe" across the front sight about .050" below the top of the blade so that the sights are aligned when the stripe fits into the rear squares.  That way, with a dark background I use the colors and with a light background, I use the top of the black sights.  Works pretty well for both.