Fiber optic feedback

[cas]

I have to think of how to post this so it doesn't sound like I'm b#tching, but rather politely requesting. I hate to be posting negative customer feedback, but it is what it is I guess.

Henning, I hope you'll consider offering a wider fiber optic front sight in the future. I'm really struggling with this one. Maybe it's my eyes, but I'm having a real hard time picking it up and keeping track of it. It's one thing to trade a little accuracy for speed, but I have neither with this one. I just can't find it. I suppose part of it is that it's so unlike all my other guns, but I've never shot well with "wide" sights or sights that "let a lot of light through". (I hate HK sights because of this)

Just something to think about for future runs/batches. A little wider would be a welcome option for some of us.

[sinnsyk]

Hey cas

You'll be pleased to see that I just finished making a wider sight; it is 0.105" W x 0.165 H. I've only had them for about a week. I saw your post so I made sure it's now available online. I've had a few people ask for wider sights.

In respect to your experience with the front sight; There are several lines of thought on front/rear combination. A 90 front with a 110 rear is a classic setup widely used among competition shooters. For some, like yourself, it is too narrow and a wider front sight will be easier to see, but also cover more of the target. To truly figure out what front/rear combination you like it is necessary to try different combinations for oneself.

Once I get some time, I plan to write an article with pictures of both widths.

The factory measures 0.125" W x 0.150" H

iFiber 105 : 0.105" W x 0.165" H

iFiber 90 : 0.090" W x 0.165" H

For those looking for a width somewhere in between the 90 and the factory, the iFiber 105 is now available in the store:

http://www.henningshootsguns.com/shop/sights.html

if you don't see it, refresh your browser.

;-)

ps. The new rear sight is in the works and will measure 0.110" width. It will be a higher quality sight than the factory and fall in line with the 90/110 line of thought.

90/110

The 90/110 gives you about half a front sight of light on each side of it. For fast IPSC style shooting this is a very quick sight picture.

105/110

The 105/110 is another combination that should be considered. There will be less light between the front and the rear, but gives the shooter a tighter sight picture. For more precise shooting this is a good way to go.

105/120

Using the 105 and the factory Supersight you'll get something like this and will be another fast solution. The factory rear sights seem to vary from 115 to 120.

105/125

If I were to switch to a 105 front sight I'd consider opening my rear sight to 125. Once I get my rear 110's made up I will setup a couple of guns differently. Using the 110 as a base you can open the rear yourself to 125 if you prefer a bigger front sight. I'll have my machinist run an end-mill to make sure the rear is exactly 125 and cut straight.

Edited February 2, 2009 by sinnsyk

[cas]

Ah ha.... some quick measuring... the rear sight on my Limited is 0.114" wide.

That's part of the problem too I guess.

The other problem is for the last six months I've shot almost nothing but a 0.117 rear and a 0.126" front.

LPA/SDM

Edited February 2, 2009 by cas

[sinnsyk]

Yeah, the Factory LPA sights I'm not too impressed with. They do look good, but they aren't very consistent nor hold up under fire. I've got a Supersight that measure 0.116 and another that measure 0.120. A 90 on a 120 is a lot of light and too much light as you experienced too isn't the best. It just gets to be too loose. Our eyes can't quickly determine if the left and right "light" is equal.

There's definitely a lot to be said about rear/front combinations. I've deliberately held off on getting too in-depth on it until I also have a rear sight that is consistent from sight to sight. I've got a few other things up my sleeve on sights, but until I've investigated enough on my own with the factors I can control it'll stay in my head. I encourage anyone having something to contribute to post. I listen to input and tend not to make a decision too quickly.

And never hesitate to call me on my phone to talk about these things. From time to time I have products in the prototype stage or in the pre-introduction stage which may be what you - in particular - are looking for. I'm experimenting with sights at the moment and waiting on the new rear sights to get ready. When they do there should be a significant improvement in sight pictures for both Limited and Match guns.

[CHA-LEE]

I would really like to do some testing with a 105/125 setup. For some reason I think it would be easier to get a more clear and faster sight picture if both the front and rear sights were wider, but done proportionatly. But logic and reality some times don't like up. When you get your 105/125 sight setups done let me know because I want to do some back to back testing against the 90/117 setup I am currently using.

[sinnsyk]

I will let you know Charlie. You could put the 105 on your 117 and see how that works for you as well. When I get the 110's, if I were you, I'd use the factory LPA and slowly open it up to where you like it. For the 105, anything from 110 - 125 can be the right thing. If you want, come up to Longmont and I'll try to tear myself away from the computer and phone and go to the range with you. When determining what works best I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Shoot one setup for a while, switch back and repeat the process. Shoot in practice and in matches to see what works the best. One setup works great for one scenario, but what works best for 'most' scenarios is the determining factor. Double Tap's coming up and it's mostly close-range hosing with high hit factors. US Nationals is typically the hardest match of the year with low to mid hit factors, aka precise shooting / aiming. I would lean towards a sight setup geared for US Nationals because there are more skilled shooters and you'll see how a 'great performance/competitor at double tap' may not keep up with the skills needed at the more precise shooting at USN.

On a side-topic of stage design: Flat out and point shooting is definitely more fun as long as the stages are diverse and targets not stacked in rows and we're just pumping out rounds. Nationals has the most amount of resources put into stage designs so it's hard for local matches to compare. But I think it is important for any match to offer a high quality level for the far-away traveler. Desert Classic / Area 2 is on the top of my list of the perfect mix that suits my style and preferences. They never just throw something up to have enough stages, but build good, interesting stages with lots of movement. When determining a good sight setup, I'd put my results and feelings of how the sights gave me feedback at all these matches at the end of a year. I'd rate how I felt the sights worked for me at Nationals at the top, Desert Classic second, Area matches, sectionals/state matches, local matches. Unless you have a very creative local group, my feeling is that you can see the difference in overall stage quality from the level of match it is.

At the practice range, trying to figure out a good sight setup for myself, this is what I do:

1) Shoot my standard exercise at 7, 15 and 25 yards, score and log both points and time. Two full targets next to each other.

1a. draw, one shot on each.

1b. draw, two shot on each.

1c. draw, two shot on each, reload, two shot on each.

1d. draw, two shot on each, strong hand.

1e. draw, two shot on each, weak hand.

1f. draw, one shot on each, in the head.

2) Shoot 3 targets, one located at 7 yards, the other at 15 and the third at 25 yards. Shoot left to right, right to left, far to close, close to far.

I shoot these exercises over and over and over when I'm working on sight tracking and pure shooting skills.

My recommendation is to shoot these exercises over and over and on different days. I leave my preference to one over the other at home and shoot, log and look at the results to see what I shoot better. Then try my 'favorite' in a few local matches. Shoot it for a while, go back to the other setup and do the same. Not surrender to 'hating it' once I switch back due to heavy preference-thoughts. Give both some time and at some point test what I think is better at a major match such as an area match. If you can stomach it, do the same testing at area matches and eventually at nationals over several national championships. A match that is very important to you, say Nationals, changes everything. If a local match isn't important then the results you had at this match doesn't really compare to the complexity of what's going on when you are scared, nervous, excited and full of hopes and dreams. Nationals and Worlds are the ultimate testing grounds. It would be nice to 'know' that you've got your best setup at your first Nationals. But to know this I think you have to find out when the conditions are tough - and know there is a difference from your playing in your local sandbox!

My bottom line experience is, not to try to jump to any conclusions. You can shoot great with anything on any given day. Figuring out what really makes a difference is important. Your preferences change over time and doing all this - not getting stuck on one idea - makes you a better shooter.