Bead sights still practical?

[Mark D]

For my pair:

1) Base gun.........................642
2) Sight preferences..............D&L, Bowen or C&S...PREFER gold or brass bead front, plain rear
3) Ammo preference..............148 gr wadcutter
4) Zero distance...................15 to 25 yards
5) Action Work (Yes/No).........No
6) Quantity of Guns...............2
7) Additional things you might want...could go for an Apex LONGER during pin to ensure clobbering any primer

It might be best to break this off into a separate thread, but I have a couple questions for the good Doctor.

Do you notice any problems with brass/gold bead front sight in different lighting conditions? My very limited experience with bead front sights on handguns indicates they are sensitive to "light pushing the sight". This is most noticeable (for me) with bright sunlight coming from different directions resulting in different POI.

With the longer firing pin, are there any concerns with the pin piercing the primer and causing a malfunction? Or is this risk overstated?

Thanks in advance.

[OlongJohnson]

I'm not Sherman, but one way to address the bead issue would be to have the bead flush with the sight it's pressed into, so side lighting can't hit it from the side.

Also, if you have the budget, gold plating will hold its shine longer than brass.

[Mark D]

I'm not Sherman, but one way to address the bead issue would be to have the bead flush with the sight it's pressed into, so side lighting can't hit it from the side.

Also, if you have the budget, gold plating will hold its shine longer than brass.

I agree that a flush or recessed bead would avoid the issues with side lighting, but don't they usually stick out a bit? The photos I've seen of the Wilson Combat version suggests the bead is proud of the blade, and I think this is typical.

[Sherman A. House DDS]

I haven’t had an issue with light relative to the brass/gold beads set into steel front sight blades. I HAVE had issues with a similar phenomena with Trijicon night sights in lower light.


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[OlongJohnson]

I agree that a flush or recessed bead would avoid the issues with side lighting, but don't they usually stick out a bit? The photos I've seen of the Wilson Combat version suggests the bead is proud of the blade, and I think this is typical.

Yeah, it's typical. You could file it flush. You could also blacken the sides with cold blue or soot and then repolish the front, although the soot would probably not stick around too long in a holster.

[Mark D]

I haven’t had an issue with light relative to the brass/gold beads set into steel front sight blades. I HAVE had issues with a similar phenomena with Trijicon night sights in lower light.


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Thanks. I've also had the problem with stock factory sights that have become shinny.