Just a Hairy Special Snowflake supply clerk with no field experience, shooting an Asymetric carbine as a Try Hard. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
"If I had a grandpa, he would look like Delbert Belton".
So this is the revolver I currently carry. Ruger GP 7 shot, Bowen rough country rear, Dawson Precision front. Lightly polished and shimmed. DA pull around 9lbs. Load out is Remington Golden Saber 357 125 gr. Velocity should be in the 1100 plus range. Shoots this load very well. The front sight is a smallish red fiber optic that is much better than the factory. Holster is a Lobo Leather offset clip.
BillSWPA:
I am not sure that we are experiencing the same issue-maybe, but I can't say for certain. What I found was that I tended to shoot high because I believe the fiber optic obscured most of the front sight post. I could never get a definite reference line from the top of the sights (reference line is, as I heard it defined, the line that a shooter sees when the top of the front sight is even with the top of the rear sight). I also had significant glare from the fiber optic tube that didn't help things at all. I confirmed this by using a revolver with conventional sights shooting the same target at the same distance under the same lighting conditions and found I was getting hits right where they needed to be. I can tell you that after I ditched the fiber optic sight that I have had no issues when I use my Ruger. Hopefully that clarifies things for you.
Bruce
Bruce Cartwright
Owner & chief instructor-SAC Tactical
E-mail: "info@saconsco.com"
Website: "https://saconsco.com"
It does clarify things. When I was trying to use the fiber optic sights, the fiber was readily apparent, but the top of the front sight was hardly visible at all. After reading your post and thinking back to my experience, I most likely made the mistake of aligning the top of the fiber optic with the top of the rear notch. Once I switched back to the original factory sights (black partridge in one case and black ramp with a red insert in the other case), the top edge of the front sight was quite visible, and the problem disappeared. The height of the sights was confirmed with a digital caliper when they were installed, so I do not believe I ordered the incorrect size sights.
Due to the time of day I normally visit my range, and the angle of the range with respect to the sun, I normally find myself shooting towards the sun. This often presents sight visibility challenges, and I had hoped that the fiber optic would provide better contrast between the sight and the background.
My daughter liked the fiber optic, and was disappointed when I removed it, but she is a long way from understanding the finer points of accurate pistol shooting. I was planning to try her out on a gun that originally came with a fiber optic front sight, but I now believe that she will be better able to develop her skills by using other sights with better defined edges. So, you just saved me some money.
There are too many good shooters here who like fiber optics for me to dismiss them entirely, but your experience confirms that I need to avoid them at least on my guns.
..
I've not had any "reliability" issues. Runs like a watch. However it does not like certain ammunition but it does run without a problem with what I normally practice with and what I use for defensive carry. It doesn't like that cheap Brazillian ammo Magtech. Some think it has to do with the case head diameter. I ran across some cases that seems to make me think is not the diameter but how true the diameter is. I have not had a single issue with Remington, Winchester, Hornady, CCI/Speer or Federal. I have also not had a single issue with PPU practice ammo. I am happy with it. The revolver as shown only weighs 33.1 oz unloaded. In comparison with my six shot GP's like WC the DA seems quicker and smoother. Quicker because of the added chambering? It locks up much sooner than the 6 shot. It also balances quite well.
I've found that all fiber optic sights are not the same. I have the same problem described here with some sights.
I prefer Dawson fiber optic sights. They use a smaller diameter fiber optic rod, plus it is recessed into the face of the sight. It gives you the quick pick up of the fiber but you can still see and use the black flat top of the front sight.