Painting Front Sight

[Danko]

Greetings to all! I don't know if this is the appropriate place to pose my question but here goes, Who has painted or otherwise changed the color of their front iron sight? What color did you choose? Are you still using the sight? "They" say the human eyes picks up the color green or bright green faster than other colors, and that sounds right to me. I'm 65 years old, been shooting for only three years. I'd like to pick up my front sight as fast as possible, but don't want to install a laser, fiber optic, or other new fangled sight. I want to continue shooting with traditional iron sights. My thinking goes like this: Loads of people have accurately shot pistols with iron sights for at least a couple hundred years. So, if they could do it, I should be able to also. I'm not intending or expecting to become an ultra master. I simply want slow steady improvement so I can become a good shooter. Of course that begs the question, what is a good shooter? I can't define good, but I know a good shooter shoots far better than me. I forgot I'm talking to gun guys and they want to know what gun I'm shooting. It's an M&P 9mm with 4.25" barrel. I also have an LC9S for carry. I love that gun but don't carry it because I think I need to improve my skills before doing so.

While I'm at it, how many of you still use iron sights? How many don't want to switch to the high tech sights?

Thank you! Danko

[ArgentFix]

Not many years ago I was looking to improve the sight contrast on my Beretta 92 INOX. I bought some Tester's Fluorescent orange and blobbed it into the tiny recessed circles. It's night here but here's the difference under cozy living room vs UV light:




Again, these are the same sights but the contrast you get will depend on your lighting conditions. Here's the paint I used:

[1slow]

Claude Werner had a row of match stick size paint samples of various colors. He said " different peoples eyes pick up different colors better."

At 64 I have been shooting pistols 50 + years, not an expert, just seen a lot of things.

Different colors work better in different light conditions:
Black sights in bright sun are great,
Fiber optic in a black sight work well in a lot of different lights,
Tritium is good if you are in certain light conditions in the woods or inside where you can ID target but not see sights well,

I use Trijicon HD Orange on carry HK USPs, the combo of tritium, orange ring and black sights the best compromise for my conditions.
However in really bright sun on the hardpan black sights are better and more precise for me.
My HK USPT Tactical with Meprolight adjustable sights with tritium inserts work very well in bright sun as do plain black sights.

The Trijicon HD yellow is great in dim light but in the bright sun it reflects so much light I cannot get a precise sight picture.

Elmer Keith wrote that S&W red front sight inserts tended to shoot to a different point of impact with strong sun from the side because the sight was not where you thought you saw it.

YMMV a lot.

[DDTSGM]

I just turned 68 and I use green fiber optics pretty much exclusively on all iron sighted pistols. Front and rear if fiber-optic rears are available. The fiber optics are a boon to aging eyes and I would strongly recommend at least a fiber optic front sight.

Most good fiber optic sights allow you to recess the front bulb of the fiber rod into the sight to somewhat avoid the issues with sun over shoulder that the previous poster was talking about.

These guys make great sights. They come with all the things you need to change sights on a modern pistol except a hammer or mallet, including red and green fiber optic material so you can try each one:

https://dawsonprecision.com/dawson-p...-front-sights/

If you buy a set, they have an exact impact guarantee: https://dawsonprecision.com/product_...g?t=1440019909

Here is a carry set for your M&P: https://dawsonprecision.com/smith-an...t-set-310-036/

When you decide you want to carry your LC9, a set of these may be what works: https://xssights.com/products/dxt2-b...hts-ruger.html

As for the 'red dot' optics, their day is coming, if not already here. They shorten the learning curve for new shooters, and are becoming common for police and every day carry by civilians. Plus they are a BIGGG advantage for us old guys.

There are several threads discussing optics versus irons, this is one example: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....iron-sight-gun

Good luck.

[RJ]

I tried various colors but seem to pick up red/orange slightly better than green.

For painting an iron sight, I clean it first, then put on one coat of white, then a couple coats of color (typically something named similar to "traffic cone orange"). A paint pen can also work well. It doesn't have to be high tech. Obviously it helps to avoid drips if you do this with the sight off the gun. If you can't remove the front sight, you can prep the slide by using blue painters tape, then put the sight paint on carefully.

Rear sights are generally black, or dark at least. If I have a gun with a white rear, I apply a black sharpie to damp it down. This can be removed with rubbing alcohol to restore the factory white if desired.

What is "good enough accuracy" for SD is an interesting question. I picked up a gun for the first time in 2014, but am a retired engineer, so interested in metrics. For a beginner, I'd suggest starting with "Under ideal conditions, at 7 yards, put 8 of 10 rounds inside an 8" circle with no time constraint." If someone was experienced, I'd up that to "Under ideal conditions, put 9 of 10 rounds inside a 5.54" circle, with no time constraint, at 7 yards." For an expert, I would say "Under ideal conditions, put 10 of 10 rounds inside a 5.54" circle, within 10 seconds, at 10 yards."

As to optics, I started to have issues seeing the front sight in 2020. Arms too short. I switched to optics and don't plan to go back to irons. I feel very comfortable carrying with a dot, every day, I feel like it gives me an edge with my vision limitations, has objectively improved my shooting results and helped to identify and correct issues with my technique.

Welcome to pistol-forum.

[Norville]

I like the green / yellow. I always used orange, but when I went to order sights for my G48 all that was in stock was green. Turns out I like it better and I shoot better target focused with it.

This is a good option, allows you to try both:

https://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Cas...0JSAE234&psc=1

[TOTS]

I tried various colors but seem to pick up red/orange slightly better than green.

For painting an iron sight, I clean it first, then put on one coat of white, then a couple coats of color (typically something named similar to "traffic cone orange"). A paint pen can also work well. It doesn't have to be high tech. Obviously it helps to avoid drips if you do this with the sight off the gun. If you can't remove the front sight, you can prep the slide by using blue painters tape, then put the sight paint on carefully.

Rear sights are generally black, or dark at least. If I have a gun with a white rear, I apply a black sharpie to damp it down. This can be removed with rubbing alcohol to restore the factory white if desired.

What is "good enough accuracy" for SD is an interesting question. I picked up a gun for the first time in 2014, but am a retired engineer, so interested in metrics. For a beginner, I'd suggest starting with "Under ideal conditions, at 7 yards, put 8 of 10 rounds inside an 8" circle with no time constraint." If someone was experienced, I'd up that to "Under ideal conditions, put 9 of 10 rounds inside a 5.54" circle, with no time constraint, at 7 yards." For an expert, I would say "Under ideal conditions, put 10 of 10 rounds inside a 5.54" circle, within 10 seconds, at 10 yards."

As to optics, I started to have issues seeing the front sight in 2020. Arms too short. I switched to optics and don't plan to go back to irons. I feel very comfortable carrying with a dot, every day, I feel like it gives me an edge with my vision limitations, has objectively improved my shooting results and helped to identify and correct issues with my technique.

Welcome to pistol-forum.

I’d echo pretty much all this and only add that i use the finest tipped paintbrush I can get from a hobby/craft store to apply the paint to the dot. I clean the sight with isopropyl alcohol prior to painting and currently only have one pistol with an optic and one with a fiber optic front sight from Dawson Precision. No issues going back and forth.

[vcdgrips]

RJs tips re Cleaning and degreasing the front sight are spot on.

A 5.00 proof of concept way on this is to use some cheap orange/green/yellow fingernail polish from the 1.25 store.

1. Degrease and clean- even rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer will work
2. Apply 2 coats of the polish go thin and slow on the first coat and let it dry for 4 hrs min and repeat.

“See” what you think.

[Clusterfrack]

I’ve had good luck with Testors fluorescent orange. Just one small drop on a toothpick to fill the front dot.

While I use a RDS on some of my guns, I’ll always use iron sights on smaller ones, like a p380 or LCR.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....tritium-insert

[sierra 223]

Neon green nail polish works for my eyes.