Painting Front Sight

[JCN]

Great tips!

Another one: don’t forget to periodically wipe the front sight clean.

It can sneak up on you and degrade performance insidiously without noticing the sight is getting sooty and dim.

[HCM]

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

With regard to colors, lighting conditions matter. Studies done for traffic safety, i.e. best colors for roadside construction crews emergency vehicles such as firetrucks etc. indicates that people with normal color vision pick up orange slightly better daylight and pick up line green better and reduced light.

Those with normal color vision pick up orange vest but it doesn’t work for people with every degree of red green color blindness. Those with some degree of colorblindness do better with yellow/green.

As someone in my fifth decade, I was an early adopter of physical optics and currently use them on both my duty off-duty in competition guns.

Adrian bull’s-eye pistol shooters were one among the earliest adopters of pistol optics. The fact is those of us with aging eyes have more game from pistol optics than those who still have 2020 or better vision. I still have an occasionally shoot pistols with iron sites, and it’s all good with glasses.

However for real world applications I’m a big believer in the Mike Tyson principle. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. As such I’ve also made it a point to shoot both iron sight and pistol optics without RX glasses. Without the “cheaters” I shoot significantly better with optics equipped pistols.

[Danko]

With regard to colors, lighting conditions matter. Studies done for traffic safety, i.e. best colors for roadside construction crews emergency vehicles such as firetrucks etc. indicates that people with normal color vision pick up orange slightly better daylight and pick up line green better and reduced light.

Those with normal color vision pick up orange vest but it doesn’t work for people with every degree of red green color blindness. Those with some degree of colorblindness do better with yellow/green.

As someone in my fifth decade, I was an early adopter of physical optics and currently use them on both my duty off-duty in competition guns.

Adrian bull’s-eye pistol shooters were one among the earliest adopters of pistol optics. The fact is those of us with aging eyes have more game from pistol optics than those who still have 2020 or better vision. I still have an occasionally shoot pistols with iron sites, and it’s all good with glasses.

However for real world applications I’m a big believer in the Mike Tyson principle. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. As such I’ve also made it a point to shoot both iron sight and pistol optics without RX glasses. Without the “cheaters” I shoot significantly better with optics equipped pistols.

[HCM]

I recall Keith mentioning that gold bead sights with rounded faces tended to do that, I dont recall him mentioning it with regards to the red ramp sights.

I’ve experienced that with the gold bead front site on my gun crafter 1911. That’s why I have been meaning to replace the goal bead with a fiber optic front.

[Danko]

Thank your for chiming in. I don't have any doubt the optical gadgets available today allow for much faster sight acquisition. I think the color study you cited is true for most people I don't have color blindness and I am a corrective glasses wearer. At the moment I essentially view added optic devices as cheating devices. I may change my mind if I find myself struggling to find my sights. As I mentioned earlier, hoards of people do and used to shoot pistols very accurately using only iron sights, so I'm going to stick with them unless, or until I develop a vision problem.

Thank again! Danko--

[JCN]

Thank your for chiming in. I don't have any doubt the optical gadgets available today allow for much faster sight acquisition. I think the color study you cited is true for most people I don't have color blindness and I am a corrective glasses wearer. At the moment I essentially view added optic devices as cheating devices. I may change my mind if I find myself struggling to find my sights. As I mentioned earlier, hoards of people do and used to shoot pistols very accurately using only iron sights, so I'm going to stick with them unless, or until I develop a vision problem.

Thank again! Danko--

Optics are a great training and learning tool even if you don’t shoot with them as a carry gun.

So instead of “cheating,” some of us use them as training tools to get better quicker and that makes us better with everything.

So for example, this is dry fire with an optic:



It’s very clear with a dot if you’re on or off target which helps train index.

It helps train so that even crappy Taurus revolver iron sights can be shot well.



I trained my novice wife on dots.

Then she had no problem with lasers, irons, dots, etc.



Then continued with dot training:

In seven sessions of subsequent dot training:



I’m good at irons because I learned on dots.



If the goal is to get better faster, don’t fear the dot!

In almost every sport, athletes are better now than they were a hundred years ago. Mainly because of improved training and not just improved equipment. Don’t fear the dot for training…

[JCN]

Forum glitch. I saw a white cat…

[Danko]

Thank you for your input. I like when you said, "don't fear the dot" I should fear the dot should I find one on my chest. Ha-ha! It's very true athletes and shooters today have more knowledge about training and more tools to train with than ever before. What I may do as a stop gap is get an optic device to use when dry firing.

I'm 65 and have only been shooting for three years and I'm having a blast, expect when buying ammo.

Danko--

[AzShooter]

I've painted a lot of sights over the years. Mostly I used Testor White Paint and then Green Florescent Paint on top of it.

My newest option was to install a Green Fiber Optic Sight to my S&W 617. Installing front sights on most guns is an easy task.

[Danko]

Thank you! I read of others using Testors too. I think I'll try a dash of fluorescent green. If I don't like. I can just return to white.