Enhancing Traditional Sights

[BigSkyRambler]

I want to keep using my traditional, but my eyes are failing me on that front. Is it acceptable, in competition, to add little dots of flourescent paint to your traditional sights to help you get a better sight picture?

 

[hawkeye2]

It would depend on the host team's or club's rules. I use the inexpensive craft paints which you can buy at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, etc. They are laytex and come off real easy as opposed to other paints. My wife buys cheap nail polish and empties the bottles. You can keep several bottles of different colors for different conditions in your shooting box and each has its own brush. The N-SSA allows painted sights.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I want to keep using my traditional, but my eyes are failing me on that front. Is it acceptable, in competition, to add little dots of flourescent paint to your traditional sights to help you get a better sight picture?

It is really going to depend on where you are shooting and what their rules are.
Here are two other suggestions to help diminished eyesight:
1.First of all, enlarge the back sight opening, to get more light . 2. Look through your back sight, moving the gun away, and then back closer than normal eye shooting distance. Visually compare sight clarity with the back sight closer or farther than where it is on the barrel. In lots of cases, moving the back sight will help. Most likely you will never achieve 100% clarity, but sometimes you can at least improve it.
Good Luck
Flintlocklar

 

[FishDFly]

The very best advise is schedule an appointment with your Optometrist and let him know what you problem is. Get the last appointment of the day and take your rifle with you.

If you can find one who shoots that is even better.

Your eye can only focus on one plane at a time, you need to focus on the front sight, forget the rear, the target can be fuzzy, that is okay. The brain will align the sights and target, all by itself.

Paint is not going to bring things into focus.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Paint won't bring things into focus, but as we age we also have more problems in certain light conditions. Low light especially can be a problem. I find putting white chalk on a dark front sight if shooting a dark target helps and black on a light front sight if shooting a light target. I can read fine print and see pretty well in bright light or open sunlight. Add a shadow or less light is a real problem. Never used to have that much of a problem.

 

[Grimord]

You could also try a diopter on your shooting glasses. These help the eye to focus on the sights.

 

[FishDFly]

They do help.

 

[smo]

I switched to a German silver front sight.

It made a lot of difference in visibility in the woods.

 

[nhmoose]

I have pushed my rear sights 8 inches down the barrel so the are in focus again. Filled the old dovetails.

 

[Rudyard]

I like Stag tooth ivory front or real silver if a peep or simply the hollow of a false breech guides the eye quite well . I found that out by sleaving an old shotgun barrel of 16 bore with a 44 liner old Kit Ravenshear gave me Didn't want to spoil the orig twist barrel found it worked at 50 &100 good enough for me .The gun was just one I' got up 'from old parts & a flint lock by Dunderdale Mabson & Day the old bore was' NRA Disgusting' So no loss .
Rudyard

 

[Art Caputo]

As my eyes have aged I have widened and deepened the “V” on the rear sight, and, utilize a slightly larger blade ,on the square-backed front blade of brass. Of course, all focus is on the top flat of the front sight. My accuracy has not suffered. Another option that has worked quite well is to use a “Express”style set-up with a wide/shallow “V” and a brass front bead with a flat back.....also focus/sighting off the top edge of the bead.

 

[rickpa]

I use German silver for front sights and never use the round top style. I make mine square back, what's called a Patridge style. When I get the gun sighted in and the front sight correct height I take a needle file and file a small 45 degree angle on the top rear of the sight, about .020 wide. Against a dark background it gives you a bright bar on top of the sight much like the old Redfield Sourdough sight did. I'm traveling now and don't have access to my guns but if this post is still going at the end of the week I'll post a picture showing it.

 

[toot]

WOW! we can all learn so much from this site!

 

[GANGGREEN]

The rifle which I see best with was one that I built and put the rear sight 13" in front of the breech. The other day I was at a friend's home and picked up a rifle that he had built for his wife. The rear sight was 14 or even 15" in front of the breech (I didn't measure) and I could see with perfect clarity. You lose a bit of distance between the front and rear sights, but it's still a longer sighting plane than people have with short-barreled TC or Lyman guns for instance (assuming you're using a 38-44" barrel). My upcoming builds will feature the rear sights being built way forward, at least the guns that I'm building for my own use.

 

[tenngun]

Boone did glue white paper to his front sight.