Formula for front sight width

[Col. Batguano]

Like many of you, I have many guns, and many different rear sight notch and front sight widths, along with a potpouri of barrel lengths. Some seem to be easier to use than others. It turns out, that the front sight blade width that I happen to like the best is about a 2 MOA width (or 1/4 of a standard 100 yard smallbore bull).

Rather than guess on sight blade width, what would be the formula for determining that as a distance from your eye? Of course, with that formula in hand, the same could be used to determine rear sight notch width too.

Your math help here would be greatly appreciated, and might be a good topic for a sticky note somewhere, along with some other formulas.

 

[smo]

I’ve never heard of one, I’m not saying there’s not one however.

I used one to determine the front sight height, and it was right on.

Interested too see the replies...

 

[Col. Batguano]

Ok. I did some of my own math (which is probably wrong).

At 100 yards, 1 MOA is 1.047" or call a smallbore bull 8 3/8". 100 yards is 3600". 1.047"/3600" = 0.00029083" per MOA, per 1" of distance from your eye. In this case, if you want a 2 MOA blade width for a front sight 40" from your eye, the formula would be; (2 x 0.00029083) x 40 = 0.0232".

The inverse of the formula could also be used to figure out how wide (in MOA) your front sight blade is based on width and distance from your eye. Take a popular sight blade width, like .050" mounted on a 36" barrel, 40" from your eye. The formula would be; 0.00029083 / (0.050 / 40) = 4.298 MOA

Does that seem right?

 

[Billy-by-gosh]

I seem to recall from past reading that the 'old timers' sometimes would create a fine front bead by utilizing a seared boar's bristle. It was done by searing the small end of the hair against a hot iron, then clamping the modified hair between 2 small wood pieces and securing the assembly into a hooded front sight. The very small bead formed by the hot iron on a hog bristle became an excellent fine aiming bead for small targets or distant game.
Perhaps someone (with hands less stiff than mine) could recreate such a useful item for testing.