Trouble see front sight on Kibler SMR

[Polecat_Tom]

I finished my SMR and have taken it out shooting twice. The problem that I am having is seeing the front sight. Has anyone else had this problem and if how did you overcome it?

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Polecat_Tom,

0.5 or 0.75 reading glasses. That's just enough correction to bring the front sight back in focus.

A peep sight mounted on the tang.

A diopter sight such as the Merit disc sight or for trial purposes a square piece of black electrical tape with a 1/8" hole punched in the center placed on your safety glasses to see give the best view of the sights.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Older folks can typically struggle due to their aging eyes.

As black powder is an old person’s hobby (just go to any trade show or rendezvous and you’ll agree) it’s not surprising many have these issues with the small sights based off historical examples.

Luckily, we have modern options that can help. Peep sights, diopter, the list goes on. Me personally I’d put the barrel in your drill press and drill and tap it for a Skinner rear peep arrangement. It’s comfigurable with many sizes of aperture. Also, chance the front sight to a more visible example. This can keep your old eyes shooting great!

 

[bang]

I paint the back of the rear sight white and the contrast helps.

 

[ord sgt]

I had the same problem with the front sight on my last build. My solution , though non traditional, was to replace the front and rear sights with a set of fiber optic sights. These sights pick up light with different colors, making the sights easier to see. It works well on sights that are dovetailed into the barrel.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Here is the Skinner peep:

Available in brass and blues steel. Should square up nicely on the top flat of the Kibler.

 

[Rod Man]

Is it that you can't see the front sight at all?, or you can't see the front sight clearly and still have the rear sight in reasonable focus? If that is the case moving the rear sight forward a coupe of inches also works for some.

RM

 

[Polecat_Tom]

Thank all of you for your suggestions. This gives me some options to try.
Rod Man, I can see both sights when not aligned. As I align the two they both blend into one and I am unable to get a site picture.
On my Great Plains rifle I have a rear buckhorn site and silver front site that works well but that barrel is a lot shorter.

 

[pilot]

I like blaze orange paint better than white. It works with both light and dark targets.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Thank all of you for your suggestions. This gives me some options to try.
Rod Man, I can see both sights when not aligned. As I align the two they both blend into one and I am unable to get a site picture.
On my Great Plains rifle I have a rear buckhorn site and silver front site that works well but that barrel is a lot shorter.

In my later years of shooting I have widened the rear vertical sight slot. This allows a tad more light to show the front sight better. Go easy and take off about .010 to .015, trying to remove equal amounts on each side of the slot.
Larry

 

[oncewas]

I bought yellow and white finger nail polish to try and I'm using the yellow seems to help and very little cost.

 

[Rod Man]

In my later years of shooting I have widened the rear vertical sight slot. This allows a tad more light to show the front sight better. Go easy and take off about .010 to .015, trying to remove equal amounts on each side of the slot.
Larry

I opened my TVM to about the width of the larger cutting wheel for dremel tools approx. (0.042) seemed to help some.

RM

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I didn't like the shiny brass front sight so I filed an iron one out of some square stock.

 

[Polecat_Tom]

Thank you, I will try opening up the width of the rear site and some paint on the blade of the front site and go from there. Thank you all for your suggestions.

 

[hanshi]

Understand that one's eye, regardless of age, cannot focus on two things at one time. I always open the rear notch on mine AND paint the front white. Focus on the front sight, not the target or the rear sight, and get enough daylight in the rear notch so the front blade stands out. I have to use 1.0 to 1.30 diopter reading glasses to see the front blade "clearly". Focusing on the rear sight or the target can cause a much bigger miss than focusing on the front blade. If the front blade is your focus the misses will be much smaller.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Thank all of you for your suggestions. This gives me some options to try.
Rod Man, I can see both sights when not aligned. As I align the two they both blend into one and I am unable to get a site picture.
On my Great Plains rifle I have a rear buckhorn site and silver front site that works well but that barrel is a lot shorter.

The peep sounds like it should help that a great deal.

 

[Polecat_Tom]

Thank you all for your input.

 

[Captndan]

There is a paint made just for gun sights. My gunsmith had it. Sure helped the Sharps front sight.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I sold my Kibler SMR in .32 because I couldn't see the rear sight with my 74 year old eyes, I didn't want to move the rear sight down the barrel and liked the lines of the gun so well I didn't want to add a peep, so off it went. The fact that I already had two squirrel rifles, a Bogle percussion in .40 and a TN flint I built in .40 played into my decision.

 

[david w]

I use a sight that sticks onto my glasses. I can see the front sight, rear sight, AND the target now! You have to learn where to place it on your glasses, but it's not that difficult.

Gehmann Stick On Iris for Ordinary Glasses