Front sight question

[Marlin Junky]

I want to put a more traditional front sight on my Lever Action Silhouette rifle and can't decide between a 1/16" gold or ivory bead. What I'm using now is a beaded post (I think it's .050" in diameter) inside the Lyman 17A globe sight. When used in conjunction with a Williams FP, I've had good results but I'd rather use something like a Lyman or Marbles front sight for the sake of tradition or style. So... what's more versatile under a firing line cover, the gold or ivory bead, or does it even make a difference? Most silhouettes are black but there are some ranges that use white or off-white animals. Obviously, I'm not going to change my front sight depending on the color of the targets or I'd be spending most of my range time sighting in the 336A ... with 200 grain boolits ;)

MJ

[MtGun44]

Personally, I get better groups with a square post rather than a bead,
but your eyes may work differently than mine. For target work, try a
fairly narrow (say 1/16") patridge.

FWIW.

Bill

[Marlin Junky]

Personally, I get better groups with a square post rather than a bead,
but your eyes may work differently than mine. For target work, try a
fairly narrow (say 1/16") patridge.

FWIW.

Bill

I started Lever Action Silhouette with a post insert inside a Lyman 17A a couple years ago and ended up with a beaded post insert. When I began LA Silhouette shooting I installed the Lyman 17A because it was a legal sight that I could use to experiment with different front sight profiles easily; but being black, the inserts get lost on black targets. Now I want to go to a traditional bead front sight but I've never used an ivory bead and and don't recall what a gold bead looks like under a range cover on an overcast day, but my guess would be it'll look somewhat like a black insert.

MJ

[Scrounger]

Lee Shaver has some very interesting inserts for that Lyman 17A. I like the crosshair but it's not legal for the game. Tangent to this subject, a fellow up in Gardnerville used to sell a modified front sight for the M1 Garand and M1A. That sight used a set of inserts too. Dean Alley was his name. Does anyone know if those sights are still available? I know Mr. alley is dead.

[rmb721]

I now use the #17 globe sight so that I can center the sights easier, but before, I liked the ivory over the gold bead. Almost all the silhouettes I have shot at were white, but I still liked the ivory better.

[Marlin Junky]

Almost all the silhouettes I have shot at were white, but I still liked the ivory better.

Really?! Do you hold on the silhouettes? Can you describe what the ivory vs. the gold bead looks like under a range cover and against light and dark silhouettes?

Thanks,
MJ

[rmb721]

On gloomy days or under a range cover, the gold bead was harder for me to see. The ivory on the white targets isn't as hard to see as you would think, but it is EASY to see when you get off the target. I hold on the silhouettes.

If you are shooting at mostly black targets, I would definitely go with ivory. The ivory is also better if you would use it to hunt deer.

If you get ivory and don't like it on white targets, put some orange sight paint on the bead. Then you can take it off to shoot at black targets.

I only liked the 1/16 beads and not the 3/32 beads.

Marble's also makes a glow sight in green and orange with a .060 diameter optic rod for a ramp or barrel mount, both in heigths of .312 to .500.

[lovedogs]

For silhouettes I prefer the Lyman' s because you can change front sights quickly and have almost any configuration you want. By the way, I've found the crosshair hard to see after a few hours of eye strain and have gone back to a round black bead. And maybe my theory is different on where to hold. I hold at the bottom of the target, six o'clock but adjust to hit dead-center. If I wander up I still have some lee-way, likewise, if I wander down I still have some room. But it's easier to see when you're holding just under a target than to define where you're holding on black with a black sight.

I can't advise a gold bead. They can be okay for hunting where you may get in dim light. There, a glint on the gold may give you an idea of where you are in dim light. But on silhouettes I prefer black. Ivory would be my choice over gold though. Just make sure it's a flat ivory, not shiny.

[Marlin Junky]

On gloomy days or under a range cover, the gold bead was harder for me to see. The ivory on the white targets isn't as hard to see as you would think, but it is EASY to see when you get off the target. I hold on the silhouettes.

So, does the ivory bead appear gray under a range cover? The local silhouette club uses an off-white paint on the targets. I suppose I could also blacken the ivory bead with a wooden match for use against white silhouettes too, right? Is it possible to blacken and clean an ivory bead several times a year without ruining it... what is the best way to accomplish this? Would you select a Lyman, Marbles, or perhaps someone else's front sight? I prefer to buy from Brownells or Midway.

Thank you... I really appreciate the help.

MJ

[MtGun44]

This is going to sound silly, but what the heck.

A friend showed me a baby blue painted front sight on a pistol
years ago, saying it seemed to be the only color that 'picked up'
well against everything except the sky, and he rarely shot at
the sky. Ive tried it on pistols and it really does seem to work
well against almost anything.

You might try putting some baby blue paint on the post or beaded
post of your Lym 17A, model airplane paints are cheap and it can
be gotten back off if you hate it with acetone.

Just something cheap to try.

Good luck.

Bill

[Marlin Junky]

This is going to sound silly, but what the heck.

A friend showed me a baby blue painted front sight on a pistol
years ago, saying it seemed to be the only color that 'picked up'
well against everything except the sky, and he rarely shot at
the sky. Ive tried it on pistols and it really does seem to work
well against almost anything.

You might try putting some baby blue paint on the post or beaded
post of your Lym 17A, model airplane paints are cheap and it can
be gotten back off if you hate it with acetone.

Just something cheap to try.

Good luck.

Bill

Bill,

That probably won't work since the globe (not to mention the range cover) will be hiding the tiny dot of blue paint from the suns rays but your missing the point. I have shot with the Lyman 17A for years and now want a traditional lever gun front sight. The next globe sight I use will probably be on the BPCR High Wall I don't own yet. If all I was after was a sight that I could see better, I'd probably buy a fiber optic front sight, but I doubt those are legal sights for LAS.

MJ

[Mallard57]

I seem to lose the brass bead on my Marlin under the range cover most of the time, but I'm geting so I consider myself lucky that I can see my sights at all. I would get some of the Bichwood Casey spray on sight black, it wont stain your white bead I wouldn't think and it wipes off pretty easily. I've never found a sight color that I liked better than black IMHO.
Jeff

[Marlin Junky]

I would get some of the Bichwood Casey spray on sight black, it wont stain your white bead I wouldn't think and it wipes off pretty easily. I've never found a sight color that I liked better than black IMHO.
Jeff

Jeff,

How does one completely remove the BC Sight Black without affecting the white polymer bead on the Marble's front sight? Can it be removed with 70% Isopropyl on a soft toothbrush?

Thanks,
MJ

[Mallard57]

It comes off with just a rag and no solvent (alcohol). It has never stained my colored inserts on my Dan Wesson. Jeff