Painting my front sight.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Been using Testors orange model paint on my pistol front sights that don`t have an orange insert for the better part of 30 years. Enough people that have used my pistols like the painted sight that I have used 2 of the little bottles over the years.Robert

[ShooterAZ]

I use Testors red over a coat of white. The white underneath seems to help it "light up" some. Have done the same thing with a couple of mil-surp rifles and it helps me pick up the sights a lot easier. I may try some lime green paint sometime, I have some lime green inserts for a couple of my fiber optic front sights.

[fastdadio]

I use Testors red over a coat of white. The white underneath seems to help it "light up" some. Have done the same thing with a couple of mil-surp rifles and it helps me pick up the sights a lot easier. I may try some lime green paint sometime, I have some lime green inserts for a couple of my fiber optic front sights.

I will paint it white first this time. I didn't do that and it sounds like good advice.

[C-dubb]

I always have painted my sights red but recently found that getting rid of that sloped ramp sight and replacing it with a partridge type sight does wonders for my shooting.

[sixshot]

I always narrow the front sight to 1/10" first, they usually come .125" factory. Now I have some daylight at the rear notch. Then I use the felt markers & use white first, it's necessary to make the second color stand out. After you let the white dry use bright orange if you are a hunter, it works best when the shadows get long! I only paint part way down, usually about 1/4 of the sight but it depends. It's important because you can use the bottom of your orange paint as a second sight. Find out where it's zeroed & use it as a reference for long distance shooting. I like mine to be around 150 yds. Lets say you shoot low at a milk jug on the first shot, then you know it's beyond 150 yds, just hold a bit of front sight & BINGO!

Dick

[megasupermagnum]

I will paint it white first this time. I didn't do that and it sounds like good advice.

Absolutely. Paint white first, then paint with florescent orange. That combo glows so bright you will never want a fiber optic again.

[georgerkahn]

A (long) while back, I purchased a Dan Wesson .357 Pistol Pack. This is one revolver accompanied by several barrels, a case to store them in, a couple of grips, and several front sight inserts. A picture of one is here. My choices were black, orange, yellow, red, white, and green. Bion, the yellow became my favourite! Such that on other revolvers, through the years, I'd dip a wooden toothpick in a small jar of Testor's Yellow Model Airplane paint, and "dot" that on the top of whatever factory front sight came. My problem with any red dot, is I am in the 20%age of male population which is red-green, or more colour blind. Bright and sunny, or at last-light -- the yellow has worked for me.
geo

[onelight]

A (long) while back, I purchased a Dan Wesson .357 Pistol Pack. This is one revolver accompanied by several barrels, a case to store them in, a couple of grips, and several front sight inserts. A picture of one is here. My choices were black, orange, yellow, red, white, and green. Bion, the yellow became my favourite! Such that on other revolvers, through the years, I'd dip a wooden toothpick in a small jar of Testor's Yellow Model Airplane paint, and "dot" that on the top of whatever factory front sight came. My problem with any red dot, is I am in the 20%age of male population which is red-green, or more colour blind. Bright and sunny, or at last-light -- the yellow has worked for me.
geo

The yellow sure looks bright in that picture.

[Eddie17]

I will have to support. What ever color you chose, put down a base of white.

[Beerd]

Anybody try Sky Blue?
I understand it got pretty high marks in an old NRA test. But that may have been before all these florescent colors were available.
..

[megasupermagnum]

As a purely target gun that sees use on lighter colored targets something like a light blue might be a good choice. The bright orange front sight is not good on a white target with red bullseye. I find orange works best overall for my eyes. I'm not color blind. I never liked any green, never seemed to provide a sharp edge look. I used purple for a while, and it worked rather well.

[Thin Man]

For more years than I wish to admit I have used fingernail paint to enhance the image of my front sights. The majority of these jobs involved a bright yellow color without the dazzling metallic compound in the paint. Must have 7-8 different bottles of this color in the shop. If it gets chipped or dirty just paint over the sight again and all is well.

[fastdadio]

I always narrow the front sight to 1/10" first, they usually come .125" factory. Now I have some daylight at the rear notch. Then I use the felt markers & use white first, it's necessary to make the second color stand out. After you let the white dry use bright orange if you are a hunter, it works best when the shadows get long! I only paint part way down, usually about 1/4 of the sight but it depends. It's important because you can use the bottom of your orange paint as a second sight. Find out where it's zeroed & use it as a reference for long distance shooting. I like mine to be around 150 yds. Lets say you shoot low at a milk jug on the first shot, then you know it's beyond 150 yds, just hold a bit of front sight & BINGO!

Dick

Interesting you posted about only painting the top portion of the sight. I was thinking the same thing, and wondering if it would help with sight picture and definition. Never though about using the mark as a hold over.
Looking like most folks here like the bright colors.

[.45Cole]

I file the top ~1/3 narrower on both sides and paint the top the hottest pink fingernail polish I can find. I have V notch rears with a "racing stripe" denoting the centerline (rough country Bowen). Pink on white = fire! for fast shots, and the pink contrasts everything. They'll make fun of you a little, but once you outshoot them a few times they shut up and start asking where you bought the file and fingernail polish.

[megasupermagnum]

I like light around the front sight too, but why narrow the front sight, when you could widen the rear?

[pmer]

Well the pink nail polish really worked nice. I wouldn't have tried it without reading this thread. This 1911 had black sites in front and rear and I was having more and more trouble picking up the front site. The Saeco 069s grouped better.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Yellow is the center of the color spectrum for the human eye to pick up. I’m 61 also and wear bifocals but even when I was young I painted my front sights yellow with Tester’s model paint. As a peace officer I’d shoot in low light conditions. I always kept a bottle of thinner and a bottle of paint on the bench. If the paint on the front sight wasn’t bright with sharp edges I’d just hit it with thinner on a rag and touch it up with paint using a toothpick instead of a brush as an applicator.

[Petrol & Powder]

I've never been real fond of orange front sights, I just can't pick them out on some backgrounds (usually when there's some funky lighting at an indoor range).
Flat black is still my choice but it is difficult in low light.

The shape of the front blade has a big influence on how it reflects light. An undercut target sight is completely different from a ramped front sight.

I've yet to find a flat black paint that will stay on a front sight. It's an easy, inexpensive fix to apply more paint but I wish I could find something a little more permanent.

[C-dubb]

Elmer Kieth would smoke his front sight with a match. Not permanent but easy enough to do.

[El Bibliotecario]

Elmer Kieth would smoke his front sight with a match. Not permanent but easy enough to do.

When I was attached to the USAMTU I was issued a carbide lamp for this purpose. They do an excellent job.

As for the original question of paint wearing off the top of the front sight, I believe this could effect sight picture. I have been told by coaches that the human eye can detect as little as 1/100th of an inch difference in sight alignment. As for the best color to use, that is whatever works best for that that particular shooter.