Peep sight brightness

[884savage]

Last night I had 4 does come into about 70 yards, which is well within my range. I raised up hoping to shot, and the front peep sight just didn't exist. I halfway expected it, but was still disappointed. If that front sight would have been bright or even glowing that doe would have been shot. Does a metallic sharpie, white out, or painting the front sight with glow paint help? Is there a better way? If you give a suggestion for a different sight, a link to a picture would really help. Thanks guys.

[shredder]

Myself I prefer a high visibility fibre optic sight in orange or red. Like a little rod on top of the sight that gathers light and looks like a red glowing dot. Have a look around there are plenty out there. I have made up a few of my own with old bow sights and a jewelers file. My favorite is a flat top post with a small fibre optic glued into a groove on top of the sight.

[shredder]

Quick follow up: How big is your apeture? small holes are great for bright days at the range but for hunting you may want to try removing the apeture all together and using the housing itelf as a "ghost ring". Bigger is better cuz it's brighter for hunting.

[884savage]

Shredder can you post a picture of one you have made? I have. Lyman peep, and I can't find the name of it, or I would order fiber optic for the front.

As far as the ghost ring goes, does that Mean just completely unscrewing the back peep? Just making sure I understand what ghost means

[Rick Hodges]

"does that Mean just completely unscrewing the back peep?"

Yes, you will be looking through the threaded hole. It works and helps some. There are also large apertures that will allow more light in than most target discs. Unfortunately peep sights will still go dark before a scope with heavy crosshairs. The scope enables the hunting day to be 1/2 hour a day longer.

[birddog]

Had the same scenario back in 93 on an elk hunt. Lost sight of target with no sight acquisition at all. I had installed the lyman peep sight on my hawkens and while shooting at the range in normal light all was well. Not the same story when I got in the dark timber. Needless to say the old bull walked away and I was about to wrap a nice hawkens around the closest tree.
Charlie

[NSB]

Last night I had 4 does come into about 70 yards, which is well within my range. I raised up hoping to shot, and the front peep sight just didn't exist. I halfway expected it, but was still disappointed. If that front sight would have been bright or even glowing that doe would have been shot. Does a metallic sharpie, white out, or painting the front sight with glow paint help? Is there a better way? If you give a suggestion for a different sight, a link to a picture would really help. Thanks guys.
Front peep sight? What kind of sight do you have on the front and what kind of rifle are you shooting. There are a LOT of options on the market to help you see your sights better in dim light. I'd like to know what you're using now and what kind of gun it's on before making specific suggestions. I've run into the problem you're talking about regarding low light in the morning and evening and I've had great success in overcoming that problem. Just need to know where to start.

[Omnivore]

Yeah, the first most obvious thing would be to remove the aperture and use the threaded hole as a large aperture. The "ghost ring" concept has been around for a long time, and unless you're trying to shoot flies off the heads of your game it is plenty accurate.

Of course the thing to have done before that would be practicing in conditions similar to your hunting scenario. Sorry; but fair weather practice on a nice day at a club range with nicely marked distances and shooting benches is near worthless unless you have new equipment to test or you're working up loads and such.

My Lyman sights consist of an aperture rear tang sight (with screw-in aperture removed) and a faux ivory bead front sight. So far I haven't had a problem with that set up. Took a nice, young buck with it this November, and before that a doe in the last few minutes of legal hunting hours (so it was getting dark) in the brush.

I have a Zouave rifle with a black, square front sight post, and since an all-black front post can disappear in low light, I took a square graver and very carefully cut a line down the center of it, then filled that line with a white china marker. Now it provides contrast no matter what you're aiming at. The orange stripe sights do the same thing, bit I suppose fiber optics are superior.

[884savage]

I have a lyman rear tang that I can unscrew the aperture from. Sounds like I should. The front is a black post enclosed in a black ring. Sorry, it's a new gun, and I don't know the name of the sight. I believe it is a lyman 57 peep. The gun is a Lyman Great Plains Hunter.

[NSB]

I have a lyman rear tang that I can unscrew the aperture from. Sounds like I should. The front is a black post enclosed in a black ring. Sorry, it's a new gun, and I don't know the name of the sight. I believe it is a lyman 57 peep. The gun is a Lyman Great Plains Hunter.
I'd go along with unscrewing the peep aperture and using the sight as a ghost ring for low light shooting. With this type of gun that would be all you'd need for a rear sight at the distances you'd be shooting. I'd take the front sight out and replace it with a Williams green fiber optic front sight. Green shows up better in low light than red or orange. Measure the height of the sight you take out from the bottom of the sight to the top of the sight and replace it with a Williams of the same height. I've put these sights on Sharps type rifles and they work very well in low light. I've had the same problem with a "disappearing" front blade in low light conditions. For hunting the fiber optic can't be beat.
92243

[BruceB]

[QUOTE=884savage;2552155]Last night"...... and the front peep sight just didn't exist."QUOTE]


Use a big rear aperture and a post up front. Results will be much better.... but do a good bit of practice before hunting season.

Take a look at most military rifles with aperture REAR sights. Virtually all of them have post-style front sights, because posts simply work.... in almost any condition in which the sights can be used, posts just simply work. The rifle should be zeroed so that the bullet impacts right at the top of the post at the zero range.

To see a really effective low-light iron-sight system, look at a #4 Mk1 Enfield. The rear "battle sight" has a huge aperture, and the front is a simple post. Fast as lightning, good visibility even in poor light.... it's about the epitome of good field sights for hunting (or war!).

P.S.: I see that while I was typing my response, you stated the front sight is not an aperture. That is GOOD. Definitely, remove the rear aperture from the sight for hunting. That alone will help a great deal.

[NSB]

The fiber optic will be better for hunting. Unless you plan on using this rifle as a military weapon, I'd stay away from the post idea. I've personally used all combinations and I'm not blind. The fiber optic shows up much, much better than a dark post. For target shooting in good light the post is better. For hunting in a variety of light conditions the fiber optic is better. Most guns come with fiber optics now and there's a good reason for that. If you look at the picture I posted above, you'll see a couple of post sights. They didn't work as well as the fiber optic. I also used several globe sights with a variety of inserts. They didn't work as well as the fiber optic for hunting. They are better target sights but don't work well as hunting sights except in the middle of the day with good light.

The military has gone to fiber optic/red dot sights for their combat arms for better target acquisition. However, they'd look a little out of place on your plains rifle.

[884savage]

After looking it up online, I have a front globe sight. Sounds like I should remove that and put a fiber optic sight. I'll keep looking. Thanks for all of the replies. Keep the ideas coming

[mooman76]

A florescent paint or good bright white would help. Should help allot but you could try it and look through it under similar light conditions to make sure. White out wouldn't stay good but easy to reapply and could be a good thing if you want to remove it later.

[shredder]

Shredder can you post a picture of one you have made? I have. Lyman peep, and I can't find the name of it, or I would order fiber optic for the front.

As far as the ghost ring goes, does that Mean just completely unscrewing the back peep? Just making sure I understand what ghost means

Fast posters today! By the time I got back for a gander at this thread, a mere couple of hours, it looks like you have had the castboolits patented avalnche of information!!

I have had to pass on an animal because of my target style front sight. Fibre optic all the way for hunting.

[BruceB]

Just a couple more comments:

1. Fiber optics can be fragile. My daughter's Remington 870 'house gun' had a factory-mounted fiber-optic front sight, and somehow the glow element disappeared. The sight is still usable, after a fashion, but the fact remains that the color element is gone, without the gun ever being used out-of-doors except at the range..

2. White sights sound fine, but what if it snows? What if your shot is backlit by sky or water? Bright fluorescent paint is likely better.

I detect some antipathy toward "military" sights. I've used plain posts with aperture rear sights for about fifty years, in all climates and weather conditions. They just work.....at least for me (and probably a whole bunch of other old geezers).

[dondiego]

BruceB - I like the military sights with the post also. They just shoot well. I recently observed my friend pull his rifle out of the case and his fiber optic was gone. I have seen this before on another friend's shotgun. They sure do show up well in low light if they stay put though.

[gnoahhh]

I use aperture rear sights on all my hunting rifles, combined with either a Merit iris disc that opens-closes the aperture to suit current lighting conditions, or else a selection of aperture discs of various diameters again to suit light conditions. For front sights I like a gold bead. Not a bead made from some kind of fake gold or brass, but real gold. I knock the old bead off and solder on a small chunk of gold and shape it with Swiss files to the size bead I want. The gold comes from one of my old wedding bands. (I'm glad to finally find a good use for them!!) Gold has a luster that I find to be just right for most all light conditions, and it won't tarnish over time.

[884savage]

So, I painted the front pin with white out. I noticed that when I had the front globe unscrewed and off that I could see that white pin beautifully. When I screwed it back on to hold the pin in place, the shadow it cast messed me right back up. Anyone tried glow in the dark paint?

[884savage]

I just tried some glow in the dark paint as well. All I had was the type you paint your wife's TA TAs with. It didn't work either. Anyone tried an effective glow paint. Now I have an opened tube of glow paint and sights that don't glow. I hate wasting the rest of that tube.

[BruceB]

One VERY effective front sight was the old Redfield "Sourdough".

I believe someone is making a copy today, and I might have seen it in Brownell's catalog.

It is a post-style square-topped blade, but the top rear corner is beveled at 45 degrees, with a brass insert on that beveled face.

Against bright light, it looks like a regular post. With light BEHIND or above the shooter, the brass catches the light and gives a prominent aiming reference.

Because it's a post, it's durable. because it has no danged "hood", the light is not blocked from the sight.

Brass does tarnish, but this can be slowed by polishing it bright, and then applying clear nail-polish or something similar to keep air away from the metal.

[country gent]

As big a rear appeture as possible will let as much light into the eye as possible. aA wide front post with under cut back and dead flat black or if you perfer a very flat color. Glossy sight change point of impact with varying light conditons. At rifle matches ( service rifles) a miners carbide lamp is used to get a dead flat black front sight post. The Hi vis /glow front sights sell more inserts than sights. I know several that use them and they keep spares in thier gear for when it breaks falls out rather than if it does. The ghost ring rear and post front is one of the fastest sight systems there is. The trick to the appeture rear is not to look at it but thru it. The eye natyrally centers looking thru the appeture to the next point. By looking thru your only trying to focus on 2 points front sight and target which is much easier for the eye to do. I have made front sight with brass, silver and gold inserts in the face for others. Paint will work oarnge yellow green red are all used depending on prefrence.

[pietro]

If you give a suggestion for a different sight, a link to a picture would really help. Thanks guys.




Your white out front sight blade solution will only work a bit longer than a gold/ivory bead, because it only reflects the light that comes from behind the shooter.

I've been using a fiber-optic front sight on all my sighted rifle, since the FO sights were first introduced, because an FO sight gathers light from the front end and also from the top/sides also - making it useful until there's no light at all.

The FO front sight blades come in the same bead sizes as Williams/Marbles/Lyman beads: 1/16" (fine) & 3/32" (coarse), in multiple heights for any application including receiver peep sights, and in various colors (red, green, amber, yellow, orange, etc) to accommodate various folk's color perception.

http://www.williamsgunsight.com/gunsights/images/63331fp94seset.jpg

Of course, when it's completely dark (after legal shooting hours in most states), the only thing that will allow sighting is a good scope.


.

[mooman76]

Sounds like your issue is with the rear site and need a larger peep hole. I had the same problem in archery with the peep site near sunset in the woods. Couldn't see my pin sites so I got a larger peep.

[dragon813gt]

Not the best picture but if you zoom in you can see the brass front post.
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/Firearms/7DD280AF-E3B9-4D85-90DB-BDC72A685BFA-2609-000001932A05D742.jpg

I went with brass because it's visible sooner than a black post in low light conditions. I did not know this when ordering it I didn't want to have to worry about rebluing a post after I filed it down. But it disappears if you're out in a field on a bright sunny day. But I don't hunt in these conditions so it doesn't bother me one bit. I don't take the aperture out to hunt. The one installed is a good size for most conditions. It only takes two seconds to pop out if need be.

[fouronesix]

Maybe if it's so dark you can't see the sights or target then it's too dark to shoot and track. :roll:

Otherwise, larger rear peep hole and a medium width flat top front blade or post. Oh, that's already been suggested. Just another old geezer's opinion. After all we're not talking shooting leopards at dark thirty but supposedly hunting deer during the day during legal shooting hours.

[NSB]

Posts are great for target shooting and even shooting at deer during the middle of the day in good light. Problem with deer is that they are most active very early and very late, and still legal shooting hours. FO will show up better than a dark post at that time.

[wgr]

i like a large peep rear sight and a german silver blade on the front

[marquette]

I use Williams WGRS apertures with their front fire sight. I usually use their largest aperture. With my aging eyes i can see to shoot 50-100 yds at sunset on a clear winter day here in MN. If it is a typical grey cloudy afternoon I am down to about 35-65 yds at sunset. Being able to hunt for 30 minutes after sunset is pretty much a waste for my eyes with iron sights. More the issue with the fire sight is that I am limited to about 150 yds even in bright light because the sight covers half a deer at that distance. I use a Williams hood on my front sight to protect the fiber optic. It is open on top to let light in.

[chickenmcnasty]

I did use some glow paint that is actually meant for fishing jigs. It was bright and seemed to help . I can get more info if you are interested.

[Skipper]

I use these. They seem to work very well

http://glowinc.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=2

http://glow-on.com/guns.html

[gnoahhh]

I think the heart of the OP's problem is that he's trying to use a globe front sight for hunting. No matter what color/style/composition his front bead is, it is compromised by the fact that it's hidden inside the shadow of the tube/hood. For hunting, I would remove that sight and install a simple un-covered sight of the type described by most of the responders- they're all good by-and-large. Restrict the globe sight to target shooting in the off-season.

[884savage]

I took the globe off and immediately realized the errors of my ways. I'll likely stop by the local bass pro and get some jig paint as well. Great excuse to re-sight in the gun.

[Omnivore]

...try it and look through it under similar light conditions to make sure.

That's the ticket. Try it in various conditions and you'll never be surprized again. That reminds me of a famous quote; something along the lines of, "Fear the man with only one rifle. He probably knows how to use it." You know, 'cause it's the only one he has and he's worked with it in all kinds of scenarios and conditions.

I still like the black post with a white line down the middle (cut and filled, not painted). I bead blasted the back of mine so it doesn't shine, then cut the line down the middle, then blued it, then filled i the line with china white. I can't find a lighting condition, or target, where it doesn't show up. Aim at snow; the black on both sides of the post shows up. Aim at coal; the white center line shows up. Aim at something of a medium luminosity; the blach-white-black all shows up. If there's enough light to see a target, there's enough to see your sight. You'll see some revolvers with blaze orange front sights from the factory. I suppose "day-glow" orange paint would be better than nothing. I know a guy who uses a blaze orange plastic tape on all his guns' front sights, but I'd likely end up pulling it off my accident in the brush.

If you're out in direct sun, that hood over the front sight will be very welcome indeed. There's a good reason why they exist, but in low light they don't help anything. Ideally a hood should be removable, as it is on a Marlin 336.