Sight Picture?

[Lee]

Just looking for some opinions on what type of sight picture works best for some folks. Background: Lots and lots of square pistol sights. Lots and lots of 'scope sights. Just starting to get into iron sights and on rifles, it can get a mite confusing. Lets say a "v" notch or buckhorn type rear sight, and perhaps a dot or post front sight. What sort of sight picture should I be aiming for to achieve a measure of consistency??
The old eyes ain't so good no more, and putting a dot at the "bottom" of a v-type sight seems to leave room for error. Would a shallow v work better than a deep notched v?? Why have a deep notch v at all??
All insights welcomed...............Thanks..................... .....Lee:)

[DOUBLEJK]

My eye's have went south also n I find that the best open sight for me is a reciever peep with a flat black post front with a white stripe up the middle of the post....the bead's gold, ivory etc. all look fuzzy and my vertical dispersion suffers....werks wonders fer old eye's...

[Bucks Owin]

I think that when it comes to open sights, there's a reason that target rifles old and new, use aperture ("peep") sights....

My eyes aren't what they used to be either. I'm thinking of trying "ghostring" sights on one of my wheelguns to see if it's an improvement over the Patridge sights that most handguns wear. Ghostring sights are, as near as I can tell, nothing more than a rear peepsight with a large aperture. The front sight isn't changed. I've heard good things about them from guys like me who've tried them...

FWIW,

Dennis

[NVcurmudgeon]

Like many, I prefer an aperture receiver rear/front post combination for target shooting. I have best results when holding at 6:00 on a black bull, with a sliver of light between the bull and the top of the post. I keep a selection of screw-in apertures in my range box to accomodate various light conditions. For hunting and plinking a gold bead front/ large aperture rear works well for me. Also, when sighting in, taking a 6:00 hold on a large black bull is a pretty good sight picture for me, when I balance the black ball on top of the gold one.

[waksupi]

Apertures for me. I have a Lyman on my current hunting rifle, and am putting a nice old Redfield on my new one. I put an orange fiberoptic sight on my older rifle, and am trying the green colored one on the new one. Both from Brownells. For the rear aperture, I have one of the Merit Corporation adjustable iris for both sights. Great for target, and hunting, all in the same package.
For hunting, I have the bullet fall directly in the center of the bead, so I can cover the kill zone, at the close ranges I hunt here. For longer range, I can still put the top of the bead on an animal, and the bullet will still fall into the heart/lung area, without holding over the animal. Works good in the .358 Win, to my 200 yard limit. I used to have it sighted so the bullet hit a couple inches high at a hundred, until I played around wioth my current method. For target shooting, i still crank it up, so point of impact, is at the two inches high level.

[Bucks Owin]

Ever notice that it seems factory handgun sights never seem to have enough adjustment "down" unless you fire full tilt ammo? Even with a 6 o'clock hold? Makes it kinda hard to shoot light boolits or reduced velocity loads...

I've found that I've resorted to taking a "fine bead" as a stopgap measure. That is, dropping the front sight down in the rear sight. This is a pain because then it seems the shots string horizontally depending where the sun is. With my 10" Ruger I've painted a thin white line (using whiteout) about 1/4 of the way down the front sight. (The Bic whiteout is fairly durable) I use this line as a reference for "fine bead" at 25 yds and as a "holdover point" for long range shots. (150 yds is about right with a 250K bullet at 1270 fps which is my favorite sillywet load)

Hopefully, those replacement ghost ring sights will allow me more leeway in adjustment for "sighting in" with various combinations I use for silhouette shooting. The factory Micro sight would be usefull for shooting at about 300 yds I think!?! :roll:

FWIW,

Dennis

My M19 Smith is just as bad sightwise, not enough "down"....

[Dale53]

BucksOwin;
My S&W Mod 29 - 8 3/8" wouldn't shoot to sights when I got it. I was shooting in the Winter Nat'ls (IPSC many years ago) and one of the top East Coast gunsmiths was set up there. He swapped out a higher front sight and I have been happy since.

Many Smith's have replaceable front sights. Do some serious testing and determine how much higher. Smith may have it in stock. The cost will be minimal. No sense in having a set of adjustable sights that don't work:( .

You wonder sometimes, what these factories are thinking (mostly, NOT thinking I would guess).

At any rate, take the time to get things right and you will be a MUCH happier camper.

Dale53

[Bucks Owin]

BucksOwin;
My S&W Mod 29 - 8 3/8" wouldn't shoot to sights when I got it. I was shooting in the Winter Nat'ls (IPSC many years ago) and one of the top East Coast gunsmiths was set up there. He swapped out a higher front sight and I have been happy since.

Many Smith's have replaceable front sights. Do some serious testing and determine how much higher. Smith may have it in stock. The cost will be minimal. No sense in having a set of adjustable sights that don't work:( .

You wonder sometimes, what these factories are thinking (mostly, NOT thinking I would guess).

At any rate, take the time to get things right and you will be a MUCH happier camper.

Dale53

MY 8.375" M29-2 was OK in sightwise, maybe I lucked out.

I'm thinking of a pair of Crimson Trace grips for the M-19 "one of these days"...

The ol' 10" Flattop will get a front sight from a 4 5/8" Blackhawk when it goes back to Ruger for a reblue this coming winter. I don't want to mess with the silver soldered sight myself...

But yes, I agree. What are they NOT thinking? :roll:

Taking a "fine bead" on a white line is definately a band aid where stitches are really needed!

Dennis

[Dale53]

I just re-read my post above and I want to make sure that I am understood. I was shooting in the IPSC Winter Nat'ls, alright, but I was using a 1911 in the match. I talked to the gunsmith that was set up there and broght my Mod 29 8 3/8" the next day for a sight swap. He was kind enough to do it gratis (it was Austin Behlert).

Didn't want anyone to think that I was shooting a Mod 29 8 3/8" in the match!:mrgreen:

Dale53

[slughammer]

... (it was Austin Behlert).

Didn't want anyone to think that I was shooting a Mod 29 8 3/8" in the match!:mrgreen:

Dale53

I thought you were shooting in the He-Man/Masochist division. :Fire:

IIRC I have a Behlert hammer and sear in my 1911. Been there 10 years and untold cycles.

[Bucks Owin]

Didn't want anyone to think that I was shooting a Mod 29 8 3/8" in the match!:mrgreen:

Dale53

Why not? I'll bet Harry Callahan would....:Fire:

Dennis :D