Making ML sights VISIBLE in the woods.

[Adam Helmer]

I am an OLD muzzleloader hunter on a 60-acre farm with 30 acres woods. My Hawken flinters are .45, .50 and .54 caliber and my percussion guns are a .50 Hawken and a .54 Renegade. I am age 77 and spent MANY happy hours in the dark woods and want to pass on a bit of my wisdom. I suggest ALL rifle users of iron sights paint white paint on the backside of their front sights to enable the hunters to "find" that front sight in the woods.

Try it, you may like it.

Adam

[centershot]

Hello Adm! Yes, you're correct, that little dab of white is a huge boon to visibility in the woods,it's worked well for me for 40 years! I use white nail polish, it seems to hold up better. Also, I like to remove the rear sight and put it in my vise with the rear surface facing up. Place two pieces of masking tape so that you have a narrow "post" outlined at the bottom of the "V". Paint that area white also, now your sight picture looks like an upside down exclamation point!

[Adam Helmer]

centershot,

Many thanks for your reply and insight. I have used "White Out" from the old typewriter days, white paint on a Q-tip or any other white paint application. ALL improved sight visibility in the deep woods.
Be well.

Adam

[RickinTN]

I would suspect white appliance touch up paint might stick better and last longer than most.
Rick

[LAGS]

At Hobby stores, they sell Glow in the Dark Paint like fingernail polish.
It works good on the sights , and is basically white.
But will glow a little to help you see the sights in total darkness.
I have used it on handguns before.
It ain't as bright as the Tridium sights.
But the glow is there if you just happen to need the extra sight picture.

[charlie b]

I like the glow orange for my pistols. Don't hunt so my rifles have black sights for target use.

[Rebel Dave]

I also paint my front sights with "white out". I go one step further, and cover the white out with bright dayglow orange model paint. it works for me. Shows up real brite in the Northern Wisconsin Woods. I'm 78 so my ole eyes aint what they use to be.

Dave

[centershot]

It's nice to know that all us "not-so-young" guys are still out there shootin'! Keep yer powder dry, gents!

[HamGunner]

With my CVA .32 Cal. Squirrel 24" short barrel I sort of cheated and replaced the traditional wider front sight with a fine bead Fire Sight. I am 70 years old and can see the lit up front sight really well now. Plus, the finer bead allows that little rifle to drill the bullseye at 25 yards every time. Well, at least on the first shot before the bore starts fouling.

[megasupermagnum]

I don't stop at white. I do a couple coats white, then a couple coats bright blaze orange. I don't like nail polish. The only thing I found that works is paint. Specifically I use paint markers. I always keep white, orange, and black paint markers around. The black is for when you file down your sight, you can touch up the top if you can't cold blue.

[nicholst55]

I put fiber optic sights on one of my rifles. They work a treat when you're out in the woods, hunting.

[charlie b]

FWIW, the orange sights work really well on other types of targets as well, which is why my pistols have them.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Good tip. I found that using a brass or nickel sight works IF you shape it correctly. I use a flat blade sight and file the plane that faces my eye so that it is roughly at a 45° angle. It acts like a signal mirror and takes light from above and reflects it back at my eye. HOWEVER, I do not polish it like a mirror, I leave it somewhat rough. Now I don't have a problem seeing my front sight, the rear sight on the other hand. . .

[waksupi]

Good tip. I found that using a brass or nickel sight works IF you shape it correctly. I use a flat blade sight and file the plane that faces my eye so that it is roughly at a 45° angle. It acts like a signal mirror and takes light from above and reflects it back at my eye. HOWEVER, I do not polish it like a mirror, I leave it somewhat rough. Now I don't have a problem seeing my front sight, the rear sight on the other hand. . .

I do pretty much the same. I only file the very tip, so I see a square of bright when I look at a sight.

[todd9.3x57]

I put fiber optic sights on one of my rifles. They work a treat when you're out in the woods, hunting.

me too!!!!!!

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I do pretty much the same. I only file the very tip, so I see a square of bright when I look at a sight.

That's what I started with. Then I began to wonder what happens when the lighting situation changes and say you have a bright sunny day and the sun is low on the horizon? I didn't want the little bevel to show up bright under one circumstance, then in another have the other plane brighter. So I settled on making it one, big, surface. It shows up as just like any partridge sight - only bright. Maybe I'm putting all that effort in for nothing though.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Sorry about the orientation. I can't figure out why this happens since the photo is oriented correctly when I see it on my end.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

[OverMax]

Being the same age as you Adam Helmer. If you recall T/C back in the early 80's sold a florescent red front sight as a accessory item fitting their current side locks all but the Senca and Cherokee. (I think?) I purchased a half dozen of those Red sights at that time and have mounted 3 and squirreled away the rest. Red florescent in the woods works for me. Color White I found is easier to pick up in my eyes after dark. Now if I were hunting in a patch of Balsam with big heavy green bows no doubt a white front sight would be the cats meow in those situations.