TargetTalk

seeing a silhouette of your front sight?

I have been dry firing in my laundry room which is 9' and very well lit by a pair of 4' covered fluorescent lights. Aiming at a white door a few feet away, I can clearly see and focus on the front post and keep it centered while confidently releasing the trigger and then continue holding focus for a good follow through. Doing this has made me realize that in my garage range, rather that seeing the front post clearly, I'm really looking at a silhouette of my front sight. As such I think I can't really concentrate on it and get much more movement of the sight in live fire and as much as I try, my "follow through" sucks. I think I really am not truly "seeing" it, so I can't "follow through". Am I kidding myself here? Could the difference of the front post being in silhouette from less lighting create such discrepancy between dry and live fire? I'm thinking I need to hang several fluorescent units in my garage.

Hmmm

Lighting is critical, it really is. When I shoot in the basement all is well, but when I go to a competition with beautifully lit megalinks it's a dream. I put better lighting on your target if I were you.

In the laundry room you aim at a white door (with no target sheet?) , whilst in the garage you aim at a target ?

That's why I always have two sets of sights. One unpainted in black, one painted in white, both front and rear. Pretty much I can deal with any background and lighting without having to wear my shooting glasses.

therider wrote:In the laundry room you aim at a white door (with no target sheet?) , whilst in the garage you aim at a target ?

Yes, usually no target for dry fire but the issue persists if I live fire at a blank target, which I've been doing more and more.

Have you tried using a light meter at 0.7-1m above the floor in your garage.

Are you achieving the ISSF absolute minimum of 300 lux (let alone the recommended minimum of 500 lux).

How much light total is not clear from your description. In lower overall light, your pupil will be more open and the image may be less clear, especially if you have astigmatism. Also, in brighter light diffraction of light around the edge of the sight will be more noticeable and make the edges appear less crisp.

Considering your question about seeing the sight as opposed to seeing the silhouette of the sight, if your sight is true black all you will ever see is the silhouette - black is defined as the absence of light. There is very little light reflected back from your sight (especially, if you use a sight blackener like soot) and the edges are only ever visible as a contrast from a lighted area in front of it. That's why target shooters use a sub-six hold - black sights vanish against the black ground of a target.

IMHO, of course.

Roger

toddinjax wrote:

therider wrote:In the laundry room you aim at a white door (with no target sheet?) , whilst in the garage you aim at a target ?

Yes, usually no target for dry fire but the issue persists if I live fire at a blank target, which I've been doing more and more.

It is also a matter of colours, is't it?
In one of my shooting clubs walls are white and surgery light green. I can see the sights perfectly. In the other club there is pine wood and light brown, and I have realized that I am squeezing my eye all the time to sharpen the contour of the front size.

Get a +0.50 diopter lens. I suspect that will clear it all up for you.

Update: I bought an inexpensive hanging fluorescent shop light to put over my firing line and upgraded the mid range section of lighting with more wattage and can report great improvement. Problem solved.