Transparent front sights

Funny Farmer · Post by **Funny Farmer** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:34 pm

Hi all,
has anybody tried out a transparent colored front sight yet? I saw them being offered in red, yellow and green. I am curious about your experiences, if any.

Robert

David Levene · Post by **David Levene** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:49 pm

Front sights with translucent coloured inserts have been discussed many times over the years.

All I will say is that, for ISSF shooting, it is extremely rare to see them being used by top level competitors.

Rover · Post by **Rover** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:16 pm

You mean you've actually seen them?

I never even heard of them, except for rifle.

David Levene · Post by **David Levene** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:25 pm

Rover wrote:You mean you've actually seen them?

If we're talking about the same thing, a translucent insert in a vertical slot in the front sight, then I first tried them (red and green versions) about 30 years ago on my GSP.

I found them a total waste of time.

Spencer · Post by **Spencer** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 5:28 pm

Now - what was the brand of European pistol that came out with a red plasic front sight that melted when shooters 'smoked' them...

coloured sights for ISSF pistol is one of those items that comes up as a fantastic new (?) idea about once every decade or so

Rover · Post by **Rover** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:18 pm

I melted the rear sight on a Gamo while trying to smoke it. It cleaned up OK with a file, though. I'll stick to smoking medicinal herbs.

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:03 pm

I think the point David was making was that if they actually were good and did anything then you'd see top shooters using them or the other thing would be the ISSF would ban them. As neither of those things are true, you can make your own decision. They may be beneficial to someone that has a specific eye problem but I don't thing they will help normal shooters shoot better scores.

john bickar · Post by **john bickar** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:13 pm

John McNally used to use one for rapid fire. He milled (or filed) a notch in his front sight and put a piece of colored fiber optic cable in the slot.

I could not see it being an advantage for the precision events, though.

JohnLK · Post by **JohnLK** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 7:34 am

I bought an orange fiber optic front sight from Don Nygord. Used it on my LP10 and then later on my 162E. Didn't use it a lot but did use it from time to time when I was shooting a lot 6 or 7 years ago. Was kind of a novelty. Didn't help much but didn't hurt much either. It was useable though.
JLK

Funny Farmer · Post by **Funny Farmer** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 7:40 am

If we're talking about the same thing, a translucent insert in a vertical slot in the front sight,

We may be talking of different types. I mean the front sights that are made of a single block of colored glass. Not the fibre glass insert that creates a small dot.

David Levene · Post by **David Levene** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:04 am

Funny Farmer wrote:
If we're talking about the same thing, a translucent insert in a vertical slot in the front sight,
We may be talking of different types. I mean the front sights that are made of a single block of colored glass. Not the fibre glass insert that creates a small dot.

We are effectively talking about the same thing although the ones I used had a thin stripe of the original black metal sight at each side.

My days of thinking that all of these "toys" will help are long gone. Provided that I don't get mind-drift then my biggest problem is holding the gun still; and that's purely down to lack of work.

JohnLK · Post by **JohnLK** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:04 am

Mine was an actual complete front sight shaped like the original.

Funny Farmer · Post by **Funny Farmer** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:06 am

I did not find a picture on the Internet so I did a quick drawing. The bottom is a metal plate or frame that screws to the base like a normal front sight. The sight itself is made of glass, the rear edge is slanted a bit. They are made for various models of match APs (Steyr LPs, Anschütz etc.) and in different colors such as red, yellow and I also saw one in clear glass once.

scerir · Post by **scerir** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 11:45 am

What about using the usual black front sight surrounded with translucent material? This way one could see the target defocused, blurry. But I do not know if such a front sight would be ISSF 'legal'.....

David Levene · Post by **David Levene** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:36 pm

scerir wrote:This way one could see the target defocused, blurry.

I always see the target "defocused, blurry". That's a side effect of looking at the sights.

scerir wrote:But I do not know if such a front sight would be ISSF 'legal'.....

If you can see the target through the material of the sights then I would class them as "optical", and therefore not allowed.

scerir · Post by **scerir** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:58 pm

David Levene wrote: I always see the target "defocused, blurry". That's a side effect of looking at the sights.

That's correct. But hypermetropic eyes, often, when focused on the front sight are also focused on the target (that is to say, they cannot see the target blurry enough).

David Levene wrote: If you can see the target through the material of the sights then I would class them as "optical", and therefore not allowed.

That's possible. "Only open sights are allowed. Optical, mirror, telescope, laserbeam, electronically projected dot sights etc., are prohibited."