Front sight character experiment

melchloboo · Post by **melchloboo** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:16 pm

To follow up on another thread, I couldn't bring myself to put a file to the front sight to create visual cues, so I decided to add a character/symbol.

Using a word processor, I found a font with symbols and picked one I liked. I was able to invert the appearance, so the character would appear white on a black background. I printed on my laser printer that has high resolution and produced a nice crisp printout. I cut out the character, put a dab of white glue on the front sight, and then attached the character.

I really like the result. I know when the character appears sharp that I am focused on the front sight. I can then bring my attention to the airspace to the left and right. I feel like I am seeing the front sight better than ever, and I know instantly when I've lost focus. If I hold too long I know to look away and rest because the blurryness of the character doesn't lie. The character is cut off slightly by the bottom of the rear sight, and is slightly askew. At first I was thinking to adjust it, but instead I think it is one more thing to keep me focused and another cue, and I have to think about not using the character as a sighting aid, only a focus aid.

Obviously the white glue won't hold forever, but I may experiment with different characters and possibly switch them from time to time so that I don't start involving the character in the sighting process, other than to make sure it is sharply visible in focus.

We'll see if this helps at the range later in the week.

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:01 am

Another more permanent solution is to use a little ladies fingernail polish. A little dab applied with a toothpick would place a dot on your front sight blade. I have an old bottle of white that I use for enhancing the sight graduation marks on service rifles. The polish stays put, resists solvents and can be removed with acetone without damaging the gun's original finish.

BTW, I also keep a little bottle in my pistol box to place sighting marks on my Bomar pistol sight adjustment screws to ensure that my sights are dialed in for 25 and 50 yards.

R,
Bullseye

melchloboo · Post by **melchloboo** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:28 am

Someone at my club suggested nail polish as well. But given that my job is basically to read all day, I think my brain is more tuned to try to make a letter appear in focus than a random dot. The air pistol I train with has a dot on the front sight, which is some improvement over a blank one, but not quite as "engaging" as what I think I've done here.

But if I decide to mount something longer term, then I think my wife uses some kind of clear polish that I could coat the paper with so it will last longer on the sight. I guess I would have to find something matte to avoid glare.

This has also shown me for my eyes, what feels like staring directly at something is not necessarily the best focus. It is hard to describe, but I find if I turn my head just an almost imperceptible amount I get a sharper view of the sight. I use an occluder over my weak eye, so my guess is that the slight head turn compensates for the fact my brain still thinks it can use stereo vision. A combination of eye and neck adjustment lets me settle into a comfortable position where the letter is clear on the sight without much effort. It is small, and I need to work on my concentration but I can definitely hold focus on it longer than before.

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:35 am

I look forward to hearing how your sight enhancement works for you. Anything that helps you focus better is a positive improvement.

If you don't wear corrective lenses, and turning your head slightly improves the sight picture clarity, it may be time for an eye exam. You may have a slight astigmatism, or possibly a floater impeding your vision. Wouldn't hurt to get that vision checked.

R,
Bullseye

melchloboo · Post by **melchloboo** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:28 am

I do wear corrective lenses for distance, not reading. Unfortunately the front sight on the ruger is outside my clear vision and I need the glasses to see it. I am overdue for an exam, but I have a very light prescription and people are amazed that I can sometimes see .22 holes in the black and white at 15 yards.

But now you make me think that what I am actually doing is finding the perfect angle to look through my glasses in order to see the front sight best. I wear a snug glasses holder around them while shooting but I'm sure they move around slightly between shots. Obviously the glasses were not designed for shooting, so I'm sure there are imperfections, small scratches and wear, and what I'm doing now is finding the best angle to look through them. Maybe I'll put a little rosin on the nose rests to keep them snug throughout a match so I consistently put my eyes and head in the same spot each time. Not sure that was where you were going, but thanks for the tip. I try to remember to clean them before each session, but occasionally forget.

I know some shooters get glasses or loops so their focus is perfectly on the front sight. I'm not sure I want to go that far just yet. At 33 I think I have a few more good years out of my eyes and glasses without looking like robocop at the line

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:56 am

Another way to keep corrective lenses secure is to wear ear muffs style hearing protection. The ear cups will keep your glasses in one place while firing a string.

You may be just shifting your vision through another part of the corrective lens that has the right amount of correction for clearly seeing the front sight. The optimum focal point for that distance may be at a slight angle from the normal center of the lens.

Wearing ear muffs is especially important for those who shoot high power service rifles and wear corrective lenses. Recoil from the rifle will move the lenses considerably when shooting sustained strings and that changes the aiming point of the rifle down range.

R,
Bullseye

melchloboo · Post by **melchloboo** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:59 pm

I shot some practice and a match with the character on the front sight. Basically I printed it on my computer, so it would be white on a black background. I then mounted it between two pieces of scotch magic tape, which is clear with a matte surface, so no glare. I carefully trimmed it down to fit the sight, then mounted it with a tiny dab of liquid nails.

The problem is that my range is outdoors, with the shooting line shaded. So I consider the light bad, I don't know if its the light level, or the contrast between the target area in the sun causes the eyes to adjust for the target area rather than the shaded shooting area. So I don't think my new sight helps as much as it could.

But in any case, I think I shot slightly better and reduce hopping back and from the target. I found a cap light that fits on the brim of my cap and projects light towards the front sight from 4 leds, which definitely helped. So I think it made a modest improvement, and would do even better under better lighting conditions. Maybe if I use tinted glasses to cut down on the light coming from the target area I will see the front sight even better in the shade.

As far as dryfire practice goes, I think it makes a huge difference under indoor lighting conditions. I even found it easier to use both eyes open with my glasses, which normally results in double vision of the sights. I think with practice using this new focus point, I could develop the skill to keep both eyes open much faster than without the focus point. I am not sure I will put in the time to do it, and just keep using an occluder, but if somebody wanted to overcome the double vision issue I think this might help.