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Posted: 1/28/2008 5:17:56 AM EDT
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Okay, stupid qustion but.... When using the iron site and at 100 yds, I find it difficult to identiify the site against the target (both being black). Is it reasonable to paint the tip of the front site to give better contrast when looking at dark targets? |
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Yes, you can do this, but you must think hard about it before diving in. Here's why. The goal is to have a solid contrast between the sight post and the target. The black post is designed for two things. Quick aquisition and accuracy. This is a compromise between the two by the nature of the design. If your're willing to give up quick aquisition, a lighter color might work for you, but remember, Will the target ALWAYS be black or dark? If not you'll be in trouble. Imagine trying to hit a WHITE target with a WHITE front post. Same true for black on black. See what I mean? It's all about contrast. Some guys use the trijicon (glowing) post with good success. Some use glowing model paint. There's lot's of options here. It just depends on what's best for you. I had a problem seeing the target properly off the top of the post at long distances (200m and up), due to distortion, I believe it's known as Chromatic abberation. In other words, there was a slight halo or wave of distortion at top of the post in cotrast with the center of target. I got around this by grinding the tip (uniformly) at an angle on all four sides, creating sort of a triangular tip, with a very fine point on it. I then painted it grey. Yes grey, it's halfway between black and white. This worked wonders for me. I improved my accuracy tremendously at all ranges. Of course, it's no good for combat anymore, so I keep a spare, unmolested post on hand. You might want to look into this. If you do, make sure you buy an extra front sight post or two, in case you screw it up. Also, be very careful when grinding so as to not go too far, or grind unevenly. It takes time and patience. It's critical that all sides be even and uniform. That's my two Cents. BTW. Are you a heli driver. NOTAR = No-Tail-Rotor. MD 520?  |
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Thanks much. All are extremely good points. In general, if I were to have white targets, they would be more of a silhouette style plate and the vertical aim error would somewhat be dismissed by the height of the target. My idea was only a thin line at the top of the post...maybe .030 inch. That way, the rest of the post would give me reasonable area for acquisition of light colored targets. The targets I shoot are 12" diameter and black. At 100 yards, the post is as wide as the target so I can't tell its postion to the center of the target. I could use the side acquistion method which I just read about. I might try that first. Another possibility was to adjust the front sight for using the lollipop method. I basically dismiss this as I tend to prefer point of aim=point of impact. Actually, I am a Field Rep. for the Company that makes the NOTAR. |
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