Glow in the dark front sight paint?

D

Delaware_Dan

New member
I am looking for suggestions on what paint to use for the front sight of my GP100. The GP is now pulling HD duty so the black front sight has to go. I would like to get some glow in the dark stuff but I'm not sure yet. There is a ton of fingernail polish at my house (living with 2 women) in all sorts of colors, so I was also thinking maybe a pearlescent green? I am not sure what will hold up so I am seeking opinions from people who have painted a front sight. Paints to avoid would be great as well. Thanks in advance. -Dan
 
Paints can easily be re-applied. If it is just sitting around your bedroom, it should hold up well anyway. The thing you will have to remember is that unlike tritium, the glow in the dark paint has to be "charged" by a light source. If you keep your gun in a small handgun safe in your bedroom, this is probably not a good option. If it is sitting out and exposed to a light source, you will have to experiment and see how long it has to be exposed to that light source and then how long the "charge" will last. If it is a rainy or overcast day, you will not get as much of a "charge" on your glow in the dark paint, maybe not enough at all, I don't know. If you can afford it, look into the Crimson Trace laser grips. I think this is a MUCH better option.
 
Fiber optic or tritium will give you much better results.

I've tried with paints expressly intended for this purpose, Tru-Glo paint I think it's called. It's junk.
 
Our daughter works at Hot Topic and brought
home a selection of Neon nail polish to try out on my wife's Ruger LCP. After trying out several combinations we decided that a Neon Orange front sight with a bright white bar under the rear sight worked best with Neon Pink a good second choice. Whatever color you choose start with a white base and paint your color of choice over it...makes it appear much brighter than just painting directly on the slide.

We have Tritium night sights and Crimson Trace laser grips on my wife's SIG M228, my S&W M&Pc, and the "house" Glock 19...all in 9mm. The Glock also has a Surefire X100 QD flashlight mounted on the rail. Wife's buying a CT laser for her LCP tonight and would get one for her Para .45 PDA if CT would make a set that fit. Our Taurus PT-1911AR .45 has Heinie night sight inserts in its factory "Straight Eight" and a tiny Laserlyte mounted on the rail. My Kel-Tec PF-9 has a CAT laser mounted on the rail and a Neon Pink front sight to go with the factory white dots in the rear (works better than it sounds). We've found that lasers give us the ability to shoot both faster and more accurately. Plus they gives us options to holding the gun in front of our eyes...like sticking it around a corner and aiming with the hallway mirror... :D

Milspec
 
Glow in the dark front sight paint

I have been ther and dun that....
Over 20 years ago I bought a small bottle of Glow In The Dark [Luminus] paint at our local HOBBY SHOP.
If you have "an access of finger nail polish' then pick the color your eye is attracted to and use it. I have mixed [My eyes are attracted to yellow.] yellow paint and luminus paint 50/50 and put it on front sights before.
 
I tried phosphorescent red, pink and green, which were ok but not as good as expected. For me, plain ol' white works the best.
 
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I would not bet my life on any night sights, paint especially, that I had not first tested by trying to sight inside a darkroom with them after they spent the previous 6 hours in an unlit enviroment.

If you're serious about hitting your target, tritium is the way.

If you're serious about hitting the correct target, and not your dog or kid - than a SureFire flashlight technique had better be learned, with the gun in one hand, the light in the other, and the hands together, crossed back-to-back.

.
 
I would not bet my life on any night sights, paint especially, that I had not first tested by trying to sight inside a darkroom with them after they spent the previous 6 hours in an unlit enviroment.

If you're serious about hitting your target, tritium is the way.
Click to expand...

Just get the tritium sights and be done with it.
 
Just get the tritium sights and be done with it.
Click to expand...

Big +1

As mentioned multiple times already, if the phosphorus is not "charged" with a light source, it won't glow. Even if it does glow, it cannot compare to tritium sights. If you are on a budget, just get the front sight since that is what you should always focus on anyways.

JohnKSa did a great write up on the effectiveness of night sights. (Link)

Even with a good flashlight, the night sights reduced target acquisition time and improved accuracy if there was not enough light to see the sights. Assuming this is for home defense, you do not want to flip on all the lights. If you are a heavy sleeper, the bad guy might already be near you.

No offense, but please remember to be really sure of who you are pointing the gun at. If it is dark enough to need night sights, take the extra second or two to make sure it is not a family member.
 
Unless you want to shell out a lot of money

Unless you want to shell out a lot of money, start with the simplest solution, which is phosphorescent paint, just sounds like so obvious, glows in the dark by itself:rolleyes: I found the stuff here

Tritium is faint at best and so small dots it is a job of talents to put three dots in line but check this out:
flat_leafb.jpg
 
Unless you want to shell out a lot of money, start with the simplest solution, which is phosphorescent paint, just sounds like so obvious, glows in the dark by itself
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It has to be exposed to light to glow.

Pull the gun out of the drawer after a couple days and you will see ...NOTHING.

You MUST ID your target.

Get a good flashlight and practice holding it while shooting.

Night sites are good when you KNOW the target is hostile.

Not so good if you have a housemate.
 
Glow in the dark front sight paint

LUMINUS/Glow in the dark front sight paint
I have a 25 year old 1 ounce bottle of Glow in the dark front sight paint, that was bought at a HOBBY SHOP for less than $2.00. It can be mixed with other paints to get a different color.
Hoppies #9 and other cleaning agents will easily remove fingernail polish.
Luminus paint stays on, with no problem.
 
I hope this is not butting in. I am also interested in this subject.

Gatopardo, or others that may know. How long does the luminescent light stay bright and visible when removed from the light sourse that has charged it? Does it become less effective over time? How about when you are in full light situations, does it reduce the effectiveness of the sights?

Thanks,
James
 
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Luminus paint stays on, with no problem.
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But it needs exposure before use to light to be excited and glow.

Pull the gun out of the drawer after a week and it will NOT be glowing until 'charged' be exposure to light.

Pull a gun with tritium night sites out and it wil be glowing for a major fraction of the 12.32 year half life, and possibly longer depending on the fill level.
 
with the $ issue in mind, fiber optic sights are a nice, fairly inexpensive solution to your problem. and i must second the notion that any tactical mounted light or "non" mounted sure fire is always a great partner to any handgun. blind em' first, and simeltaneously identifying what you're aiming at.
 
I use the luminious paint on the front sight only on my revolvers. It is so that I can pick up the front sight quickly if needed, and not particulary for night use. After the first shot and the "flash", it will glow.

Sincerely, use a color that is NOT natural in the environment, so that it will never blend into the background (e.g. blue, green, yellow, etc). Use a color that will stand out no matter where you find yourself.

If you don't like it, you haven't wasted much money and can always buy night sights.
 
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