Making all black sights more visible

R

RetiredMajor

New member
What have you done to make your handgun sights more visible? On some guns both the front and rear sights are all black and hard to pick up quickly. What works best, paint, nail polish?

Major
 
Well, I haven't tried everything, but I use Testors model paint, White. Makes a ton of difference, very durable, but easy to remove with Testors paint thinner, without harming the finish. I also tried Red on the rear, but prefer all white.
I've seen some "glow in the dark" paints, but all require "charging" under a bright light before use, and I just don't see myself doing that everytime I step out.
 
I've used aerosol sight-black (literally soot in a can) in the past when I've had it handy. I've also used flat black paint (Orchard Supply sells large cans of their house brand paint for $1.99@ can on sale- it's pretty good) and even a black Sharpie in a pinch.

I think you'll probably end up back at black sights as your eyes age. The sharp contrast offered by a black front sight helps. I've found blacking the front sight only is the most productive, as you're trying to focus on the front sight anyway, not the rear.
 
Birchwood Casey makes touch up sight paint that I've had pretty good success with. I'd guess that model paint would work just as well though.
 
Base coat of "Appliance scratch white enamel", from walmart. Then a top coat of Red Flourescent Enamel, from hobby shop. Testors would be fine. Next one I do, is going to be Flaourescent green. On the latest handgun, which was a GP, I only painted the top third or what was in the rear sight pucture, red and left the rest white. Like a match might look. .... ;)
I usually use a toothpick as the brush .... ;)


Be Safe !!!
 
Orange finger nail polish worked fine for me. Made the front sight on my GP100 considerably more visible and I guess time will tell how long it lasts.
 
+1 to what Pahoo posted, I used white paint as the base then I added some florescent Orange paint, I have tried the light green, but the Orange shows up better for me. :)
 
I have the trijicon night sights but during the day the black on black of the front/rear combo is tough to get a picture of quickly. I used Testors in a hot rod red around the front sight (not covering the lighted portion) when I decide to get rid of these I will probably go fiber op.
 
Testors model paint is reported to work well. I have always used a bright nail polish, over a white base coat, followed up by a clear coat.
 
Pahoo said:
I usually use a toothpick as the brush ....
Click to expand...
+1

Here's how the Testors looks. I'm not an Artiste, so....:o

sw.442.sights.jpg


bwsights.jpg
 
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I used white nail polish as a base and added bright red for the front sight and neon green for the rear sight. Works wonders on my single six and really helps.
 
I forgot to add that if you need to restore or apply a DOT, use the same base white application and just dot with the end of the toothpick. I stated that my next one was going to be a green flourescent and looks like I will have to go with Testor or some enamel from a hobby shop.

The white base really makes them glow, much like or equal to Fiber-Optics. .:)


Be Safe !!!
 
Personally I like Testors flourescent green on the front sights. The green shows up well on all targets and objects that I shoot. The orange tends to get lost on the red bulls or marks on the target. White to me gets lost on the Q type targets and bowling pins. I've tried a variety of other colors including yellow, red, hot pink and probably several others over the years. I keep coming back to the green. I keep a bottle handy. I degrease with a little non chloronated break cleaner (Gunscrubber) or alcohol and use a cotton swab, cheap store brands are better, and carefully stroke it on. I've tried over coating with glear top coat smuggled out of my wife or daughters fingenail polish supply but it does not seem to materially inprove the durability of the job.
 
The only sight I ever painted, I just used whiteout figuring when it wore off, I'd just redo it. 15 years later, it still hasn't worn off lol.

I cut a small piece of glow in the dark red tubing used to make squid lures and slipped it over the front sight post of an old Mosin Nagant because I can't see it otherwise. I tipped the very top of the tubing with whiteout. That's held up now for about 6 years.
 
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