Paint for Sights: S&W M&P Shield

M

MrBot

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OK, I'm thinking about painting the basic 3-white dot sights S&W put on my EDC piece. ..just wondering what might be a good approach to this project? I've read where yellow or green is highly recommended but I see a lot of orange out there too. Since I carry @ night I'm thinking maybe something like Gun Glow phosphorescent gun sight paint might be a good choice for both front & rear and maybe surround the front dot with maybe a bright color like green, yellow or orange finger nail polish for day sighting. But really I'm not really sure what to do with the rear sight. Maybe just blacken it out as I've read the opinion you don't really need to pay much attention to the rear sight in a SD situation. Or just paint the two dots with the Gun Glow? Heck, I don't know. ..could always just leave it all alone. Or could pony up the $ for something like the XS Big Dot or maybe the Ameriglo I-Dot sights. ..reading where lots of folks say night sights are a waste so maybe it's just a nervousness on my part to always wanna tinker. But if it doesn't hurt anything I'll just end up richer for the experience. No harm, no foul.
 
I'm not much into painting sights.

IMO,the 3 dots on my M+P don't suit my old eyes too well. Its like the rear sight ones are bright,and catch my eyes. I have to hunt through the bright rear dots to find the one that matters most,the front. I could try hitting the rear dots with a sharpy.Alcohol takes sharpy off.

I notice Wilson Combat sells an M+P sight that is a Tritium front bead and a tritium horizontal bar under the rear notch.

I think I could work with that.....but for now,I'm leaving it alone.
 
I have used Testors fluorescent enamel paint on three dot sights and it works well.

I tried the glow paint stuff that was supposed to glow in the dark after being "charged" in or under bright light and was hugely disappointed. The stuff I got only glowed faintly for a fairly short time after charging for hours. And it dried to a dirty off-white color that actually made the dots less visible in daylight. As a substitute for tritium night sights, I thought it was completely useless.
 
Same here, the luminous paint was a bust.
I have a Luminova watch dial that glows well after exposure to direct sun, but not for long.
 
White dots work for me as well as anything colored. Glow in the dark paint is a waste of time in my experience. If practical/possible my 1st choice is a weapons mounted light. I understand that it is not possible on many guns or even practical for many carry guns. But if possible I think it is the best option. Real night sights are my 2nd choice. Most of my go-to guns have night sights on them and the ability to accept a light. Some of the subcompacts won't take a light.

I've never used them on a handgun, but have some experience with fiber optic lights on long guns. They don't help in complete darkness, but it takes very little light for them to jump out at you in very low light situations. I think the biggest negative is that they appear a bit fragile and I'd think could be broken easier.
 
pblanc said:
I have used Testors fluorescent enamel paint on three dot sights and it works well.

I tried the glow paint stuff that was supposed to glow in the dark after being "charged" in or under bright light and was hugely disappointed. The stuff I got only glowed faintly for a fairly short time after charging for hours. And it dried to a dirty off-white color that actually made the dots less visible in daylight. As a substitute for tritium night sights, I thought it was completely useless.
Click to expand...

I might have written that reply, rather than you. I've had a similar experience, and have tried several different "glowing" paints, but ended up using Testor's Fluorescent paint, with a different color on the front sight than used on the rear.

This approach is particularly effective in late afternoon and in bright light, and so-so when it gets darker. None of these paints work like good tritium sights.

I've found, too, that not all night sights are created equal. I've got some new ones that are really pretty dim, and I prefer them brighter. And if the night sights don't have a white "surround", they can be hard to see in daylight.

I've got a Streamlight TLR-4 [LASER dot and light] for my home defense gun (i.e., at night). I use the paint on guns I use at the range.
 
Clean it well - twice, then use Testors is my recommendation. If you don't like the color you used, clean it well again, and put in a drop of another color and try it. A little drop of acetone might clean the previous paint away, just let it dry well. I use a toothpic and just touch it while the slide is sitting on it's nose. So far, it's worked well. I've used the bright orange, white and yellow in the past with good results.
 
Fluorescent orange model paint for the front dot, black for the rear. I can't stand three dot sights.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
I have been using testors florescent for years. On some gun actually like it better than fiber optic sights. Recently bought a small jar of red/pink nail polish from the dollar store. Have to say it is very bright. Put a coat of Nail polish hardener over it. Working how very well.
 
Before painting a three dot system on your existing sights, try a tiny spot of paint (called a GIP) on the front sight only. Use a color easily visible by you, mine happens to be white. You want the attention to be on the front sight, not the rear. The rear sight should only be a notched shadow that the front sight fits into. The main focus is on the front sight, and the front sight only. Two dots on the rear sight can / will make your eyes focus on the rear sight. The main focus is on the front sight, and the front sight only.

Did I mention the main focus is on the front sight, and the front sight only?

Good read: https://loadoutroom.com/thearmsguide/shot-gip-weird-2-cent-trick-precision-pistol/

.
 
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