A Request For Iron Sight Advice

[wyomingnimrod]

Esteemed Pistoleros, I solicit your advice for this new but not so young single action shooter.

Upfront, I know that different sight configurations are good for different things and the following question is a bit of a double-duty compromise request. Hear me out: I live and hunt in NW Wyoming near Teton and Yellowstone.

Everywhere I hike camp and hunt is grizz country. As is my yard at home. I have a FA 97 .45 Colt 5.5” that I just acquired with stock ramp front sight and notch rear.

This gun will be carried as backup defense as well as to begin my handgun hunting journey.

For defense I like a gold bead or fiber optic front with a shallow-V rear rather than the stock sights I currently have. But is a gold bead or FO front and shallow-V sufficient for handgun hunting too (with say 50 yds or so?) or would it present a handicap?
Pardon the long-winded question, economy of words is a strong-suit of mine in conversation only. Thanks in advance for any help.

[gnappi]

Well, here's my take...

I've had gold bead and FO front fights lose their purpose for being there... the bead and FO insert falling out, this is not so for a ramp front unless it fell out completely. So a ramp front with orange insert to me is best.

You didn't mention adjustment on the rear sight.

For self defense and hunting rear fixed sights are most reliable, adjustable sights for hunting if you change bullet weights. I've had fixed sights come lose in the dovetail (solved by peening them in) and adjustable lose the adjustment screw.

Buy quality sights and have them installed by a good smith and any of them will work if you know the disadvantages and potential issues of them all.

I have an FA, I'd not touch it, YMMV. 

[gnappi]

PS, your post is FAR from long winded!

[wyomingnimrod]

Thanks, Gnappi. That all makes good sense as anything mechanical can fail. I should have specified that I have adjustable rear sights. I like your idea about orange or a bright color on the ramp front sight and might consider “improving” (defacing) the front ramp and rear notch sights with a white or silver or orange paint, though that seems somewhat offensive.
Side note; I asked Bob Baker what he carries in the field and his response was a FA (of course) 97 in .41 Magnum with shallow-V rear and fiber optic front.

[kevshell]

I've bought two gold bead front sights from Fermin for my packing revolvers. I like them a lot. They draw your eye in very well. I wouldn't think twice about buying one of the fiber optics from Freedom Arms as well. I can't speak with experience about using the shallow v rear sight blade but I can't imagine it would be anywhere near as accurate for precision or distance as a traditional square notch.

[wyomingnimrod]

Thanks, Kevshell. So from your response it is safe to assume that a gold bead or fiber optic front sight used in conjunction with a notch rear sight is a good combination? Do you or anyone else use that for the stated purposes of hunting and or woods defense (predators of whatever kind at short distance in an unplanned encounter)?

[squawberryman]

If you round the corner of the barn and HE's there, I doubt you'll be lining things up!

[potatojudge]

Years ago Hamilton Bowen wrote a really good article on sights.

He promoted a white outline rear and vertical white line Baughman front sight, which has been my preferred arrangement from the first time I shot one.

Ramps wash out. V/beat are imprecise. All blue or stainless or white and even colored can blend with the target depending on conditions. The W created by the white notch/line, the sharp black target sight as the background, or the light around the front blade- one of those will let you shoot precisely and quickly in any reasonable lighting.

The only thing that's arguably better, and this is only with practice, is a reflex sight- but that's only the case if you spend serious time drawing to bring the dot cleanly to your eye without searching for it.

[bobwright]

I have long recommended adjustable sights for all use on handguns. These Millet sights are great for long range shooting. They provide an excellent sight picture and are accurately adjustable and rugged and hold their setting. They are no longer available, but I think they are similar to the Bowen rear sight:



This sight was formerly sold by Gary Reeder. It is all steel, and has a flat, ribbed face that is non glare. It, too is accurately adjustable, holds its settings, and, unlike the Millet, does not overhang the hammer spur. This can be critical in a sudden emergency type shooting:





Nor does the sight have to be fully adjustable, so long as it presents a flat, horizontal plane to present a good sight picture, as this Uberti Flat Top:



The fact that one has good sights means they are available when, and if, needed, but can be ignored when the situation demands it.

Them's my thinkings.

Bob Wright

[bigbrowndog]

The BEST sights are ones you can see!!! Everyone has a favorite and ones they are used to using. One persons opinion of best doesn’t make it a universal best. I have favored fiber optic sights, but I have tens of thousands of rounds and years of using them in competition. I can produce more than sufficient accuracy with them for my purposes, out to my maximum distance for hunting with them. Remember to play with all sorts of sights and under all sorts of conditions, most of our hunting takes place in low light. So being able to see your sights plainly and deliver a shot in those conditions needs to be considered. I do not go for shallow V’s or gold beads, or peep sights or any other gimmicky sights, some may say FO sights are gimmicky however they have been used successfully and with abuse for 30-40 years. Many of my guns utilize only a FO front sight, some utilize both FO front and rear. I’m not saying FO sights are the best, they work for me. If you have the opportunity to shoot several different types, do so, the information and experience will allow you to make a much more informed decision than having others give you their idea of “the BEST”

Trapr

[junebug]

Fiber optic's can be seen long after most other front sights disappear, but are somewhat fragile. That's why bowhunters use them 100 % of the time in there sights. A vee notch rear, fiber front sight is probably the fastest on target ,but not as precise as good opens. You want as much precision with your hunting guns as you are capable of. When something is trying to hurt you are a companion you want a front sight that SCREAMS at you HERE I AM USE ME! Take your guns out in the yard, not in your house, in bright sun ,heavy shade ,early morning ,late evening, paint the sights orange, white ,black, and see what works for your eyes. There is no one color, one shade that fits all, life is always a compromise. jmho

[kevshell]

Lots of great responses and I think it points out that all sights are compromised and dependent on what the individual can see well. I have astigmatism and it can make red dot sights have a star burst. Bowens white outline rear with a white post front shows up well and will be on a Bisley that I'll be ordering. The brass bead option with the square notch rear is great in my opinion but it too is compromised. Linebaugh made my last revolver with a silver line in the front sight. It took shows up great. You have options. And it isn't too hard to experiment to find what you like best.

[paul105]

From the what it's worth dept.

I'm a big fan of the Freedom Arms fiber optic front sight. I use them with the standard rear ("square" notch) sight blade.
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Here's a five shot group I shot with the FO front on my FA97 4 1/4" .45 Colt rested at 50 yds.
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And at 25 yds rested.
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And at 50 yds offhand
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I carried/shot a S&W 329 for the better part of a decade with a "V" notch rear and fiber optic front. The light weight heavy recoil and sights make this revolver harder to shoot accurately vs. the FA97. This is the only target picture I could find.
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30 rounds offhand at 25 yards.
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The green fiber optic is my favorite but may wash out with a green grass background (local deer hunter switched to red for just this reason).
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Paul

[sixguntech]

The best I have used is the Fermin brass, long range, front sight with the Millet or Bowen style rear, I have actually had pretty good luck with the S&W gold bead front with a ribbed rear as well. Fermin will discuss the merits of different sight setups, he is a wealth of knowledge and worth the call. Problem is you need to try the different setups to see what works for you, under the conditions you plan on using them, that really is a ALOT of variables. I have never been attacked by a bear, seems to me time spent learning to draw and “point shoot” from waist to Weaver, would be preferable to any specific sight setup? Regards, Steve

[freeze]

May 20, 2023 10:23:48 GMT -5 wyomingnimrod said:

Thanks, Kevshell. So from your response it is safe to assume that a gold bead or fiber optic front sight used in conjunction with a notch rear sight is a good combination? Do you or anyone else use that for the stated purposes of hunting and or woods defense (predators of whatever kind at short distance in an unplanned encounter)?

In my experience I like a FO, Dot, or Gold Bead for speed.
I like a blade front for precision.

For rear sights I like a shallow V for speed, and a square notch for precision.

I have tried to combine a FO front with a square notch rear, in an attempt to achieve the best of both worlds .... sadly for me it was a failure.

Instead of maintaining precision and gaining speed, I felt I gained no speed and lost precision. For me the combination did not work.

I have never tried a vertical white bar front and white outline rear, but I think that might work. I would try if the need for hunting precision needed to combine with defense speed.

Just my personal observations, I hope they help.


-Freeze