Illuminate Me on Fiber Optic Front Sights

[Garbler]

I haven’t been here too long but now that I’ve got a replacement Cherokee I recall somebody ( Bronko ? ) talking about fitting up a fiber optic front sight. My eyes aren’t seriously bad but they ain’t good especially in low ambient light like thick woods or late day. Traditional folding peeps like the Lyman’s and others work but on this rifle like all ML’s there is no top tang to screw mount to so that’s out. So I think staying with the standard T/C rear and a fiber optic front might just answer ?

So looking for advice on manufacturer, design, color, size etc. and where to buy of course. Whatever works

thanks
Rick

 

[GUN NUT]

You can buy a pack with different color and size inserts but orange is what I like but do have some green

 

[deermanok]

I use cheap dollar store finger nail polish on the back of the front sight.
Neon Green works best. Pink works too.

 

[Half-Cocked]

See if tru glo has an option. They are cheap yet effective. I usually like red and green. Some like orange. Doesnt matter if red is in the back or front. That contrast works well for me.

 

[Confederate rifleman]

My old Black Diamond had a fiber op front sight. In the woods, or on a cloudy day, it was superb. But, in the open, or on a sunny day, it turned into The Great Pumpkin.
Very distracting and caused me to shoot low.
Now, I'll take a nice brass bead. Black it when I don't need it and wipe it off when I do.

 

[Garbler]

My old Black Diamond had a fiber op front sight. In the woods, or on a cloudy day, it was superb. But, in the open, or on a sunny day, it turned into The Great Pumpkin.
Very distracting and caused me to shoot low.
Now, I'll take a nice brass bead. Black it when I don't need it and wipe it off when I do.

The only time I’ve used these sights was on some handguns mostly in indoor ranges. So I’ve wondered how they work in bright outdoor light. I need to do some homework.

Rick

 

[MrTom]

When I could hunt without needing glasses to see the sights and still focus on the target, I always opted for the green dayglow pin. The orange always seemed to cast an aura around the pin itself and made the pin look like a larger than real fuzzy spot. I never found that with the green, even in hyper bright sunlight. The green was always a nice, crisp dot that fell into the rear sight just perfect.

 

[ElDiablo]

The only time I’ve used these sights was on some handguns mostly in indoor ranges. So I’ve wondered how they work in bright outdoor light. I need to do some homework.

Rick

Everyone’s eyes are different. For many of us, a fiber optic front works great even during the day (with the correct rear sight). I recommend a rear aperture/peep which is much faster/easier that an open-type rear sight for hunting. The rear aperture also has a great deal of influence on the appearance of the front sight.

Here’s a great article on the complexity of the situation.

https://www.ssusa.org/content/visual-disturbances-through-the-aperture/

 

[Garbler]

Everyone’s eyes are different. For many of us, a fiber optic front works great even during the day (with the correct rear sight). I recommend a rear aperture/peep which is much faster/easier that an open-type rear sight for hunting. The rear aperture also has a great deal of influence on the appearance of the front sight.

Here’s a great article on the complexity of the situation.

https://www.ssusa.org/content/visual-disturbances-through-the-aperture/

So how to mount a rear aperture peep sight on a rifle with no tang. Mounting on the barrel would defeat its use as it makes for much too distance or relief from the eye ? If I had a reasonable solution I’d fit up one of old Lyman’s

Alert: I’m away from my Cherokee right now but looking at some photos it appears there is a short tang aft of the lock so let me rescind my comments please

Rick

 

[Confederate rifleman]

T/C did make an aperture sight for the Seneca/ Cherokee rifles. Rare and very $$$ when found.
Aperture sights are worth their weight in gold though.
There are other options than the T/C, which while practical, are kinda ugly.

 

[LR_Smoker]

Although not period correct I make my own sights. In my younger days I could actually see my open sights and shoot fairly well however in my senior years the peep sight has come to my rescue. By making my own I can custom size them to the actual configuration required for the intended use. It’s not as complicated as it appears to be. With a little bit of imagination and patience you can make them with a drill press, small vise and a safe edge file.

 

[user 31408]

I had True-Glo on one of my old T/C and the green front and rear sights worked great for me. I have trouble with the red sights because I don't see that color well and the green was super bright in the woods and at dusk and dawn.

 

[Winter Hawk]

My foray into fiber optic sights was not good. With my eyes, the front sight turned into a huge ball of light at the end of the barrel. I now use a blade front which I painted with white nail polish, and it works well enough for me.

A peep sight is the way to go. You may need to have the gun drilled & tapped for one. As already mentioned there are old T-C peeps out there which mount on the tang. You can also get one from Marble's. Lyman has one but I have heard that it isn't as good as the one from Marbles. Another option is to get one from Skinner Sights: Thompson Center and scroll down to the Renegade. Again, if you want it closer to your eyes you will need to get the barrel D&Ted. Be aware though that if you are shooting in a rendezvous or club setting, a lot of them will allow only open sights so a peep would be out of the question.

 

[smokepolehall]

My foray into fiber optic sights was not good. With my eyes, the front sight turned into a huge ball of light at the end of the barrel. I now use a blade front which I painted with white nail polish, and it works well enough for me.

A peep sight is the way to go. You may need to have the gun drilled & tapped for one. As already mentioned there are old T-C peeps out there which mount on the tang. You can also get one from Marble's. Lyman has one but I have heard that it isn't as good as the one from Marbles. Another option is to get one from Skinner Sights: Thompson Center and scroll down to the Renegade. Again, if you want it closer to your eyes you will need to get the barrel D&Ted. Be aware though that if you are shooting in a rendezvous or club setting, a lot of them will allow only open sights so a peep would be out of the question.

Yup they be down right persnickety about peeps. So i have fixed that up by using one of my other rifles

 

[Harleysboss]

This is a very versatile peep sight. I got it from Skinner sights. It's called the Low Pro. It uses one 6-48 tapped hole. You could have it mounted anywhere along the top of your barrel or even at the breech plug area. Mine is on a custom Underhammer. The front fiber optic can be purchased from marbles or Williams.

 

[bronko220002]

First you have to determine what size dovetail your rifle has. Most are 3/8". Then you need to know the height. The sight is measured from the top of the sight to the bottom of the dovetail not just the height from the top of the barrel to the top of the sight. You want a sight height close to the original sight for proper elevation adjustments. Now if you have a problem sighting in your rifle with the original sight via hitting too high or too low you can compensate for that by getting a higher or lower front sight. With my aging eyes I can't use a red fiber optic sight. Even with corrective lens the red looks like an infinity symbol (sideways figure 8). I usually just dab a thin coat of white fingernail polish over it and it dulls the shine but still bright enough for low light.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

Not a fan of FO sights.

Had weird thought about drilling a few extra holes towards front of barrel and putting a small piece of pic rail there, and same at back end instead of sights. Then mount some rail-top AR irons.