Factory sights

[wildman]

Hey there Woodchuk,
Brass bead front will be smaller(finer) than those on the handguns.  I was also accustomed to the smaller beads found on long-guns.  One thing is practice, practice, practice.  Remember that with open sights on a handgun, you will not be responsibly taking shots at a distance that you would expect of a rifle.  I have been popping squirrels this year, and must say that all the shots from my single six have been no farther than 25yds away.  That's part of the sport of handgun hunting for small game, as it increases your woodsman skills and presents more challenge as you are stalking close, and not taking the long-range rifle shots.  And yes, I can make a good headshot on a squirrel up to 30yds away with the factory Ruger sights, although I have 'touched em up' as stated in my previous article, which seems to really help in dark woods.  I don't know if you have looked at any or not, but stay away from guns with fixed sights for hunting, and get one with fully adjustable sights.  Just remember to sight in the handgun off of a good solid rest and determine which ammo groups well with your gun.  Then, practice using whatever stance you prefer for hunting.  If using different loads, there is a good chance that the sights will need to be adjusted on an individual load basis.  I would give some time to the 'bulky sights', as it will take some getting use to.   I don't think you'll have any problems with the factory sights, provided you put in quality time at the range.  BTW, I have found it to be very challenging, rewarding, and loads of fun to hunt game with open-sighted handguns!

[Plainsman]

I found a set for my Redhawk in a clearance bin many years ago and it changed handgun shooting for me forever!

Using a bead front and v-notch rear has allowed me to shoot my .44 magnum Redhawk like I never thought I would without a scope. (Tried that route too and hated it.)  The gold bead front allows more precise aiming at a SPOT and was easier for me to use altogether, including concentrating on the FRONT SIGHT!  That was with a 7.5" barrel.

Now I have a 4" barrel on the Redhawk and went to an orange FIBER OPTIC front sight!  It now gives me a BRIGHT dot where the Gold Bead used to be.  I can still shoot that .44 as well with the 4" barrel as I could with the 7.5" barrel.  It's great!

There is a place where you can even order a REAR PEEP BLADE for your factory Ruger rear sight.  I've considered this as well, as I like peeps even more on my rifles.

I have a square notch and blade setup on my Ruger 10/22 still and would like to change that as well, as I can't shoot the .22 anywhere near as well as my .44.  I attribute that to the sights mostly!!

Good luck!

[Graybeard]

Bruce, for a peep sight to work as intended it needs to be close to the eye. The further away it is the less well it works as intended. Just don't think the idea will work well on a handgun that has to be held out more or less arm's legth away like a magnum.

GB

[coltfan]

Perfect timing for this topic as my son and I were out yesterday shooting his new model single six. He was having a tough time late in the day as the sunlight was waining. We discussed possible options for sight replacement on the way home. I mentioned that there might be someone out there who offered aftermarket fibre optic sights for this particular gun. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any. Could some please let me know of any companies out there who offer fibre optic sights for this particular gun, we are also interested in any other alternatives that might be out there.

[Mikey]

Hay Coltfan and Woodchuk:  

Coltfan:  for your son was having difficulty with in the waining light - I would like to ask what the finish on the gun is and where the light was coming from when he was having problems.  You mentioned fiber-optics, as a means to enhance visibility I would assume, but have you considered some of the reflective paints that can be applied.  I used that stuff rather than re-sight some of my pistol and it works well for me in low light conditions.  In bright sunlight I just use a magic marker to darken the sights and then wipe it off to get the low light capability back.  If the gun is nickled or chromed or stainless you can easily encounter lighting problems with those sights.  I used to have a nickeled Smith that drove me nuts like that.  Finally gave it up for a blued one.

Woodchuk:  please try getting used to the 'bulky' sights for a bit.  You are young with great eyesight and I think you should try to get some more experience with regular adjustable sights before switching to something else.  I am glad the Greybeard clued you in to the use of express or peep sights on pistols, as I don't think that is the way to go for you.

Some folks prefer to sight their pistols for dead on or point of aim impact at 25 or 50 yds.  Others sight theirs in for a 1 or 2 inch high impact at that distance and use a '6 o'clock' hold - that way they can still see their target but get proper sight alignment without the sights blocking too much of the target.  Also, if you feel the rear sight notch is too narrow to enable you to get a good 'square' sight picture, try removing the sight blade from the 'ears' and you will have a much larger rear sight notch - this might help you a bit but also please understand that the wider the rear notch the more it might allow for front sight mis-alignment and consequently,   'misses'.  

Hope this helps.  Mikey.

[Tony D]

Woodchuck, another option, until you get set up with the finer front sight, is to use a 6 o'clock hold.  Rather than aiming exactly where you want to place the bullet and covering your intended target with the relatively large front sight, is to aim slightly below your point of impact.  This will of course require you to readjust your sights.  If your intended target is a squirrel, you only need to make your adjustment so you are hitting about 3/4s to an inch above your point of aim.

HTH!

[KING]

WOODCHUCK..I have a couple of handguns with the v noch reat and small bead on the fronts.  I works very well. I also think it alows for a better shot placement on target`.  U have to understand that I have been shooting handguns for lotsa years and I do like both ty0pes of sights,but prefer the v noch and small high vis. front bead.  King

[JD HHI 6092®]

I personally think that express sights are great on hunting handguns.  I wanted a set on my Ruger 454.  I got the idea from a friends Mag-na-Port custom Redhawk.  The barrel is cut down to 4" and makes a handy package.  I've seen him shoot some impressive groups with this gun/sight combo.  The sights on his gun are from a Freedom Arms and they are quite pricey.   I found some made for the Redhawk but point of impact was to low so I removed them.
They do work, it's the same gun/sight combo that he's used for Africa on several trips.   :-D

[Graybeard]

Williams makes an entire line of fiber optics sights they call Fire Sights. Should be able to get what you need from this line for most any  popular gun made today as the line is extensive.

GB

[coltfan]

GB, Do you have a web address for the williams sights or are they carried by most of theshooting supply houses?

[Mikey]

coltfan:  I believe I have seen them in the Brownells catalog.  Mikey.

[coltfan]

Thanks Mikey. I also found the Williams web site. Had a problem finding it earlier. (Damn computer always does what I type instead of what I want.)

[S.B.]

I teach basic handgun and have a certication from the NRA. I use S&W model l #17's  and have never had a student not be able to become proficient with these pistols very quickly. In my opinion they are the easiest handguns to learn to shoot. The sights are the best in the world and are very reliable(repeatable). I have experience with the old model Rugers as well and find them to be very good handguns also, even if I'm no fan of Rugers.