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Blammer308

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 26, 2013
Messages
89
Location
Asheville, NC
My eyes are not as sharp as they used to be. It happens when you get old.

Most of my guns wear scopes. A couple of pistols don't.

The standard black front and black rear sights are impossible for me to see when aiming at a deer in the woods.

I'm looking to change the sights on my Ruger Blackhawk to something I can see. Preferably be able to shoot a deer with in the early morning or late evening or just cloudy days in the woods.

What do you guys like?

three dots? rear outline solid front blade? "peep" rear sight?

looking for ideas and to see what you guys like to use.
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2006
Messages
4,247
Location
Midwest Illinois
I have red dot sights on my 480 SRH and my 44 RH. My 44 Encore wears a 2x Nikon scope and my 223 Encore a 2x6 Bushnell. The only other handgun I hunt with is my 4" GP100 and it has fiber optic sights. I limit my shots with the GP100 to about 40 yards. I can shoot the red dots accurately out to about 100, and the scoped guns further.

I also have red dots on some 22's, both rifle and pistol. I'm 63 and my eyes also aren't like they used to be.
 

22/45 Fan

Hunter
Joined
Dec 8, 2001
Messages
2,123
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
There is nothing you can do to make the front sight, rear sight and target clear as your eyes get old enough. "Reading glasses" can make the sights sharp at the cost of a fuzzy target and that's what target shooters often use but it's not a practical method for a hunter.

The real answer is a scope or "red dot".
 

DGW1949

Hunter
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Messages
3,916
Location
Texas
White paint on the front sight works for me.
The rear sight doesn't matter as much because if you're looking AT it instead of THROUGH it, you're doing it wrong anyway.
With that established, I've found that the various 3-dot, white-outline, and/or multicolored/contrasting sights all present a sight picture which is much too "busy" for fast work. In other words, they actually hinder how fast my eyes can pick out the front sight....which when ya think about it, is perty-dern important relative most of the shots one must make while hunting something as jittery as a deer.

And just in passing, no one can focus on more than one distance at a time regardless of how old they are. The human eye simply does not work that way.
Front sight, rear sight, target...all represent different distances. What that means is that 2 out of 3 are going to be blurry.....so where should your focus be?....well, if you're going to hit the target, it has to be on the front sight 'cause the front sight is what tells you where the bullet is going to go.

DGW
 

veeman

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 12, 2015
Messages
455
Location
Illinois
I use a coat of white fingernail polish, followed by a coat of blaze orange fingernail polish.
 

Blammer308

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 26, 2013
Messages
89
Location
Asheville, NC
s4s4u, that is really cool, I think I may like that, what is it called and where did you get yours?

Iron sights of some configuration are what I'm going to work up on my new revolver, because there is no place to attach a scope or a red dot sight.
 

Blammer308

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 26, 2013
Messages
89
Location
Asheville, NC
the fiber optic front and rear may be what I need too, as sometimes I can't see the rear sight to determine WHERE my front sight is going to put the bullet.
 

contender

Ruger Guru
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
25,142
Location
Lake Lure NC USA
I too suffer from aging eyes.
Good prescription glasses MADE with a single focus at the distance from the eye to the front sight was the first step.
Next, I use fiber optics when I can, but sometimes, none are available w/o seriously modifying the current front sight,,, so then, I add paint like mentioned above.
 

s4s4u

Hunter
Joined
Dec 16, 2006
Messages
2,086
Location
MN, USA
Blammer308 said:
s4s4u, that is really cool, I think I may like that, what is it called and where did you get yours?

Iron sights of some configuration are what I'm going to work up on my new revolver, because there is no place to attach a scope or a red dot sight.

The fiber optic is made by Marble's. The nice thing with the Bis Hunter and the GP is the front is simple to swap out. Williams also makes a version I believe. The rear peep is an older "One Ragged Hole" sight but forum member sixshot has a similar unit that he sells here.
 

Blammer308

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 26, 2013
Messages
89
Location
Asheville, NC
ok what am I doing wrong?

I cannot find ANY videos or pictures of a Ruger blackhawk front sight and how to install it.

I can't find any Ruger Blackhawk sights. What am I missing?

Mine has a small "pin" in it, I suppose you push it out and the sight comes out. The replacement sights I'm seeing don't show a hole for the sight to put the pin through. What am I missing?
 

s4s4u

Hunter
Joined
Dec 16, 2006
Messages
2,086
Location
MN, USA
You will have to drill the hole in the replacement sight once you set it into the sight base. I believe it requires a 1/16" drill bit.

http://www.hivizsights.com/product/mpslw11/
 

contender

Ruger Guru
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
25,142
Location
Lake Lure NC USA
sixshot's rear peep sights are nice, as I have them on one of my 45's. But as noted, the front is usually painted etc.
All replacement front sight blades, (with the pins through the base,) on the stainless guns do require the drilling of the new sight. It's NOT a hard thing to do. Go slow, drill 1/2 way from one side & flip things over & drill the other 1/2 from the opposite side. Standard method of installation.
 
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