Best color for front sight in low light?

[GunAdmirer]

What is the best (non tritium) front sight for a revolver (Ruger GP100) used in low light conditions?

Orange stripe (Millett type)
White stripe (Millett type)
Green or orange fiber optic (Marble's)
Any other options for a GP100?

I like the fiber optic sight idea the best but wonder how it would do under low light conditions since it doesn't have a white outline.

BTW this is my first post on this forum. I have been active on several other forums for awhile but am glad I recently discovered this one.

 

[Boats]

What do you have against tritium? The Mepros for the GP are really nice. However, for low light without them I'd go fiber optic and since in dim light you mostly have the longer wavelengths of the light spectrum available, I'd go with green for the brightest possible front sight.



Visible spectrum shortest to longest wavelengths. In common sight colors, the best colors for dim conditions track the choices already present in tritium sights. From best to worst: Green, yellow, orange, red. Blue and Purple are too dark in their own right to be good anywhere but strong daylight.

 

[GunAdmirer]

Wow! That was an informed response. Thank you. The only thing I have against tritium sights is the expense. Would the white stripe show up better than green fiber optic?

 

[45crittergitter]

The fiber optics will be brighter than the tritium until it gets pretty dark. I like green tritium and green fiber optics, but prefer fluorescent yellow or hot pink in other sights. I have some C-more bright colored solid plastic front sight blades in those colors that work well. Many can be adapted to different revolvers than intended. Get them at Magna-port.

 

[black bear]

Gun Admirer
As you specify "non tritium" and you specify "front sight" I suggest you paint your front sight with "liquid paper"
To my eyes is the color that stay the longer in low light conditions until pitch dark.
I hunt black bears in Maine out of the tree stand in dense brush, Of all the guns I have tryed I prefer a Super Blackhawk with a Omega white outline rear and the liquid paper painted front sight.
I have a Anaconda .44 with a red-orange front sight, a Ruger Redhawk with same and another Super Blachawk with a green front sight.
Howeaver the one that show up the most is the liquid paper.
Also we put a white bucket in front of the bait, this white bucket remain visible collecting "light" well after full dark.
I haven't tryed the fiber optic ones, so I don't comment on that, but I am concerned with their apparent fragility.
black bear

 

[Zak Smith]

Here's a different take: just practice until you can make hits at defensive distance (ie, contact to 10yards) using your "index" instead of sights per se.

 

[Ala Dan]

I've got the TruGlo green marble front sight on my Browning Buckmark,
and its definitely a light gathering source; even it low light conditions.

 

[GunAdmirer]

Thanks for all the replies. I lined up a standard black factory, Millett white bar and Marble's green fiber optic front sight and looked at them under different light conditions. It seemed like the Millett white bar was the most visible under the lowest light conditions. Under regular or bright light conditions, the Marble's fiber optic glows brightly and is definitely the most visible. I have used the fiber optic sight in my GP100 .357 for awhile now and it shows no signs of breaking or wear. The Millett sight is well made, durable and nicely contoured. Both are a huge improvement over the available factory sights in my opinion.