NoSeeUm sights

I've been really happy with my stainless steel snubbie, up 'till yesterday. I've been shooting with her for months now in our outdoor range, which puts a roof over me but leaves the target in sunlight. What I didn't realize: all this time, I wasn't seeing the sights themselves, I was seeing them in silhouette.

Yesterday I took her inside and the (white metal) front sight was washed out; almost invisible under fluorescent light. Easy fix, right? Just borrow some nail paint from Her Serene Highness and dab it on. But no. Better, yes, but now too dark. (I'm picky.)

So in the interest of all you guys who follow my every adventure, I just now sprung for some of this stuff: https://www.artnglow.com. I'll mix their glow powder and their resin and paint it on the ramp sight. Stay tuned. (or not)

 

I eagerly anticipate such

 

I would like to see how it turns out.

 

I have used a sharpie to blacken the rear sight for contrast, and that's helped. But honestly the best option for improving the sight picture on my stainless 3" was to change my grips.

 

Which color are you planning to use? I have used nail polish on sights on stainless guns before. A base coat of white makes it brighter. I have used red and bright yellow. I like the yellow best since it seems more visible in low light while red just gets dark

 

Just what distances are you
from target?

Perhaps too much ado about
precision use of sights?

 

On some of my semiautos I used a water based flourescent paint called Glow. Once exposed to light they are bright, but not for long. Maybe should have gotten something better that had to be mixed. On my 642 I did a base coat of white nail polish, followed by bright orange and a clear nail polish top coat. Has held up well and shows up good enough, and if you don't like it just wipe it with nail polish remover.

 

Aha, thanks for that, Jonsey. I used red. The white base coat makes sense. I was wondering about other colors too, just used red by default because 1) it was available and 2) S&W's ramp sights leave the mill dressed in red.

I'm shooting at 7 yards. This is a 2" revolver.

 

With the gun firmly squared away in your grip,
focus on the mass of the target, looking over
the top of the gun while mashing/squeezing/
tickling/yanking/pulling/coaxing the trigger
back (whatever works for you).

I believe you'll get good hits.

Don't worry about hitting that
imaginary "tack" in "tack driving"
accuracy.

 

Here are some I have done with nail polish. First my SP 101. Its close to the size of your 64 snub

Next a pre model 10 with a pink color on sight
A 4 inch model 64 with red



The yellow shows best in the pictures because its closer to the camera due to short barrel, but it is also easier to see on the range

 

I use the same product in fluorescent orange. I use a base coat of clear nail polish, multiple coats (usually 3) of Glow and a final coat or two of clear nail polish to seal it. It stays bright on mine for a long time(years) and doesn't look bad either. I use enough coats to get above the grooves cut into the front sight.

 

On the guns I cant get three dot night sights, I just use fluorescent orange nail polish over a gloss white nail polish base. The white "brightens" the orange, and it stands out well and is quick to pick up in most light.

While it adds to seeing "something" in lower light (generally not a "sight picture"), nothing beats tritium or a lit dot.

Ive taken to using the nail polish on the orange inserts on my S&W 's that have that style front sight as its a lot brighter.

 

I use fluorescent oil based sharpies. They’re cheap and easy to find.

 

whatever you do, paint them white first, rather than putting colored paint/whatever on black. It shows up much better.

 

I use Testors model paint: a coat of white, let dry, a coat of blaze orange.

Ive used this combo on everything from LCP and a 642 S&W to 10” Mark IV sights with success.



Stay safe.

 

@Col. Harrumph , if your snubbie is for serious social work, be sure to test your painted sights under all kinds of lighting conditions. Especially at dusk, and after dark while using a flashlight.

Testing under all lighting conditions can be...illuminating!

For me, iron sights (even when painted) can be very difficult to see in low light, especially when shooting a dark target. Even when using a flashlight.

 

I prefer a flat-white. Doesn’t wash out or shine in bright sunlight. Easily discernible in low light.

 

Hmmm, these suggestions to the Op would work well on one of my revolvers.
Looks like I'm going to have to raid the "she Highnesses" stash of fingernail polish. I'll be careful about it.