What's the "ideal" front sight setup?

[kotengu]

I've just finished designing, machining, and mounting a rear sight setup for my 870 (ghost ring, windage adjustable) that I'm pretty happy with, and now I need to decide on a front sight.

What do you guys like, and why? Wings or no wings (protection vs. possible confusion)? Plain bead, fiber optic, tritium dot, what? What about ramp-style?

I'm also looking at putting some elevation adjustment in the front ramp, and am trying to look at the most rugged way to do that - it wouldn't be used much, just to dial in elevation for the ammo I'm using, and to be able to change later if I change ammo. As long as I'm asking - what's the height difference (from center of bore) of your front and rear sights to get you on target, for an 18" barrel?

I know you can buy fine examples of these sights, but I'm a mechanical engineering student with some meager machining skills and access to a machine shop, so it's a fun project for me (not to mention it saves this poor college student money!).

Thanks for the advice,
Matt

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

There are a couple of front sight setups that I like.


A nice, big, fat post has merit. it's simple, and reasonably precise. if you make the wings different enough looking, you won't have a problem with confusing them with the sight. the number4 mk1 has wings on the front, but they're huge and stick up well above the front sight, making it unlikely to be mistaken.




A bead is a neat idea. It's quicjer to line up two geometric shapes that are the same type, which gives the bead a speed advantage. i'd go with a very large bead.


Night sights do have merit, but having a light on your gun fills the same function.

 

[Bruce626]

Given your ME background, I'd suggest you try a rack-and-pinion select-a-sight arrangement that would allow you to press forward with your trigger finger on an actuator and rotate your front sights through a selection of bead, post, tritium, etc., on a horizontally mounted axis so as to match the front sight to the situation. Do, however, avoid intersecting the plane of your wind speed indicator.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

oh, hey, i'm an ME student, too.


i built a surefire compatable light and mount for the pumphandle of my gun recently, using my own meager machining skills.

 

[kotengu]

Funny you mention that, Wyatt - I was just thinking about that last night!

Silly Bruce - the wind speed indicator is on my rifle - I was working on an infrared detector that automatically pulls the trigger any time it senses heat in front of the shotgun, but my professor didn't like it much (well, he DID walk in front of the shotgun after I told him not to....)

Back to the topic, though - what about a ring with a post sort of like the HK MP-5 - I've heard those are very fast to use and accurate as well, but I've never used them.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

that might work. you might have problems zeroing the sight, because the tendency is to line the ring up with the rear aperature. (i've had this problem with winchester-94's with aperature rear and hooded front sights before)