Back in the day (1970's) as LEOs we carried nickel Model 10s. (like in the picture) To help with visibility we would paint the front sights. Back then I used my wife's fingernail polish.

Decided to touch up the sights on my 1985 Beretta 92F as well as paint the front sight on my Model 10 and maybe some other regular shooters. Found some Testor's Enamel Model Paint at the local hobby store. Bought some gloss white and fluorescent red and yellow.

My question is this. If you paint your revolver sights do you paint the entire ramp or just the top part of it? I have a 1981 Model 63 with the factory red insert and it is only the top half. I painted the Model 10 sight (entire ramp). See pictures. Is it personal preference or is one way the best? Any preference on color?

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I think color and amount are both personal preference- what works best for you and your eyes.


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I agree with simonp

You paint enough of it for your eyes to pick up.

Try a little at first. Draw and acquire your sights then decide if you need to paint more depending on how long it took you.

I would always use a color that contrasts to the rest of the firearm.

So no yellow or white on your stainless guns

In the olden days I typically used fluorescent orange on blued pistols and a dark or crimson red on stainless firearms

Go with what works for you. Personally I like red, but many like orange or yellow. Try them all, paint is cheap.

I like florescent green. I paint the whole ramp on revolvers because the factory original red ramps appear to me to have the red all the way to the top when shooting them. A quick dab of florescent green in the front dot of three dot sights makes the front much quicker to pick up for me than when all three dots are white.

Testor's orange - about the top 1/3 of the ramp. I also fill the dot on the front sight of pistols fitted with the three dot sight system.

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Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

If my pistol/revolvers did not have white dot sights/night sights,I painted the entire front blade/post with Testers gloss yellow. I tried red but it does not index (eyes pick up) as fast as the yellow for me. I use the Testers paint thinner on a Q tip to clean off any oil/dirt before I paint the blade/post. Been doing this for 50+ years.
Before anyone comments,I know night sights have only been around for 10+ years.

I agree with the above post that it is personal preference on color used and amount of the blade is covered.

Be SAFE and Shoot often!

I do it exactly the way you did it.

Yes on the testors thinner to clean prior. Seems Testors paint is thinner that what I remember as a kid back in the 1960's. patience and several coats is the key. Hobby store owner said it was difficult to get the fluorescent green. Two dollars a bottle is cheaper than I expected. Said he sold a lot of the Orange and Red over the the 50 years they had been in business to officers and gun folks!

Sorry for the bad pic, but I pretty much painted the whole sight. I didn't paint the top, although this pic kind of makes it look like it. I just wanted to be able to pick it up quick in low light. I don't really think it's the best for daytime shooting. I'd rather have black. But since a lot of crime happens at night.....

About 1975 I used my girl friends black mascara to darken the front sight of my model 64, to cut down on glare mostly. It held up pretty good, as a matter of fact I can still see some of off the sight.

I liked the yellow (especially on Stainless or nickel sites) but used red on blue guns also. My old nickel 19 still has yellow on the front site some 30+ years later. That Testor's is some tough stuff. As I recall, I only had to touch it up every couple of years. When I couldn't see the lines on the front blade any more I would strip it with fingernail polish remover and start over.

IMHO, PAINTING THE ENTIRE RAMP IS THE BEST CHOICE. THE BIGGER PATCH OF COLOR WILL ATTRACT YOUR EYE MORE READILY, IN A HIGH STRESS SITUATION.......

FLUORESCENT YELLOW/GREEN IS THE MOST VISIBLE COLOR OF THE SPECTRUM---THE LAST COLOR TO GO AWAY IN DIM LIGHT.....

I WOULD SUGGEST A COAT OF THAT TESTOR'S WHITE, FOLLOWED BY A COAT OF THE PAINT IN THE CENTER BOTTLE. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT IS A SIMPLE MATTER TO GO BACK TO BARE METAL, AND START OVER WITH A COAT OF WHITE. THEN TRY THE RED/ORANGE ON THE LEFT.......

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I use some acrylic paint called TruGlo Bright Sight. You typically just need 1 coat and it's easy to remove without damaging the bluing.

Yellow on nickel, top half of the ramp to start.
Thanks guys.

I use "Salon Perfect" nail polish, #506 Traffic Cone, it's a very bright orange and works well even in low light. At Walmart for a couple bucks.

I'm definitely not an expert, but I acquired a "Smolt" or "Smython" a while ago and decided to shoot it in IDPA. I took it for a practice run and had a very hard time picking up the blue front ramp on a dark blue barrel. So, I asked my wife to pick up some bright red nail polish. I painted the ramp the whole way. I shot the IDPA match with it and it worked well and the polish didn't fly off.

Try it, you'll like it.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

Red, whole sight. works best for me. Just go easy

Always clean the ramp with acetone or alcohol.....
Cover whole ramp with fluorescent orange acrylic paint, using a straightened paper clip to apply.

Paint came from a hobby store when I found that WallyWorld no longer sells models or Testor's model paint.

We should all live long enough to run out of sight paint from any given container.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I've been using Testors paint for this purpose for the last 25+ years. Other paints/ nail polish's will work but Testors holds it's color well, is durable and seems to have the right consistency going on. It is also available in any color you want for about $1 bottle at any wally world. Lastly, it dissolves with acetone if you ever change your mind.
Tips:
Clean your surface well with alcohol or acetone.
Roll it on with a barely wet toothpick. Don't flood the surface/serrations. If you do, wipe it off and start again.
Whatever color you chose, use white for a base coat and your top coat will come out brighter.

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Dave

Doesn't make much difference. Either way is OK. You're probably only going to see the upper half, anyway. I suppose you might do upper half only, so that you can elevate the front sight some appropriate amount for a particular long distance like 75 or 100yd or something, but that's a personal choice. So is color. I happen to prefer the color you illustrated, but some folks might like fluorescent green, or even white, especially if it emits light after having been "loaded" with a flashlight.

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Formerly Model520Fan

Fixed it for ya.

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Formerly Model520Fan

I WOULD GIVE THIS PRODUCT A TRY, IF THE TESTORS DOES NOT WORK OUT........

I WOULD STILL GO WITH A BASE COAT OF WHITE, FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT.....

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I paint them white with one of those little bottles of appliance touch up paint, then orange over it with a paint pen. Way brighter than the paint pen alone

I've been using the same bottles of orange (Revlon) and white (not sure of brand) nail polish for more than 10 years. White undercoat and orange top coat on the full length of the serrated face of the ramp, whether blue or stainless. The orange does fade after a few years (haven't tried to keep track, so no exact times available) but it's easy enough to strip with acetone or lacquer thinner and reapply. And it has been WELL worth the effort. Especially on stainless front sights.

I take blue paint masking tape and keep adjusting until all you can see of the front sight aligns with the bottom of the rear sight pocket.

Then I use acetone to clean the serrations of the front sight blade. Then tape the sides of the sight blade and trim them flush to the serrated front.

Next, use 2 coats of white Testers or fingernail polish. Let dry 24 Hrs.

My preference for color is fluorescent red or orange. Again use Testers or fingernail polish and put 2 coats on and let dry 24 hrs.

Finally, I put 2 coats of clear over the fluorescent and again wait 24 hrs.

Lastly, I clean the rear sight with acetone and use a toothpick and white paint to parallel the rear sight notch.

The paint job that I did on my N28 has lasted over 10 years!

I use nail polish and have tried red, orange, white and flo. green. Much of it for me depends on the target background, whether I am shooting paper, 6 O''Clock hold or game.

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Front sight and squeeze

I've even used lipstick in an emergency (black sight/black target)

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Super Snooper

Stop using "Testers" as I have to travel 20 plus miles one way to a Hobby Shop. I use fingernail polish instead. I paint the entire ramp white and then just the tip of the ramp sight red or orange. This works for me.

White-Out Correction fluid is flat white lacquer , cheap , found in any wally mart , and comes in brush/bottle or pen applicator ....I keep pens in my shooting box.
The pens allow you to make nice round dots also .
I usually cover all the serrations of the sight .
The flat white makes a good base for colored paints ....I find white works just fine for me .

Conversely, I'd just as soon be able to go back to when I saw the front post or ramp just fine without any assistance whatsoever....
Just dreaming.....

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I have used my wife's Ted nail polish for the last 40 years and see no reason to change now.

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Support your Police, & NRA

Today, I painted the entire ramp of the front sight of my Model 18, with white, then yellow acrylic paint. Then, I went to the range. I was still having a hard time seeing the front sight; so, I took a black Sharpie, and drew a line up the middle of the ramp. Worked great for visibility but the acrylic paint isn’t very durable. Need to get some Testor’s.

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I prefer fluorescent orange, as it's one of the last colors to dim out in low light. Red quickly turns black. I haven't tried fluorescent chartreuse or yellow.

But since I've never been a collector and don't buy guns with an eye toward flipping them for profit, several times I've had a smith properly install a fluorescent orange insert in a front sight blade. It's not an expensive fix, but pricier than the Testor's.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I've used it all. Testors, White Out, and now a couple of bottles of white and day glow orange nail polish I got at the dollar store, oddly enough, for a buck a bottle. They'll last me the rest of my life I'm sure.

I generally paint about half the sight. That's about what a factory sight insert is.

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John 3:16 .

The rubber bands wrapped around the grip remind me of the favored (reportedly) method of snub-nose revolver carry for NYPD detectives.

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

It gives me a little bit of girth to help my right thumb stay out of the way of my trigger finger. It probably gives a little cushion for recoil too. And a little bit more to hang on to. It works for me. But the main reason was the first one. Sometimes if I draw real quickly and don't have a perfect grip on it, without the rubber bands, my trigger finger will hit my thumb and it messes with my mind and trigger pull.

I appreciate all of the very helpful tips. These two 28-2's are both shooters and I don't know why I didn't paint the sights long ago. Used Testors flat white followed by two coats of Testors florescent orange 24 hrs later. Tomorrow or the next day I'll put some of my wife's "top coat" over it.

If you are shooting low and have no more rear sight adjustment:

Try painting down on the lower half of the ramp. This will help keep that barrel higher during aiming.