Hi!

I fired my new to me m64-5 the last few days. Shooting southerly, late in day, just before sunset. Setting sun had no cloud blockage, and was shining in right eye. Low clouds, gray.

Several times I had difficulty discerning the stainless front blade. I wouldn't have had the problem w/ the 3 dot, or other systems, on a new auto.

So I'm wondering, do any of you pro's ever put a dab of red or white paint on the front blade ramp to make it easier to pick up? Maybe some black on the flat top?

The front blade ramp is serrated. It didn't help much.

While I am no expert !
I have started playing with "Testors dayglo Orange" model paint.
It does wonders for a old set of eyes at a indoor range.
I have not tried to remove yet, but I figure that is why they make paint
thinner !
I do not believe I would ever take it off any way.
If you are worried about removal, you can try "Whiteout" correction fluid.
If they still sell it ?
Now that typewriters and even Fax machines are becoming a thing of the past.

New paint job - front sight, that is

I found the above post in the lounge. Has pics. 3 coat system. White, Color, Clear.

I have been doing the liquid paper/white out on my shooters with blued sights. It is amazing how much better I can see. It will come right off with a bit of soap and water.

I use red or orange fingernail polish on white front sights.

Actually, in those pix, there are only the first two coats, the white and the orange - but now (as of about 20 minutes ago) it has a clear coat - Thanks, Mrs. reerc.

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Don't need no stinkin' sigline

I would recommend you try painting it with some model paint - white, red, yellow ... whatever color your eyes see best. You can remove the paint with no harm to a blue or stainless finish with a little acetone if you don't like it. No harm ... no foul.

Good Luck,

Jerry

I use the auto touch up paint- the one they sell at old WAL MART and the auto parts stores. Been using it for years and haven't found anything better yet. A few years ago they started with the metal application tip that works great for a few months after that the brush is the best way only it takes more patience to make it look pro.

Several of my guns have the Testors flourescent orange paint on them. Been there for several years. No white coats or clear coats, just orange. Regular cleaning doesn't bother it, but if I wanted to remove it, I'm sure it will come right off with lacquer thinner or acetone. Does a good job.

"So I'm wondering, do any of you pro's ever put a dab of red or white paint on the front blade ramp to make it easier to pick up? Maybe some black on the flat top? "

Wheel-er everybody that responded to your thread is more than 40 years old and wears glasses, I betcha'. A man's gotta' do what a man's gotta' do.
Here's a Mod 18 with the front AND rear sights painted.


I been dabbin' paint on sights for years and it does help.

GF

I also have the orange model paint on my front sight... first read about this in "Cooper on Handguns" by the late Col Cooper back in the 70s.
Russ

I painted the front sights of my,dare I say it, ,44M Ruger Alaskan with Green Chartreuse. It is the same paint they use to paint lead jigs with and I found it in the fishing deptment at Gander Mountain. So fall it has proven very durable.

I have just finished eye surgery.
The doctor says I am blind in 10 of the 12 colors tested.
My most attracted color is YELLOW.
Find out what color your eye[s] are attracted to and do that color. I use Finger Nail Polish.

I fell under the spell of ordering the special sight paint set offered by a company in Oregon.

Following directions I applied my choice of colors to the front sight and a touch of white to the rear.

I cleaned everything with the special cleaning fluid in the set.

It helped a lot to see much better.

After carrying a few days and 1 range session, the stuff came off much like a scab, as a whole little patch.

I again followed directions closely about cleaning, etc.

Again it came off.

Now I'm a bit PUT OFF by the product.

I will try again and then contact the company.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

Been using Testor's lime green almost hi viz on my front sight for about 7 years and it helps ME immensely! Might work for you as well. Almost as good a fiber optics...
Randy

Hopefully I'm not hijacking Wheel-er's thread but I thought this would be a good place to warn people if they're thinking of buying this product to paint their sights.

We might as well call a spade a spade m657. I also ordered the paint from BRIGHT SIGHTS in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Like you, I cleaned the sights as instructed and followed all instructions. I even let the paint dry for well over 72 hours. Also, like your experience, first the rear and then the front paint came loose and just peeled completely off in one big piece or "scab".

I e-mailed them a couple of times complaining about it and never got a response. I guess I should have called them but I always get a quick e-mail reply from good internet companies. I just chalked it up as a learning experience dealing with a subpar company selling a subpar product.

I ran across this thread because I recently picked up a 67 no-dash with the stainless sights. Great gun; nice trigger.

Problem is the front stainless sight is tough to pick up.

I read a few people in this thread saying green works good, but I also read on another website some guy saying that light blue works good for him.

From my scuba experience I know that of all the colors in the spectrum, blue is the last to disappear in low light. Green is second to last. Red disappears first.

It is also why when you go hunting in the morning and the sun is coming up, the last color you can see appear in the fall woods is red.

I will try both green and light blue this week and report what works better.

I have been using model paint for years and it really helps my old eyes...I like red but any color that works will do....I have also used appliance epoxy enamel which drys super hard...I have had a drop on my Ruger LCP for over a year and it's still there after lots of pocket carry...

Revlon "Snowy Orange," took a long time to find the right shade and I've been using the same bottle for 30 years(when they advertised long lasting they weren't kidding!). Looks a lot like the S&W red ramp color.

I'm another Testor's fan. My preference is for their flourescent yellow, and it stands out against nearly everything. Just make sure, with the flourescents, that you put down a flat white base coat. For application, I usually whittle a flat on the end of a toothpick. The paint gets into the bottoms and sides of the serrations but the points or tops still show the sights original color.

I use a 'wild' bright green on my front sights that was intended for my bow sight pins.

I'm going to have to breakdown and do it to my Blackhawk, I have a horrible time picking up the front sight - serrations don't help at all..........and yes I'm over 40 (51).

Back in '72 I bought a 67 no-dash, one of the first ones hot off the presses. I also found, even back then when I was a young pup, that the stainless sights were tough to see in some lighting conditions, so what I did was blacken them with a wooden match or, better yet, a candle. I'd repeat the application occasionally as needed. Worked great. I personally like flat black sights for most shooting chores.

I usually don't defend any company, but I have been using the Bright Sights paint for 10-12 years. Either you did something wrong or they have changed their product, not impossible. The gun I carry most is a 640-1 that hasn't even needed to be touched up in several, 5+, years of carrying and shooting. This revolver is carried daily in a pocket holster. What I have found is when I want to remove it, as I have on some guns, this is somewhat difficult and takes more than one application of acetone and a toothbrush to get it off!

I use red or orange.....works quite well.

In answer to your question, yes I do paint my front sites and I'm not a pro. I don't red or orange, I use Chartruese Green and I buy it at any fishing goods store, it is the same paint that is used on lead jigs and it has yet to rub off and I carry one almost daily.

Hi Alk8944,
I appreciate your response and am very glad you have had great results and I'm not trying to start anything here, just relating my experience. However, like m657, I followed all directions to a tee and even very lightly roughed up the sights before I thoroughly cleaned them as instructed before painting.

It was a big disappointment to have it peel right off after all that work. This was applied to two rifles that were never handled roughly or even put in cases. Both rear sights and the front sight on one just fell off.

I will admit that I sent the company two more e-mails after posting in this thread and to their credit, they finally sent some replacement paint and cleaner. I have not tried it yet as I'm still a little paranoid to use it but I will and report back later.

Sorry to hijack Wheel-er's thread with this but again, just wanted to honestly report my experience. It's also ironic that m657 had the exact same problem.

+1 for orange paint on the front sight. When I woke up at the age of 40 to find my arms weren't long enough to read the paper, I also discovered the benefits of a bright colored paint on stainless front sights. I have been using a tube of old industrial paint that doesn't come off unless exposed to high level ordnance or lacquer thinner. I don't really care what it makes the gun look like as long as it gets me on target without struggling. Nope, I'm not a professional, but I did stay at a cheap hotel once.

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Rough waters ahead.

I've found that on stainless guns with stainless front sights I need something to help my eyes find the blade a bit quicker as the shiny front sights picture gets hard to find expecialy in direct sunlight.
I've been useing Testors Orange model paint & it holds up very well & is easy to apply & remove with acetone without harming anything..
I started this 940s front sight by first sighting the weapon & seeing were I wanted the paint, I just put on the part of the blade that you see when it's sighted properly, I then cleaned the bade with acetone after taking a stainless brush to the grooves to clean any rubbish out of them..
I applied the orange paint with a tooth pick & let it set up overnight, resting the gun so the blade was level.. Then cleaned up any excess with a q-tip dipped in acetone, The sight came out looking pretty good & has held up for over two years with lots of holster useage..
I need to do this to my 642 as well but haven't gotten around to it yet..
The Testors Orange looks the best to me but there's many differnt colors that could work, Try haveing a look at Walgreens in the wemens area at the fingernail polish, you'll notice there's alot of colors that just stand out from the others..
Gary/Hk

940s Front Sight Blade
Testors Orange

+1 for the Testors, best $4 I have spent in a while

I like the Red myself, put it on the front sight blade of my beater 6" 10-5 and it sights like a whole new gun now. In fact it's superior to the plastic insert.

Very nice!

I have used the Testers model paint on my front sights with very good results, BUT, the paint comes in this really small bottle. Use it once and then screw the cap back on. After a month it's impossible to get the cap off. I finely tried some pliers and broke the glass bottle, making a huge red mess everywhere. Love the painted sights but the bottle caps are atom bomb proof. David

Captain Hornet, The trick is to dab a bit of paper towel with some paint thinner and wipe the very top of the bottle clean as well as the inside of the bottle cap before screwing the cap back on. That will keep the lid from being stuck by the paint.

I too have old eyes ,and need help.

The best I`ve found is to super glue a strip of plastic drink cup material to the sight . I like the bright yellow , it really stands out .
You can get lots of different colors and all of them are very bright ,and last a very long time .
Oh by the way I also tried and had absolutely no luck with the bright sight paint company that stuff is worthless.

The best part is, if it wears off in the holster, it can be re-applied in seconds.

Apparently the Testors thing has been popular for decades. I have seen some older S&W's with equally old, faint traces of Testors red on the front sight blades.

I think what's so good about the Testors is you can put it were you want & it holds up pretty good, is available in lots of colors & can be removed without a trace with acetone, plus as stated above can be re-applied very easily..
It works way better than that rubbery sight paint that clumps up & leaves a ugly finish..

I'm not sure why you feel the need for painted front sights, I can see mine just fine. Actually, I can see Russia from my house.

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James Redfield
LM #497

I washed the area to be painted first with rubbing alcohol. The let it dry and paint. I purchased the white glo paint for doing sights. Then let it dry. It's been many years since on my ccw pistol.

You revived a almost 4 and a half year old thread for that! God Bless You!

Plain black sights work best for me. One reason I don't like stainless steel handguns.

My white dot fell out of the front sight of my M&P .40 a well know problem with them. Although I want to install a tactical all black rear sight and a gold bead front. Until then I just painted it with a fluorescent bright orange. It's very easy to pick up fast, at least indoors, as I haven't had a chance to try it outdoors yet. Let me know what you think. Also is there anyone out there who's installed a gold dot in front of an all black rear sight? What is the result! Do you like it? or would you do something different if you had to do it again? Later All,

PS: I've since painted the rear sight with a flat black.

Dennis in Idaho
"Keep your Powder Dry & your ***** Down!"

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Dennis in Idaho

No need to suffer with sights you can't see when a little dab of day glo will eliminate the problem. If I needed to I'd simulate the 'red ramp' style.

From a recent post.

"masked with painters tape" very helpful for lining it up even on the serrations, eliminates runoff on the side of the sight blade, and most importantly lets you cordon of a specific area like the photo above.

Got an uncle-in-law who does this to his J fame (can't remember model number) with Orange nail polish. Says it stays on better than anything else he has tried, and only has to re-touch it every couple of years.

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Still just a kid at heart

I couldn't see the front sight on my BG380 in low light so I used paint pens I bought at Home Depot....they are oil base.

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carpe diem
one day at a time

I used Sight Brite GREEN Sight paint on my 64 that I shoot in SSR/Classic Division. It really helped.
I ended up doing a much better fix and had Ron Power cut a Novak dovetail, and installed a correct height 1911 Fiber Optic front sight. I can see the front sight much better.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

My 686 originally had the RR/WO sights, which are terrible in sunlight. I tried painting them black, which worked ok on the rear sight. It did NOT work on the front sight. The RR insert is smooth and still reflects light, making it hard to see. I eventually replaced it with a black ramp.

My 66 has a stainless front sight with RR, that is really terrible in sunlight. It is integral with the barrel and not easily replaced, I haven't decided what to do to fix it yet.

I've never seen colored sight that was better than plain black. A Patridge sight is best of all.

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Common sense isn't so common.

Sure! "Do what you gotta do" to see that front sight; it's the key to accurate shooting. I knew a lady cop who took the red nail polish out of her purse and painted the front sight of her Model 60 at her desk one day. When I was shooting PPC, it was common to smoke the front sight a dense, dull carbon black with a lamp made specially for that purpose.

Seeing the front sight on my 642 is just hard for me. I am thinking about painting the front sight. As I look at some of the pictures it seems that about one third of the ramp is painted. In some pictures it looks like the section of the front sight right above the serrations of the ramp is painted, in others it doesn't look like it's painted. I am confused as to the proper way to do this. I suppose I could take some painters tape and mask off the ramp until I get a perfect sight picture but I am curious as to what others do. Thanks!