Carbide Lamp vs Sight Black Spray

DaTerminat'r · Dec 14, 2011

Is soot from carbide lamp significantly better than the spray stuff that you can buy from gun store?

A can of Casey Sight Black spray $8

A carbide lamp $60
calcium carbide (fuel) 3-lb $50

growr · Dec 15, 2011

I used a Gunsmoke carbide lighter in my many years of shooting NRA Hi power rifle matches and can say that the soot generated is much "blacker" than the spray on which has a matte appearance to MY eyes.
However, the spray on is SO convenient.

I am fortunate to have at my disposal many barrels of carbide rocks as my dad was a welder and much preferred to use his acetylene generator to buying bottles. Not many are in that position howevr.

Were I still shooting Hi Power I would still break out the lamp and blacken the front sight and barrel the old way.

Randy

CALREB · Dec 15, 2011

Same thing the spray just looked gray to me, where the smoke was black/black. Bob

KAC · Dec 15, 2011

Years ago I was told that the big problem with the spray is that applying it to heavily to one side of the front sight could cause a shift in point of aim/point of impact. It tends to build up more than soot, and you have to be careful with multiple coats.

DaTerminat'r · Dec 15, 2011

Oh, I forgot about the hazard shipping fee for the calcium carbide. It's like $50.

I guess I'll give the carbide a try. Just can't see the sights during winter months. It's the 50 yard out course of fire that gives me so much trouble. I literally can't see the front sight at all some times when the sun comes out. I don't have that much trouble during the summer. The winter months are worst.

PPCSHOOTER · Dec 17, 2011

I HAVE REBUILT, WORKING, CARBIDE LAMPS. I'VE ALREADY TAKEN THE RISK ON E BAY BOUGHT EM, FIXED EM. $55 OR TRADE JP

MKT · Dec 19, 2011

Carbide is the way to go. As mentioned, the spray stuff looks like matte charcoal gray to me, not black. Carbide give a nice flat black.

As for cost, well, you can blow through a spray can pretty quick and you can find carbide at the matches for $20 or so for a 2 pound can. If you are going to pay haz mat shipping fees buy several cans at a time, you're better off buying up to 10 pounds (5 2 pound cans), which I believe is the limit now. You'll have several years supply, or you go in with fellow shooters and defray your haz mat fees by spreading it out. IIRC 10 pounds was $85 shipped, works out to $17.20 a can.

runehans · Dec 19, 2011

Carbide smoker

Bought a carbide smoker from Ray-Vin.com some time back. Nice and fast service, and I live in Norway, recommended

brucev · Dec 19, 2011

I've not used carbide. I have used the spray which I don't care for in the least. I have found that a simple candle will soot up my sights to give me very good results in firing vintage military rifle matches. Nice thing about the candle is that it is inexpensive and easy to use. JMHO. Sincerely. brucev.

Fkimble · Dec 19, 2011

Back in the old days, while shooting silhouette, saw a fellow ask a guy who was blacking his sights with a carbide lamp if he would do his sights also. He said sure and the guy stuck his 8 3/8 smith barrel over the lamp bottomsides up. When he removed it and turned it over we noticed the red insert was partially melted!
Saw another use for spray siteblack. Many years ago when everyone on the line at Perry either had a 14 or bolt gun, I saw my shooting partner decide to touch up the sticky on his M1A buttstock after his 2 sighters at 300 yds. Now he was squadded between a Marine team shooter who was in the running and on the other side was a civilian also in the running. Now when he reached in his shooting stool and pulled out the spray can, they called for shooters to stand, so he quickly did a long spray covering everything on his right side. He quickly stood, targets came up and he went down and proceeded to clear both strings. After the line was cleared he was asked about all the sight black on his face, coat and buttstock. He had grabbed the sightblack instead of the stickem!

growr · Dec 19, 2011

Could have been worse...he could have sprayed firm grip all over his sight and barrel and then wondered why things wouldn't move so well!

Randy

GyMac · Dec 19, 2011

Carbide is the way to go for real blackening, but make sure not to let it build up too much.

growr · Dec 19, 2011

The soot would have to build up a LOT to change a zero. On my M1A that I used for so many years in Hi Power matches it takes .007 of movement on the front sight to move the point of impact 1 minute of angle.

7 thousandths of an inch is a lot of soot build up. It usually fell off before I could actually clean it off.

Randy

DaTerminat'r · Dec 19, 2011

I ordered a lamp and 10-lb of calcium carbide from a caving company, the kind that sells stuff to people who enjoy exploring caves.

Carbide Lamp vs Sight Black Spray

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