M1 Garand front sight question

[grislyatoms]

In the film, Band of Brothers, just before Easy Co. crosses the river in rubber rafts to get some prisoners for Col. Sink, they showed a guy running the flame from his Zippo over his front sight / blades.
Can anyone tell me why he did this?

 

[RGO]

I believe the point was to blacken the sights, so they wouldn't reflect light.

 

[DorGunR]

I believe the point was to blacken the sights, so they wouldn't reflect light.

Exactly.

 

[grislyatoms]

Cool, makes sense. Thanks, guys!

 

[Sunray]

It's done by lots of serious target shooters too. It gives you a really sharp and clear front sight.

 

[TimRB]

"It's done by lots of serious target shooters too. It gives you a really sharp and clear front sight."

Not only that, but it's been done exactly that way (well, maybe not a Zippo) for nearly as long as there have been rifles.

Tim

 

[jobu07]

Hmmm. I thought it was in order to make the sites "darker" than the blackness of night around them, so as to make them easier to see while shooting at night? I'm sure that they won't reflect any light while singed from the lighter though, which makes perfect sense.