What kind of sights do you like on your revolvers?

[Zaydok Allen]

There are a number of different front and rear iron/open sight options available today that can be combined in a number of ways to customize a sight picture to your preference . Off hand I can think of

Front:
Fixed/Integral Blade
Black Blade
Red/Green Ramp Sight
Fiber Optic
Gold Bead
Fixed Dot
Tritium Sight

Rear:
Black Notch Adjustable
Adjustable with White Outlined Notch
Rear Fiber Optic Two Dot Adjustable
Fixed Rear Integral Notch
Rear Fixed Two Dot Sight
Rear Fixed Tritium Sight

I'm probably leaving some out. I'm just curious what combos of front and rear sights people like on their revolvers, and for what role.

My favorite is a red ramp front with an adjustable white outlined notch on the back. I know it isn't the most precise setup, but for me it is the fastest to get on target.

My 686 PC gun uses a black adjustable rear notch system from LPA, and a black post front sight. I find the sight picture difficult to aim precisely when aiming at a dark target. My eyes kind of stink, and even with glasses on I struggle to do what I want to do when using those sights. I've been thinking about adding a gold bead to the front post. Is that fairly easy to do? Can a smith simply drill it and Loctite a bead in there?

 

[CraigC]

All black and adjustable. Not so much for the adjustability as for the better sight picture. A post front blade, preferably held in place with a pin or setscrew. I like the blade to be sharp and crisp. Sometimes the gorilla at Ruger gets carried away with the polishing around the front sight. I think the Bowen target rear sight is the pinnacle of revolver sights.

 

[Red Cent]

For serious social work, Hi-Viz front and regular rear. Hi-Viz back and front is too busy. I won't take the time to sight the handgun that "fine".

Plinking/target work would be black on black and adjustable.

 

[MrBorland]

Red fiber optic front
Black Notch Adjustable rear

My specific preferred setup is an interchangeable front FO sight and a Millet adjustable rear sight (though Millet unfortunately no longer makes their rear revolver sight).

 

[Normandy]

Front: Fiber optic.
Rear: Adjustable, white outline.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Fixed more or less...

Driftable - meaning replaceable as well - on the rear.

Pinned on the front.

Nothing more - nothing less.

Mine are handguns, not sniper systems nor "all thing to all people in all scenarios" devices.

Todd.

 

[Dframe]

My feelings have evolved over many years and I now favor plain black fixed sights, regulated for the load you most often use.

 

[Wil Terry]

Black.
Patridge.
Period.

 

[OpticsPlanet]

For me, it depends on the gun. For CCW short barreled snub, fixed non-adjustable is my choice. For field gun, plinking, target, I like fully adjustable rear with white outline/colored front or some other contrasting colors. can be paint, fiber optic or tritium.

George P.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Orange front and adjustable white outlined rear. That's what's on my King Cobras and Anacondas. I am just used to them.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Orange front and adjustable white outlined rear. That's what's on my King Cobras and Anacondas. I am just used to them.

That's what I started with, so I think I'm just accustomed to them also.

 

[bannockburn]

All black, pinned in front and with an adjustable rear sight.

 

[PO2Hammer]

Patridge front, adjustable square notch rear, all black.

 

[SEE IT LIKE A NATIVE]

My defensive revolvers have fixed sights with tritium front bead , my gp 100 has the factory ruger adjustables with red insert on front , my Ruger SRH 454 sports a red dot from Millet ! Kevin

 

[Normandy]

When your eyes are seven decades old, and your cataracts are as of yet not ready for surgery, you will appreciate that front fiber optic sight.

 

[GAMEOVER44]

I hate fiber optics they get ruined so easyly and are not durable.

 

[swede4198]

With my old eyes I find green Tritium Fiber Optic front sight and yellow rear TFOs work best for me. I have a set of TFOs on a M&P .40 with over 4,000 rounds through it and have never had a problem with them. I do have a plain fiber optic on a shotgun that did loste its pipe, the manufacturer sent me replacements free of charge.

 

[tomrkba]

Three dot night sights.

 

[WestKentucky]

For hunting guns I like colorful hi-viz front and a rear adjustable notch with a white boxed outline in all lighting conditions I can see to shoot.

For target guns I like a blade front, matte finish, and a adjustable rear notch. It let's there be a chance at precision shooting.

For social work, I prefer a thin, rounded blade front, and a fixed integral rear, most preferably what is called a gutter sight. This setup leaves no snag points.

 

[aarondhgraham]

^^^ Ditto ^^^

...I like colorful hi-viz front and a rear adjustable notch with a white boxed outline in all lighting conditions I can see to shoot.

This is exactly what I like,,,
Rather, this is exactly what my old eyes see the best.

Three dot (glow in the dark) night sights are my second choice.

Three dot (white paint) are my third choice.

My eyes are old enough that black front and rear are difficult to see.

Aarond

.

 

[CajunBass]

Never thought about it much. I just use whatever is on the gun. I might put a slash of red or white on the front sight, but that's about it.

I know what I didn't like. The tiny sights on a Colt Government Model 1911.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I hate fiber optics they get ruined so easyly and are not durable.

My experience differs. My primary carry gun has a fiber optic front sight and in 2.5 years of carrying IWB I haven't had a problem with durability.

 

[Tallball]

To carry, gutter.

Otherwise, sights that are BIG. I've never used big sights I didn't like.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

I have a Dan Wesson 15-2V that came with white outline rear and 3 interchangeable front sight blades, black, red insert, and yellow insert. I used the red insert for years, but these 55 year old eyes seem to pick up on the yellow much easier, I've even gone to yellow paint on rifle open sights. The yellow just seems to work for me.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Most of my revolvers were made in the 1970s or earlier. So I don't have any with any kind of fancy optics.

For a Single Action Army, this is what you get. A simple square notch. This is a 2nd Gen, made in the late 1970s.






But the 2nd Gen sight is a lot easier to see than a 1st Gen sight. This Colt Bisley is from 1908, if I recall correctly.






This is what you got with a S&W Schofield, made in 1875.






The rear sight on this S&W New Model Number Three from 1882 is more typical of what you got with the large frame Top Breaks. The raised rear sight is part of the latch.






Moving up into the 20th Century, the rear sight on this S&W M&P is typical of the fixed rear sights of all the Hand Ejectors. I am very used to sights like this and have no trouble shooting with then.






This is what you got with the finest target revolvers in the 1930s. Rear sight of a S&W M&P Target Model.






The rear sight of a K-22 from the 1930s is not much different than the 38, the only real difference is the groove is square, not rounded.






So compared to those from the 1930s, the rear sight on my S&W Model 17-3 from 1975 is a treat.





Now, don't go thinking I am some kind of eagle eyed shooter. My 64 year old eyes have always been extremely near sighted. So bad that I was 4F from the Army. I have floaters, and my lenses are as thick as the bottom of a coke bottle. I am just used to shooting with old fashioned sights.