Fiber Optic Sights Improve Accuracy?

I shot my DeerStalker tonight (was a bad boy and let the wife take the kids to scouts :redface: ). I was having trouble with the white on white sights. I never had this problem before but really could not adequately distinguish the circle on the front site allighed on the back posts on the orange dot on the target. I don't wear bifocals although I am almost 40 and will need them some day I think. I am wondering what you guys think of fiber optics as after market sights. Dixon Muzzleloading puts them on for around 50-60 buck I think. Never considered them before until all the trouble I had today.

I've used a bunch of open sights.

When the fiber optics gather enough light they work great, when they don't the ones I've used have too fine of blade/V to pick up well (hunting). Under really low light conditions I've got some traditional types I like better. For that matter I like some of those as much/better anyway.

Another alternative is a peep sight. The first peep I ever used was a match peep on a M1 match rifle, you could do some nice shooting quite a way out.

When target shooting use a finer apeture for the peep, for hunting/low light conditions remove the apeture. A peep also gives you a longer sight radius if mounted on the tang; more accurate. If you do consider a tang mounted peep do a search here for fixing the tang to the barrel using set screws so the sights (tang/barrel) remain perfectly aligned.

As the insane one said, only when they pick up enough light. They were an improvement over the sights on my Bobcat, but don't do much vs. a good set of open sights. Track of the Wolf has some pretty good ones. :winking:

Just love my fiber optics with the peep! One word of caution in regards to solvents on the fiber optics........they are know to bugger them up.

Are your sights really white on white? If so why not try some spray sight-black on em and see if that helps. If not, it rubs off. Just my 2 cents. GW

Seeking Trad Deer said:

I shot my DeerStalker tonight (was a bad boy and let the wife take the kids to scouts :redface: ). I was having trouble with the white on white sights. I never had this problem before but really could not adequately distinguish the circle on the front site allighed on the back posts on the orange dot on the target. I don't wear bifocals although I am almost 40 and will need them some day I think. I am wondering what you guys think of fiber optics as after market sights. Dixon Muzzleloading puts them on for around 50-60 buck I think. Never considered them before until all the trouble I had today.

Click to expand...

Seeking Trad Deer wait a few years, it gets worse :grin:
Ive been battling increasingly hard to see sights for quite a few years now, & the bifocals dont help. i did finally order a fiberoptic front sight a couple days a go, after trying all the tricks painting sights different colors and all. some work kinda, but i'm really not picking up the front sight well, consistantly, no matter what ive tried. so we'll see.............

Mornin Seeking Trad Deer
I use HiViz sights now, They don't make me shoot any better, but I can now sea what I want to shoot at, I used the peep sight and really liked it, for targets,, but it didn't do too good in the woods for me, I seen 2 deer real clear standin in the woods not more then 40 yards but when I took aim, I could not sea em as clear through the peep, I could not make out where the shoulder blade was, So I let those 2 walk, and waited till muzzle loader huntin was over then took the peep off and re sighted in my weapon for reg. season, Hi Viz sends you 2 colors and 3 sizes of each for the front, I use the T/C rear sight but didn't like the movement they have from side to side, Called T/C and they pulled one from the shelf and didn't like it either, I sent it back and they fixed it, (bent the shoulders closer but it only lasted for bout 3 months and went loose again) I then took a car feeler gage set and cut a .002 (I think ) and sleeved it, No movement now, The orange is for normal light and the green is for low light, They change easy, I am far sighted and need 275 glasses for readin now, (from dollar gen. $5.00) But I use 75 for huntin, works great, (got that idea from here) I'm 59 y/o and my eyes are goin south on me, I hate gettin old, but it sure beats the alternative,,[url] http://www.hivizsights.com/RifleTactical-Sights-C2.aspx[/url]

I put a set of Fire Sights on my wifes muzzleloader and they are great until the light gets real low. I have the Deerstalker and find that the white front bead is the best sight for hunting in low light. I like the Deerstalker sights so much that I got a set for my Trade rifle, and I am 51 years, and have had glasses for 34 years. I know all about having trouble seeing the sights. I even tried the peep sight, but could not get used to it for hunting. I have a clamp on scope mount, but have not used it yet, and hope I will never need to. Good luck.

Go back and see Chuck or Gregg for the Lyman Peep sight that plugs right into your rifle! Your Lyman rifle is pre-drilled and tapped for this sight. If memory serves me correctly it's called the No. 57 SML model and it comes complete with two screw-in aperatures for the peep: one for bright light(smaller size hole) and one for dim light (larger size) both work real good for me . My son Andy used this to great effect to win our BP League rifle competition, even beating-out one of them thar fancy carrrrrtridge guns. Right now we are still using the regular front blade that came stock with the Trade Rifle, but just got the globe a couple of weeks ago...haven't put it on yet! Since the aperatures are pretty much centered, you could be up in the tree stand with the wider one on the rifle until it got bright enough to make use of the narrower one :hmm: In our testing the POI doesn't change much at ML deer distance. Just one more thought: I'm thinking about painting the front sight blade with hobby paint before I switch it out :winking: . Hope this helps, Dave

Mornin smokin .50
I know what you mean bout havin a bigger hole in the peep, I bought 2 and keep drillin out the one to hunt with, I would jump one size at a time, drilled it out 4 times, It's just my eyes, I HAD to go back to open sight's, I like the looks and feel of the peep, My eyes don't,, But I tried,,,,

I can second the Lyman SML 57 peep. Click adjustments for windage/elevation and snaps right of its base if you need to go back to open sights.

As mentioned above use different apetures for various conditions. If it's real early/late or I'm stalking where a might need a quick shot sometimes I remove it altogether (the apeture).

I've also used one of the early TC vernier tang peeps. Great for long range but not so good for hunting/low light and not as readily adjustable.

I put F/O sights on my New Englander and it made a big differance on it in the Deer woods.Williams Firesights I think are the brand name.I got them from Cabelas.This particular gun dosen't make it to the firing line of any traditional Muzzleloader shoots.......I could only imagine the ridicule.... :shake:

I had a front fiber optic sight installed tonight (red). I need to give it a try at the range. Picked up my boys .22 with a new scope tonight and those crosshairs looked a bit blurry in the middle. Thinking it could be time for bifocals

Seeking Trad Deer...good luck with the scouts and the new .22. My son's entire patrol just had an Eagle Scout Court of Honor (seven Eagles) last month. I taught 6 of the 7 to shoot rifles & shotgun...now they can outshoot me! Hope in time that you too will have the same rewarding experience as I did . Shooting & scouting go so well together :thumbsup: .
Was looking thru the Cabels's sale paper and saw .22 LR ammo on sale, the federal 32 gr. hp. This stuff seems to feed well in autos, levers, etc. and the price is right & it comes in 525 rd. boxes...kids can chew it up fast ya know :surrender: .

Anyhow, good luck with the high-vis sight on the smokepole and let us know how you like it :hatsoff: . All the best, Dave

I have my hawken set up with green fiber optic front sight.

Peep sight on the rear

.54 Prb -- 90gr fff

With a rest = deadly accurate out to 100 yd +


I found the smaller diamiter front sight the better -

Works in any light

Used the new fo front sight today. I seemed to find it much easier at least today anyway. It is a pretty small sized front fo sight. Shot tighter groups when I didn't flinch. Too soon to tell but :hatsoff: today was generally positive

Remember to do what Chuck Dixon said about putting the front of the barrel on the beanbag/rest. It does make a difference :winking: . Chat with you again, Dave

I have 4 flintlocks and they all have fiber optics on them. Needless to say but I like them. Save your original sights so you can put them back on when you want to sell it.

I now have my complete front and rear fiber optic sites after going to Dixon's this week and having the rear sight installed. I shot it yesterday and for me they have made a significant positive difference in my accuracy. I was punching orange dots over on my targets at 25 yards yesterday, which for me is amazing and has never happened before. Not sure if it is the fiber optics themselves or the effect they have on my aging eyes...but I wanted to pass along the results. :shake:

Glad to hear a report on the results of the new sights :thumbsup: . The more good shooting you do with those new sights, the more confidence you'll attain . Now soon as the scouts are old enough to handle a 25-30 grain charge (bench-rested is easier for the little ones), getem hooked too :winking: . All the best, Dave