Blacking sights

[deadtired]

As I sit here with my AK in one hand and a lighter in the other, I am wondering how common the practice of blacking sights is in todays militaries. I'm sure that it has fallen out of favor in many cases, what with tritium sights and optics and all, but I'm curious if blacking iron sights is even taught in modern armed forces.

I did a google search and an mp.net search and was unable to find anything on the subject.

[Lt. James Anderson]

Glare reduction
Glare, particularly from the front sight, can be a significant problem with iron sights. The glare from the front sight can increase the apparent brightness of the light bar on one side of the sight, causing windage errors in aiming, or lower the apparent height of the front sight, causing elevation errors in aiming. Since the direction of the ambient light is rarely constant for a shooter, the resulting changing glare can significantly affect the point of aim.

The most common solution to the problem of glare is a matte finish on the sights. Serrating or bead blasting the sight is a common solution for brightly finished sights, such as blued steel or stainless steel. Matte finishes such as parkerizing or matte black paint can also help. 'Smoking' a sight by holding a match or cigarette lighter under the sight to deposit a fine layer of soot is a common technique used by many shooters, and in fact special soot producing cigarette type lighters are sold for use by competition shooters. Even a thin layer of mud or dirt applied to the sight will help kill the glare, as long as the coating is thin and consistent enough not to change the shape of the sights.

Many target sights are designed with vertical or even undercut front sight blades, which reduces the angles at which light will produce glare off the sight--the downside of these sights is that they tend to snag on clothing, branches, and other materials, so they are only common on target guns. Sight hoods reduce the chances of snagging an undercut sight and are common on some types of rifles, particularly lever action rifles, but they are prohibited in some shooting disciplines such as some classes of handgun metallic silhouette shooting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_sights

I don't remember ever being taught that but I used permanent black marker on one of my rifles.

[Hutz]

My father taught me about blackening the rear sight, but never even heard about it in the army (probably cause of the Elcan ;))

[James]

When I was in the USMC in the 90s we'd blacken the front sight post when we did our annual qualifications.

[LongShot]

Learned the lighter and the black sharpie marker in the Army......the sharpie tends to show up purple in the sun though

[ZoneOne]

Learned the lighter and the black sharpie marker in the Army......the sharpie tends to show up purple in the sun though

I'll second that statement.

[LaoSexMachine]

When I was in the USMC in the 90s we'd blacken the front sight post when we did our annual qualifications.


Yes sir. We sometime use tiki torches. I didn't like the magic marker method because the marker left a shine.

[snowmaster]

Prevention is better than cure with a hand gun.

Some of our Browning were reconditioned and had new foresight posts, they were good to go.

The others had been abused by soldiers and support staff. The Q would throw all the WPNS in a trunk, drive thousands of kilometers on the worst road imaginable. The hand guns would bounce around with other rifles and gun parts. And when you finally got re-issued you pistol the foresight post would look like a silver mushroom with hail damage.

I reshaped my sight with a Gerber tool file and gave it a touch of black paint.

I suggest individually rapping you sights in some cloth or flannelet and taping it in place. Just leave the service number exposed for them to do there stock control.

[MikeSierra151]

We used to do it in the Army. circa late 90's.

[deadtired]

Thanks for the input, gents. Good to know this technique is still in use, at least on the range.

On bright days at the range, I apply a layer of soot on the dustcover of my SKS and AK to reduce glare. It doesn't last long, but it sure helps.

[Scrim]

When I was in the USMC in the 90s we'd blacken the front sight post when we did our annual qualifications.

I remember a range NCO would walk around with what looked like a small, smoking cauldron hanging on a chain. What the hell was it called? A pitch pot or something?

[James]

I remember a range NCO would walk around with what looked like a small, smoking cauldron hanging on a chain. What the hell was it called? A pitch pot or something?

Yes. If memory serves me, that's what we had at Edson Range when I was in boot camp. When I was in the fleet we'd just use a squirt of CLP and a lighter to make soot on the front sight post.

[Hollis]

Yes. If memory serves me, that's what we had at Edson Range when I was in boot camp. When I was in the fleet we'd just use a squirt of CLP and a lighter to make soot on the front sight post.


We had some old carbide lanterns. They threw off a lot of soot.

[James]

We had some old carbide lanterns. They threw off a lot of soot.

You had sights on those Brown Bess muskets? p-)

[Beowulf]

You had sights on those Brown Bess muskets? p-)


....ya know....you'd think it would get old...but it doesn't.

panj bala

[helomech]

I remember a range NCO would walk around with what looked like a small, smoking cauldron hanging on a chain. What the hell was it called? A pitch pot or something?

IIRC,it's a smudge pot;used them in boot camp

[James]

....ya know....you'd think it would get old...but it doesn't.

panj bala

hehe. rofl

[IDF_TANKER]

As I sit here with my AK in one hand and a lighter in the other, I am wondering how common the practice of blacking sights is in todays militaries. I'm sure that it has fallen out of favor in many cases, what with tritium sights and optics and all, but I'm curious if blacking iron sights is even taught in modern armed forces.

I did a google search and an mp.net search and was unable to find anything on the subject.

We were doing that simply with a match during the basics (the front sight).

[California Joe]

"I always wet my sights when I'm fixin' to do some shootin'

Gary Cooper as Alvin York

[JC0352]

When I conducted rifle qual at MCRD, we were each issued a small spray can of sight black:

http://www.bosesguns.com/v/vspfiles/photos/bir33925-2.jpg

[LineDoggie]

Burning MRE spoon works every time at the Zero Range, Hoppes also makes spray "Sight Black" soot in a can.

[Karaahmetoglu]

Crayons? Never Tried them, but burning wood, and then smear. Never thought it, I just did it my self.

[GETSOME]

We used to burn wax ear plugs, to blacken the sights ,in the SADF in 1986-1987.p-)

[LongShot]

When I conducted rifle qual at MCRD, we were each issued a small spray can of sight black:

http://www.bosesguns.com/v/vspfiles/photos/bir33925-2.jpg
BC sight black for everyone? Thats pricey.

Im impressed.

[Jippo]

What an earth is wrong with a match? Too cheap?! ;)

[James]

BC sight black for everyone? Thats pricey.

Im impressed.

The USMC is very dedicated to basic rifle marksmanship. In my day we had to qualify out to 500 meters with iron sights, in boot camp.


What an earth is wrong with a match? Too cheap?! ;)

Marines shoot in all weather. I once had to qualify in sideways blowing rain.

[California Joe]

You probably had to walk 5 miles to school uphill in the snow too. :)

[Jippo]

Marines shoot in all weather. I once had to qualify in sideways blowing rain.

Don't we all? :)

If the soot wears of it's just time for another match. Admitted I usually only blacken the front post which is protected by the front sight tunnel so it's pretty protected.

[LaoSexMachine]

The USMC is very dedicated to basic rifle marksmanship. In my day we had to qualify out to 500 meters with iron sights, in boot camp.



Marines shoot in all weather. I once had to qualify in sideways blowing rain.


x2. Qualifying in Oki during Typhoon season sucked. Turns low Expert into low Sharpshooter.

[JC0352]

Marines shoot in all weather.

Seems like the rain just hung around Stone Bay when we were getting ready to shoot at Lejeune before a deployment. A lovely place in July.p-)

One thing I didn't understand though, we had to wear our sweatshirt under our blouse for grass week and qual week in boot. I never knew why... This was at Pendleton in the summer. "Gangway, sound cart!"