Iron sights/ rulebook query

[toddinjax]

I know that it is legal, perhaps even common to paint a little white dot on the front post of an AP. My little niece left a small collection of plastic "gemstones" with an adhesive backing, typically used for decorating whatever little kids like to add bling bling to. I placed a tiny one on my front sight and it catches just enough light to make it very easy to lock focus onto. It appears like a tiny red dot facing you. Would this be within the rules for competition?
Thanks

[Gwhite]

I use bright orange chalk to help my students focus on the front sight, and I've asked in the past, and the collected wisdom is that it's OK. You are not allowed to used light collecting optical fibers in the front sight. The gemstones might be considered similar.

Here's the wording from the ISSF Rules:

"Sights using fiber optic, light enhancing or reflecting color surfaces are prohibited. Optical, mirror, telescope, laser-beam, electronically projected dot sights etc., are prohibited. "

It sounds like the gemstones could easily be considered "reflecting color surfaces".

[dulcmr-man]

So some time ago there was a similar post in which the poster had 3D printed a front sight with a tiny (1mm?) tunnel near the top of the sight post. The OP asked if this was legal per ISSF rules, but no concrete answer was forthcoming. So I'll ask again. A hole, or tunnel, in the front sight is not, IMHO, "...fiber optic, light enhancing or reflecting color..." and therefore would be ISSF legal, but I'm not the equipment inspector either. Is there a way to get a reading from the ISSF equipment folks?

Dennis, aka Ducmrman

[rmca]

toddinjax,
I agree with Gwhite. I don't think it is in the spirit of the rule.

dulcmr-man,
A font sight with a small tunnel/hole is a diopter, not an open sight. Again, I don't think it is in the spirit of the rule.

And here is the full rule, as it is on the ISSF site, so you can make your own mind.

1.JPG (49.11 KiB) Viewed 4893 times

[toddinjax]

Thank you gentlemen. Light reflecting surface it is, I'll take it off right now.

[Ade C]

Isn't any surface light reflecting? That's how we see stuff!

[j-team]

Isn't any surface light reflecting? That's how we see stuff!

100% correct

[Gwhite]

If you want to be that persnickety, the rules should have said specular reflection is prohibited, but not diffuse reflection. I'll let you tell the ISSF to fix it.

[BobGee]

Isn't any surface light reflecting? That's how we see stuff!

Actually, the front sight is not light reflecting, it’s in silhouette. And to enhance that, some sights are undercut and some shooters use smokers or sight spray (or even black hair spray) to reduce/avoid reflection. So it would seem that doing almost anything to the front sight would be outside the rules.

Bob

[PirateJohn]

I kinda want to buy a bottle of Black 3.0 and apply it to the sights to see how that works.

[madmax]

Objects which absorb all light wavelengths will appear black. So a black sight is absorbing light, not reflecting it.
I use flat black hairspray. Really convenient.

Max.