Focusing on Front Sight in Poor Basement Lighting?

[joe1347]

I'm having a difficult time focusing on the front sight during Air Pistol practice in my basement and I'm guessing that it's primarily due to poor lighting since I can 'see' the front sight fairly well in bright lighting. Granted my vision is aging - but short of adding extra lighting in my basement - I'm wondering whether there's a trick or two to try. My first guess was to put a dab of bright red nail polish on the front sight. But possibly, that falls into the stupid idea category. Alternatively, I was also wondering whether the top surface of the AP was reflecting the overhead fluorescent light and somehow distorting the sight picture. Which leads me to the other 'guess' that I should instead decrease my basement lighting and only use a downrange 'spot light' for the target and try to have very dim overhead lighting (if any) to help with loading

For reference, I'm shooting an Aeron Chameleon AP.

[john bickar]

My suggestion: add extra task lighting in your basement. I also have trouble seeing the front sight in poor overhead lighting conditions. I prefer a lot of light over the sights.

Many (most?) international airgun ranges are optimized for air rifle shooting, for which a brightly-lit target and a dimly-lit sight is preferable. The opposite is true for air pistol, in my experience.

[pgfaini]

I use a very well lit target. When I first set up my basement range, I checked the targets at Wolf Creek, with a light meter. The Sius Ascor setup, used a small spotlight, 75w., if memory serves me, in a gooseneck holder right above each target. I don't remember the Lux reading, but I duplicated it in my basement with a 150w bulb in an aluminum photo reflector, clamped to a floor joist, about 3ft. from the target, striking it at a 45º angle. With this much light, the lighting at the firing line isn't that important, as the sights can be seen in sillhuette against the target.

Paul

[RobStubbs]

Sounds like you have too much glare on the foresight. A few suggestions; reduce the direct overhead lighting or make it more diffuse, it's best if it's between you and the target slightly, and put something in front of it so you don't have bright white light in your vision - a strip of card or wood is fine. Make the target lighting brighter - try using a small halogen spotlight. Or try opening up your rear sight. I did the latter at a comp last w/e and it seemed to help me 'see' the foresight more clearly.

The foresight should be kind of a silhouette <sp?> so you want maximum contrast between sights and target (white) - the optimum should therefore be black sights against a white aiming mark, a couple of cm's below the black.

Rob.

[joe1347]

Thanks for the suggestions. Both shining a desk lamp (75 watt Halogen) on the target as well as using some cardboard to block the overhead lighting helped quite a bit. I suspect that the best approach will be to just shine a very bright light on the target and turn off the overhead lights. The 75watt desk lamp didn't seem bright enough by itself. Time for some more experimenting.

[jackh]

I have always shot my best with plenty of light on my sight from behind. Not glaring though. I really want to see the sight, it's color and grain, so I know I am really on it with my eye.

[slavochk]

Try to widen the rear sight notch.

G.

[RobStubbs]

Thanks for the suggestions. Both shining a desk lamp (75 watt Halogen) on the target as well as using some cardboard to block the overhead lighting helped quite a bit. I suspect that the best approach will be to just shine a very bright light on the target and turn off the overhead lights. The 75watt desk lamp didn't seem bright enough by itself. Time for some more experimenting.

We use 500 w lamps down the club, whilst I have used a 150 watt at home. If you get a 150 close enough that should be fine, but if you want it say 5 or more feet away then you will probably need a 300 or even 500. In general terms you really can't have too much light on the target but you need to get an even ambient light throughout so as not to make the target appear very bright.

Rob.

[dlinden]

I found that I could optimize lighting at home so I could see perfectly. Tweaked everything just so. Go to the matches (indoor at Ft Benning) and then can't see anything. A former frequent poster (S. Swartz - Where are you?) told me that he has four different light set-ups at home so that he doesn't get accustomed to just one condition. Great idea - wish I was that self-disciplined. Only an issue for AP.

[joe1347]

Try to widen the rear sight notch.

G.

I'm assuming or guessing that I would use a metal file to widen the notch. But would the newly exposed 'rough' and/or 'shiny' sidewall surface (of the rear sight notch) cause problems?

[Fred Mannis]

Try to widen the rear sight notch.

G.

I'm assuming or guessing that I would use a metal file to widen the notch. But would the newly exposed 'rough' and/or 'shiny' sidewall surface (of the rear sight notch) cause problems?

First, get a spare rear blade, incase you want to go back.
Then get a fine flat file, safe on both sides, and widen the notch a little at a time. the file should be angled so that looking down on the notch you see |\ /|. This keeps down glare from the side surfaces. Use some touch up blue to get rid of the shine. I would widen perhaps .005 to 0.010" and see how it looks.

[pgfaini]

Try to widen the rear sight notch.

G.

I'm assuming or guessing that I would use a metal file to widen the notch. But would the newly exposed 'rough' and/or 'shiny' sidewall surface (of the rear sight notch) cause problems?

First, get a spare rear blade, incase you want to go back.
Then get a fine flat file, safe on both sides, and widen the notch a little at a time. the file should be angled so that looking down on the notch you see |\ /|. This keeps down glare from the side surfaces. Use some touch up blue to get rid of the shine. I would widen perhaps .005 to 0.010" and see how it looks.

Buy a Morini, and you can play with your sight width to your hearts content!:>)

[Nicole Hamilton]

I also have trouble seeing the front sight in poor overhead lighting conditions. I prefer a lot of light over the sights.

That's my experience, too, and I really need to do something about it. I don't have nearly enough lighting over my shooting position in my basement range. In the day, when I have light flooding in through the windows (it's a walkout basement, so these are big windows) it's great. But in the evening, my eyes just aren't good enough anymore given the lighting I have. (In my case, it's more than just age, it's cataracts, I found out at my latest eye exam a couple weeks ago.)

[joe1347]

I also have trouble seeing the front sight in poor overhead lighting conditions. I prefer a lot of light over the sights.

That's my experience, too, and I really need to do something about it. I don't have nearly enough lighting over my shooting position in my basement range. In the day, when I have light flooding in through the windows (it's a walkout basement, so these are big windows) it's great. But in the evening, my eyes just aren't good enough anymore given the lighting I have. (In my case, it's more than just age, it's cataracts, I found out at my latest eye exam a couple weeks ago.)

Thanks to the previous suggestions, I found that simply using an cheapo $29 desk lamp with a bendable neck and $5 75watt indoor spot light (pointed directly at the target) helped quite a bit in terms of getting rid of the glare on my sights. Most of the cheapo desk lamps were limited to 75 watts, so the spot light (instead of a standard bulb) was necessary to maximize the light on the target. While I'm still unable to get a sharp focus on the front sight, at least the the sights are reasonably silhouetted with less glare using this approach. Granted standing directly underneath one of the bright basement lights allows me to get a sharper focus on the front sight, but most of the ranges that I've been too typically don't have that much bright overhead lighting - so I thought that going for the silhouette sight picture would provide for more realistic practice and for now, I wasn't planning on trying to add another bright light directly over where I stand (10meter mark).

[GaryN]

You may need a pair of shooting glasses. In dimmer light the iris in the eye opens up, and you get less depth of field (what appears in focus). I had my eye doc make me a set of glasses following Warrens advice for the diopter offset, and now I can focus on the front sight.

Gary

[PaulT]

I use a gold tint filter. Although filters take out some of the available light, the Champion filter I use is of good quality and the increased contrast it provides in poor light more than compensates for the minor loss of light.

Don't confuse this with the Yellow filters, I don't like these (mine is for sale in the UK if anybody is interested!)

[Alex L]

Firstly, what sort of Air Pistol do you have, Joe?
Check the width of the front sight, and then check the width of the gap in the back sight.

I shoot from the kitchen to the back bedroom at home. I have flourescent light in the ceiling of the bedroom, and I have natural light in the kitchen. I also wear shooting glasses.

Obviously, this does not apply to you, if you are shooting in a basement.
Therefore, you need to have a spotlight - about 150 watts- pointing down to the target from a distance of 3 - 4 metres, so your target does not get glare on it.

In your shooting bay, a double flourescent tube overhead would help.
Make sure the light does not come directly onto your gun. Have a cover on it to difuse the light.

Painting the sights is of no benefit whatsoever. However, try to get the front sight on the gun about 4.5mm wide, and the rear sight notch about 3.9mm wide.

Obviously everyone has different vision, so wear a cap when you are shooting, to stop the overhead light reflecting on your glasses.

Smoke the gun if there is reflection there.

Hope this helps,
Alex L.