Sidearms & Scatterguns Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

[Randoman5]

Looks like nobody had any advice to give me on the front sight for my P220.

I was wondering if anyone has ever used these or any other paint or sticker based glow in the dark sight products.

If you have what did you think of them?

 

[camocorvette]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

I tried to use some Bright Sights High Viz Gun Site Coating, on my 1911A1 when I bought it as it had standard sights on it. For during the day it kind of helped a little. I'm not really a fan of it, granted it works for making your sights some what more visible.

My recommendation is to save up and get some tritium night sights. There are quite a few brands out there that carry them. I opted to go with Trijicon Tritium night sights and am very pleased with them.

I did use the High Viz paint on my duty gun. At work we cannot alter an issue gun, my sights at one time had white dots. They had fallen out so I filled them all with white and it works quite well.

So like I said if that's all you have, its better than nothing. But I say don't even consider it and get yourself some nice sights that are going to last.

Here are some links for HIVIZ

MeProLight

TRUGLO

XS Express

The first, and third link are fiber optic, and the second and fourth link are Tritium Night sights. I think any of these options would be a great choice for your firearm. I hope I could help, and best of luck.

 

[45.308]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

I have this, Ghost Glow on two of my pistols:

http://www.brightsights.com/index.shtml

The ghost glow in the vial is as thick as paste. I alcohol cleaned the white dot then using a tooth pick that has one end flat, using the flat end, a tiny dab on the white dot. Get it to stay in the dot area, it wanted to roll around due to its thickness. Then using a new flat end tooth pick, press the paste into the recess of the dot. Let dry.

Fresh ghost glow in green on the front helped me concentrate on the front sight. I would not call it a glow but it is bright when new. A couple hundred rounds the powder burning turned the ghost glow to a dull dark gray/green. Clean it out and start over. In my opinion, it is not a replacement for a high viz tritium glow in the dark sight but it did help me focus on the front sight.

My last two hand guns I elected to not ghost glow the front sight.

Hope this helps.

 

[Randoman5]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

@CamoCorvette - which by the way I hope you didn't actually do...

I'd like to get some Truglow fiber optic ones but the front sight on my 89 P220 isn't removable. It's a part of the slide. I've been entertaining the idea of having someone remove it and replace it with a dovetail but I don't know where I'd get that done or if it'd be wrong to permanently molest a gun Sig guys seem to consider special.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

i like the brightsights paint, first i drill (yikes) a little "cup" into the blade, put in a small dab if matte white any type paint, cover with a thin coat of the brightsight, and "seal" it with matte clear nailpolish.

works decently on AR posts too.

i have the white trim ring around my front sight tritiums painted with it, for me it's better to pick up in the day without messeing up the tritium at night. no drilling or anything else needed there, just clean with acetone and apply with a tooth pick.

it does tend to come off after numerous solvent with bruch cleanings, but 1 kit lasts a zillion sight application. the glue ons seem to fly off on hot days or gets smeared / moved around a little.

i used jig (fishing lure) paint too, gets a bit "plasticie" and doesn't adhere as well as i though it would.

a competent gunsmith should be able to mill it down and add dovetails if you want to "molest it".

 

[Randoman5]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

How would one go about finding a competent gunsmith?

Competence seems to be a rare quality in any line of work.

 

[ShortRangeSniper]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

Maybe I am missing something here. Under what circumstances would you be in bright sunlight such that your paint or whatever would have enough ambient light to start glowing and then you would be in darkness such that you now need nightsights?

 

[Randoman5]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

I admit, that'd be an unlikely scenario. My friend has similar sights on his beretta and they respond to a bright flashlight. In the event that you needed to use the gun and you had the ability to shine your flashlight on them before you encountered the threat that might be an option.

Basically I don't like the sights I have. It's a plain black relatively low rear sight with a equally low front sight with a white dot that's not really white anymore. It takes me a noticeably longer period to acquire a target with them than with three dot sights I've used on other pistols.

I'm open to putting some aftermarket sights on the gun, but I don't want to spend a fortune on machine work and If I get it done I need to get it done right.

I've checked some Sig forums and it seems like it's hard to find someone who can do it right, so I was exploring the option of painting the front dot to be more visible and adding a line or dots on the rear sight.

If anyone knows a good pistol smith they would trust with the task I'd like to know.

Especially if they know one in Northeast Ohio.

 

[taseal]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ShortRangeSniper</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Maybe I am missing something here. Under what circumstances would you be in bright sunlight such that your paint or whatever would have enough ambient light to start glowing and then you would be in darkness such that you now need nightsights? </div></div>

shine a flashlight for a sec, and they charge up. then you can check out the intruder knocking on your door. it's not a solution to the problem, but a band-aid

I have it on my guns that don't offer night sights for (hk mk23 , keltec PF9, and FsN five seven)

 

[saejosh]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

Go with a quality tritium sight. they are worth every dime especially over time.

 

[ShortRangeSniper]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

If you have the tools to drill your sights to apply the paint, then maybe this method works. $20 for some luminescent paint, and you can do a bunch of guns. But IMHO, if you are going to need a gunsmith to do it, it quickly loses sense cost wise. You are then looking at probably $70 at least ($20 + $50) with a bunch of paint leftover. Now you are roughly $10 away from a real set of tritium sights.

IIRC, all of the P-series use the same sights. You might want to research this yourself as I am not 100% sure. If you are talking an SD or HD gun, if only one gun in your collection has the right sights, this should be it.

Ebay has good deals on sights starting around $70-80. A good set on Sig Forums just went for $60. Personally I find the XS two dot system far superior to just about anything out there. Many folks (including myself) get slowed down with three dots in the dark trying to figure out which green dot is the front sight. I find two dot 'straight eight' sights extremely fast.

If you had the right sights are you good with installing them?

 

[Randoman5]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

Short range sniper, I'm not sure if you're responding to me or someone else... but I have an old gun that doesn't have a removable front sight.

It's easy to find the sights I want cheap. It's as easy as Amazon. I even have them on my wish list. The trouble is the slide will need quite a bit of machining to allow them to fit since they're for a newer gun.

I know getting different sights would yield a much better result.

I'm wondering because getting sights installed on this gun would cost almost as much as I paid for the gun. "I've been quoted $300 for a gun I got a decent deal on at $500.

 

[ShortRangeSniper]

Re: Glow-on or truglow paint for sights

Sorry, missed in your second post where you said the front sight was permanently mounted.