My hunting handguns all have the standard red ramp front sight.
I just got the gold bead front sight from Ruger for my Toklat and I'm anxious to give it a try. Have been considering a fiber optic sight for my SBH in green or red. What do some of you use for front sights on your hunting handguns?

I have a fiber optic green front and a peep rear on my GP100, which is the only "hunting" handgun I have left without an optic. Older eyes just don't pick up irons like they used to.

I have a gold bead on one and a red fiber on another both use the standard square notch rear sight. Works for me.

My actual preference is for a gun that I can easily change the front sight blade. I can do this for my FA and S&W revolvers. I know this is not a Ruger option, out of the box.

Green FO's, imho, work better for me than red. You can really see a difference at low light times. Gold beads, well, you will lose them a little before the green FO, but they are easy to pick up. But in really bright light, the gold takes more futzing when edging for accuracy.

I guess if I had to pick one iron sight for a dedicated hunting only gun, it would probably be a small green FO with a well defined, sharp square housing blade that I could use the blade for most shooting, with the FO picking up in really low light.

Craig

I prefer black undercut patridge front sights to anything else. I have also evaluated gold beads, red, orange, and green inserts, but the black undercut works best for me in all scenarios.

I prefer the green fiber optic front sight.

With all the money folks spend on guns, I'm surprised that no one uses a gem in the front blade. I've a pretty replica (Uberti) s/w Schofield that has the front site a bit to high. I spoke to my jeweler about mounting a ruby or emerald in it. He felt the recoil would dislodge it. I don't know. The gun is not a big boomer, and it would look cool. It would pick up the light better than a piece of plastic or paint.

Has anyone done this or heard of it being done? I've got a pile of jewelry I hardly ever use, it would be neat to get some use from it.

db

Here's the perfect gun for that, db

You can only aim that gun if you hold it sideways, and your pants have to be 6 sizes too big, and droop well below your waist or the gun won't even go off.

Dog,

I guess it would depend on how the gem is faceted, and the kind of light you shoot in. An exposed gold/brass bead might make a comparable example. In bright light, the bead reflects like crazy. This reflection makes the bead really fast, but more work for precision. You can flush seat the brass with a dead flat face, and it will probably pick up a little less distortion, gain you a tad in low light over black, but being sunk in, not gather quite as well as FO's.

I'm working over the front sight on my Colt NF, which was badly over polished from the factory. getting it trued up, black/blue. But, I am pondering whether to inset some real ivory, or possibly gold/brass.

Methinks if you want gems on the gun, perhaps some carved gals on the grips, with the gems "strategically" located ;^)

Craig