Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only What color front bead?

I'm ordering sights for a new build. NEGC banded front and adjustable rear. White/Brass/ or Red Fiber? I was leaning toward the red fiber but wonder if its just too Bright and blooms?

Second question is what size? 3/32 or 1/16?

If you are actually going to be hunting game with this I'd say white in 3/32

I prefer white and the bigger bead also.

This is a 50 B&M Alaskan on a Siamese mauser action but built to look like a model 70 safari. Use will be pigs and maybe some close range deer.

I've used white, gold, silver and red fiber to take game. Green fiber shows up better in low light than any of them. The others ain't even close. Regardless of what color you choose, get the 3/32 bead. It will show up better and you can't shoot if you can't see your sight.

I want green but NEGC doesn't seem to list anything in green

I’m replacing my front sights with brass posts. I had one on a rifle for a few years and I liked it a lot. I just bought a second and probably with replace most of my lever front sights with brass posts.

I agree with the gold-colored patridge/post/sourdough.
Townsend Whelen did too.
After melting one fiberoptic front bead with an accidental bit of solvent, I quit using them.
Too fragile.

You do realize the fiber optic is easy to replace right ? All you need is a piece of fiber optic {which is readily available} something to cut it with and a butane lighter.

I hate fiber optic sights on my guns.

About 8% of American men are color-blind in various degrees--which means having somebody else recommend an optic bead color might not help. This can also apply to a lesser extent with various metal beads.

Have used a bunch of "iron" sights, and while the flat-topped Patridge or other post can work well, it depends on how far you might shoot. Most hunters today consider non-optical sights for close-range shooting, but have killed a number of big game animals at 200-350 yards with various front sights and an aperture rear. (The 350-yard shot was on a Quebec caribou.)

Have used fiber-optic beads, and while they present a very defined aiming point, have also seen a few knocked off their base. This still leaves something to aim with--maybe, if the light's right. But I also don't generally carry another bead in the field.)

In general gold/copper or silver work well, especially if you a fine file to angle the face of the bead (or even a post) at about 45-degees away from your eye. This not only picks up more light, but eliminates the "hot-spotting" that can occur with a round bead, where a reflected tiny point of light can cause the rifle to impact slightly differently, depending on the angle of the sun, etc. Using a fine file even gives the bead a slight glow, due to light reflecting off the tiny striations in the angled face. (Believe I read this in Townsend Whelen's writings years ago, but it was quite a while ago. It works.)

Bingo. My 416 Rem M70 wears that in a Wisner front banded base and his remake of the M70 rear sight. Perfect combo IMO.

Nothing shows up better in low light. Not brass or white or silver not even at a 45 degree angle. I have hunted them all extensively and I can regularly shoot groups under 1" at 50 yards and under 2" at 100 with the fiber optic beads. For years I used ivory beads and killed dozens of deer with them in conjunction with an aperture rear, but since trying the fiber optics I wouldn't have anything else on my iron sighted hunting rifles. I have had no troubles with breakage or solvent dissolving mine.

I've had the fiber optic sight on handguns and shotguns. Don't mind on a shotgun but did not like Tham on the handgun. Couldn't shoot them as accurately. Would not want on on a my rifle.

^^^ this^^^

My eye-sight has a problem with certain shades of green vs blue. But I’m not sure that’s my issue with front sights.
The front sight has been an issue of which I’ve tried many alternatives. I believe that the brass post is the best for me. I’ve tried a myriad of different front sights over the years. The sight I like best for target work is the Lyman sight with interchangeable inserts. But for hunting, the brass post is clearly the best for me.

I dislike very much Buckhorn sights. There’s no possible way for me to ever warm up to that sight. The trash can is too good for the buck horn sights.

I much prefer aperture sights in general, though in some situations a shallow V is might be better. I dislike sights that interfere with my grip - so tang sights is “no way”. I will not have them.

Maybe it would be different for pistols, IDK. I have not changed factory revolver sights much, except the Super Black Hawk which has crude sights, in my opinion. The only semi-auto I have, was my dad’s 1911 45. It wears target sights and probably will stay that way. I e primarily used that pistol for target work, never hunting.

Ditto jpw475,
I hate fiberoptic sights, can barely tolerate them on a shotgun as long as I have replacement kit for field carry,
but only on a rifle until I can replace that fragile plastic bead with something stouter.

Here is the Whelen pronouncement from 1954 GUN DIGEST.

Here is the choice insert from NECG.
A full 45 degrees forward slant is not required:



Here it is on a .458 WM M70 Classic:



A similar one on a .416 Dakota M70 Classic:



The next best thing:

Best ramp is banded and has fold forward hood:







Next best is banded and has a windowed hood with push button fastener:

The grand African .458 WM M70 rear sight was paired originally with a 3/32" silver bead,
and I find that will do.







I really look at iron sights as primarily backup to a scope. A low power scope trumps all.
The M70 African reproduction by Wisner can be filed into a flat-topped, square-notched rear sight,
and used with the gold patridge.
I did that 20 years ago on a .500 A-Square:



Hard to beat that, unless it is a peep rear sight with gold patridge front.

Whelen never had the chance to try a fiber optic bead. I had sourdough front sights on rifles 40 years ago and moved on. Have killed deer beyond 200 yards several times and once just beyond 300 yards with a bead front sight and aperture rear. All one shot kills. They seem to work pretty good for some of us.