I've always been under the impression that we have forgotten more than we know when it comes to shooting iron sights, both shooting them and building them. What very little I know came from asking many questions of older competitive shooters, hunters and experimenting with the materials at hand. I just had a 505 Gibbs built for me "iron sights only" .. here is where "I" am in my learning curve with Iron Sights.
Rear Sight: Express, made by gunsmith, has a vertical silver line which I cannot see very well (aging eyes) it is there cause it's a guild thing. We had a discussion on where to place the rear sight my research said far enough away from your eye that it comes into focus which was about 23-24"s which also happens to be a Guild distance..
Front Sight: I choose NEGC'c Masterpiece banded Ramp as I wanted to be able to easily replace the front bead while on a hunt in case of an accident, extra beads are carried in a trap door Grip Cap. I also wanted the flexability to slide different beads into the base to see what worked best for me
Bead Width: NECG offers a 5/64 and a 3/32 I choose the bigger of the two as it Balanced nicely in the Express sight and I was not planning on shooting great distances where a larger bead would cover too much of the animal. EXCEPT for the Fiber Optic which when the rod is installed the ends are flare slightly so the 5/64th was the answer for me.
White bead: Showed shadow during periods of bright sun as I did a slow 360* turn it disappeared when the sun was below the horizon or directly in front of you
Fiber Optic: Of the two colors offered Red and Green my eyes preferred the Green, the Fiber Optic front sight worked best in all light conditions, even very low light with the sun below the horizon my only concern was it's perceived fragility but if you carry an extra sight your good to go... fiber optic rods can also be easily changed in less than 10 mins.
Silver Bead: Classic, Rugged was an early choice until I started waving it around in different light conditions lots of shadows than someone suggested I file a 45* flat on the front of the Bead .. what a game changer shadows disappeared and more light was gathered or reflected, it still disappears when aiming into the sun or a low light with no sun over the horizon.. which may bring me back to the Fiber Optic
This is What I have learned So Far
Decisions Decisions
For any Gun Nut these are classy problems to keep one up at night