Front sight hood, up or down

[fiocchi]

Hood up/on or down/off when shooting with open sights?

I’m a ‘down/off’ guy

 

[BourbonTrail]

No preference, but if there’s a hood, I like a fiber front sight. Otherwise, the shadow can cause issues for me.

 

[nztimb]

On for protection in travel, off for hunting.

 

[Tanks]

I have never had the hood stay on any of my big bores as they fly off with recoil. So, it is off for me.

 

[IvW]

Depends on the sun and time of day. Sun and glare can have an impact on sighting.
Primarily designed to protect the front sight during transport of rifle.
Try it out and then use personal preferance...

 

[calling4life]

I took mine off, I've got a white front bead.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I don’t like a hood.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Off. I like a light colour front bead, like platinum. And cut at a 45 degree angle. Good as illuminated.

 

[zephyr]

Off. I like a light colour front bead, like platinum. And cut at a 45 degree angle. Good as illuminated.

Just Finished building a DG Bolt Gun ... After trying the many different styles of front beads at all times of the day Dawn dusk high noon, I really liked a green fiber optic front sight but settled on a Silver Bead filed at a 45* angle.. for it's simplicity and ruggedness ... And no Hood

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

What do folks feel about a moon sight? I didn't elect this option so I was going to make one out of ivory, like a drilled out tube that fits oner the front bead when I need it. I am unlikely to be shooting anything close up in moonlight anyway.... that is fireside time.

 

[calling4life]

Does the 45 degree cut thing work for white beads?

 

[zephyr]

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

 

[curtism1234]

I took my hood off. I have been shooting iron sights for 30 years. The hood impairs view imo.

Even with fiber optic, I would opt to remove the hood. Normal banging around in the brush is not enough to break it as I have had a thin rifle fiber optic on my shotgun for a long time. Of course if you fall and smash the barrel on a large rock that might do it in. I'll take my chances

 

[fourfive8]

I’ve shot a lot with open sights on various guns. Most have been without hooded fronts like handguns and muzzleloaders- several thousand rounds each at least. Hunted with traditional type muzzleloaders and killed a lot of game with fixed blade/u notch rear and blade front traditional- none had hooded front and never noticed a handicap. The serious target BPCR rifles I shot all had vernier tang rears with hooded globe fronts. Those set-ups are particularly accurate for black bull shooting precision- but for hunting… I prefer regular open, traditional fronts and rears.

The only reason I have a hood on the front sights of my hunting rifles, that are scope mounted anyway, is to protect the front blade/beads in case the opens are needed as back up should the scope shoot craps. When shooting the open, back up sights, honestly, I don’t even notice the hood. So for me it wouldn’t matter much one way or the other if there or not.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

I don’t have any rifles chambered in cartridges more powerful than 30-06, I do have two rifles that came with hooded front sights. Don’t know why but prefer not to have a hood.

Both rifles also have scopes so I use irons very sparingly.