HiViz Front Sight Not So Bright

[Signmaker]

Not sure if this belongs here, or in the Optics section, mods please move if I made a mistake.

So, I picked up a fiber optic front sight from HiViz, the red one to be exact, and fit it into my SR9. Here's a stock pic so you can see what I'm talking about.


While fit and finish are just dandy, I'm a little underwhelmed by the brightness of the sight. Reviews I read on it said the brightness would be negligible under indoor lighting, but made a big difference outside. Well after a range trip on a recent sunny day to a snow-covered outdoor range, I'm left wanting. So far I'm thinking I might as well have just painted the factory sight red.

Where I think the design falls short is that on the muzzle end of the sight, the steel body covers the end of the fiber optic rod. The ~2" long fiber optic I have on my shotgun gets quite a bit dimmer when you place a finger over the end of the fiber optic rod, so I'm thinking the design of the HiViz is preventing the maximum amount of light to transmit through the rod.

My Question:
Has anyone taken a drill to a HiViz and opened up the other end of the steel body, in front of the rod? Also, does anyone know how to remove the fiber optic rod and acrylic cover in order to attempt this?

Thanks.

[Hawk]

Any chance there is a removable protective plastic film on the fiber rod?

[Signmaker]

Any chance there is a removable protective plastic film on the fiber rod?

Not that I saw. The end of the rod facing the shooter is exposed, but the other end is covered by the metal, I guess you'd call it a frame or housing?

[mrnyman]

Check it out closely, the one in the pic does seem that it has a protective film on it.

I just ordrerd a set for my SIg, i hope it is satisfactory when i put it on.

Years ago i put a set on my Ruger P89 and they are extremely bright, it came with extra pipes and a removal tool.
Check your packaging to see if the tool is hiding out in there.

Mike

[imashooter2]

Opening the front of the sight will not increase the brightness much and will compromise the sight's ability to retain the fiber. The way the FO works is it admits light from the sides of the fiber and then reflects it down the length of it so that the end appears much brighter.

I'm really surprised that you don't find the HiViz bright enough. In bright sunlight, I find they flare and provide a poor sight picture. I prefer a sight with a smaller .040 diameter fiber.

[Signmaker]

Check it out closely, the one in the pic does seem that it has a protective film on it.

Nope, even drug the tip of a pin over it to be sure, no covering.

Check your packaging to see if the tool is hiding out in there.

Double checked, and my model is not one with interchangeable pipes, the pipe that is in it had the resin molded over it, so it's permanent.

Opening the front of the sight will not increase the brightness much and will compromise the sight's ability to retain the fiber.

Are you sure it wont help? Like I said, I have a HiViz pipe on my shotgun that has both ends open, and is very bright. When I place the tip of my finger over the muzzle end of the light, it dims significantly, and looks similar to the pistol's pipe.

I'm really surprised that you don't find the HiViz bright enough. In bright sunlight, I find they flare and provide a poor sight picture. I prefer a sight with a smaller .040 diameter fiber.

I was worried about it being too bright, which is why I went with a red pipe instead of green, because I heard they don't light up as bright. The green pipe on my shotgun could burn your retina when out in bright sunlight, but like I said, the red one pretty much looks like a painted on red dot. I can even hold a bright LED flashlight directly over it, and it still wont form a halo or become obnoxious.

Maybe I'll just bin it and buy another from a different company.

[Hawk]

I was worried about it being too bright, which is why I went with a red pipe instead of green...

There's your problem. I thought you had a green one. Red sucks for those type of sights. It has to do with something about what the human eye likes. Green is good, red is not so good. you need a longer pipe to gather enough light for the red ones to work well (like on some shotguns).

[Signmaker]

There's your problem. I thought you had a green one. Red sucks for those type of sights.

I do hope you're right. Im gonna swing up to Cabelas in the near future then, and eyeball some HiViz sights with green. Maybe a color change is what is needed.

[imashooter2]

The pipe on your shotgun is probably a lot longer than the HiViz letting in more light.

Check out SDM and EGW. Do they have something that will work for you?