Gold dot

Depends …. Lol

personally I love how a gold bead picks up the light, they work very well for me and my eyes

Not for me. I'm a green fiber optic guy.

I love the gold bead or gold line on a classic heirloom type build. Just looks right. But I agree with singlestack that the fiberoptic green or red is best for my eyes.

The ACW Quantico is my dream 1911. It will most certainly have a gold bead front site

dupydoc said:

I have been reading about front sight options
when purchasing a 1911
is a gold dot worth the extra expense?
Doc

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That all depends on your preferences and your eyesight
For competition I like a bright red fiber-optic front sight with a blacked out rear I find the fiber-optic to be useless in low or no light conditions making it not a good choice for a carry pistol if you plan on being out after dark

for carry I prefer Ameriglo orange ring front sight with a tritium insert and a blacked out rear
A close second for me for carry would be a gold front sight but again not very good for low light conditions

I prefer any of the above to a blacked out front sight or a white dot no thank you to either of those options.

I think the gold bead is beautiful stylistically and for now, it works for me very well. As I age and notice my eyesight doing the same, I believe that the gold bead will be less and less useful, but for now they still work and they still look great!

While it's not the style I'd like, I cannot deny the way the orange fiber optic-ringed tritium just jumps out in broad daylight. My first was on my SA Vickers Master Class and I was and still am very impressed.

Nighthawks 24 carat gold is my fav

shines

Greenleader said:

Nighthawks 24 carat gold is my fav

shines

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I suppose I never considered the difference between a 10k, 14k or 24k bead, though obviously one is brighter than the others. I have gold beads from NHC on my Hi Power, from GI on my Hellcat .45 and I've had a few others. I guess I'll have to compare my gold sights now that you made this post. It just never crossed my mind in that context, though it is only obvious.

Another good sight that I had was a white ball made by Steve Owens on my first Alchemy. It was much better than your standard white dot found on many guns, in my opinion.

The utility of a gold bead or gold ramp front sight really depends on application, your eyes, and lighting. For my eyes, it does not work at all, either washing out the front sight in daylight from behind me or not providing any help when shooting with the sun just above or behind the target. I rather have a narrow plain black front serrated post as the issues are the same, but the unadorned sights cost much less.

I do much better with red fiber optic or orange post front sights. Green fiber optics disappear when shooting in a wooded area.

farscott said:

The utility of a gold bead or gold ramp front sight eally depends on application, your eyes, and lighting. For my eyes, it does not work at all, either washing out the front sight in daylight from behind me or not providing any help when shooting with the sun just above or behind the target. I rather have a narrow plain black front serrated post as the issues are the same, but the unadorned sights cost much less.

I do much better with red fiber optic or orange post front sights. Green fiber optics disappear when shooting in a wooded area.

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For all of my 20's and 30's I swore by black on black sights. For the exact same reason you stated, the only one I currently have is on my carry gun. I never had a gun "nice enough" to validate a gold bead until I was 40. Within the last 2-3 years I've noticed my vision slipping a bit. Oh, sweet irony.

I also appreciate the comment on the green FO in a wooded area. I live in a Ponderosa Pine High Desert and I have a green FO on my FA 97 .22lr/mag. I received it late last year and got a little shooting in, but none of the field shots that I need to test that sight for the exact reason you speak of. If the green doesn't work I'll slap in a red and if that doesn't cut it, FA sights are easy to swap out.

Bender said:

Custom one off Alchemy gold ball

View attachment 1169677

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I would buy that sight all day long.

It depends on the gun and the use of said gun. I can't imagine a better looking option than the gold sight on the ACW posted. For carry, I prefer fiber option or night sights.

IMO... Installed in the front sight blade of a 1911, flattened gold dot - no.... domed gold bead - yes. The flattened ones that I have used are generally too large and don't necessarily reflect light from differing directions. A domed gold bead reflects light from varying directions making it easier to see.

Gold bead. I can hardly even pick up a fiber optic in an indoor range. Outside during the day, sure, fiber optics are great, but a gold bead will pick up and reflect practically any light, and are much more useful in low light situations. I've had gold beads by EB, WC, NHC and ACW. The way ACW shapes and polishes seems the most reflective to me, but they've all performed well.

I love gold bead for looks and class.. but prefer an orange front sight with tritium insert, for practical carry

The only Gold dot that’s been super visible to me is the one Alchemy Custom Weaponry uses, it’s a nice big gold bead, other than that I prefer a bright yellow big dot night sight.