Please share your perspective on front sight hoods on bolt DGRs. Is there truly a purpose or is it merely aesthetics? I like the way they look, but having used them, I think they are more for aesthetics than practical purpose. They are one more thing to snag on twigs and brush, one more thing to lose. How much legitimate protection do they provide your front sight pin? Your views?

if i didn't take them off 1st, the brush knocked them off never to be found again.

My experience has only been in the woods of Missouri, so far. However, I found it distracting as I like the light around the pin. However, I have a friend who took buff with his Purdey underlever hammerless and loved the sight hood. I opt for hoodless. I don't believe they are aesthetically pleasing at all.

Dutch

With lead in the air there is hope in the heart.

They're useless.

Not just useless....f****ng useless.....

They look cool on Mannlicher-Schonauers.

Seriously, I recall reading a rationale the designers had but I forget it. Might have had something to do with winter conditions in the mountains in Europe.

They are supposed to protect the front sight blade from incidental damage.

They actually do protect the front sight blade from incidental damage, but only if they stay on.

I've never had any problems with mine, once I got them properly bent and flexed so that they stayed on.

A spring loaded retention pin, or button, like the ones on the Recknagel/NECG ramps, helps to hold them in place.

Also, I like the ones with windows cut in them, since I generally use fiber optic front beads.

I like them, especially on my unscoped rifles. In think they do work to prevent a blow to your foresight blade, which might bend it out of true. If not properly designed, they do tend to fall off. My cz 505 invariably shed the hood after the 3rd round, till I soldered it in place. i dont believe they catch on vegetation etc any more than the front sight, and I would rather the hood caught than the frontsight anyway.

For close or short range work on game the front hood is of little use other than to protect the sight blade. For longer shots and target work without a hood you may find that your shots chase the sun, sun from the right you tend to shoot to the right. You may also see more vertical stringing in high and low light conditions with out the hood than with the hood in place. Remember light down sight down, light up sight up.

Jim

They're useless. -- Bill Stewart

Not just useless....f****ng useless.....Steve "Shakari" Robinson

ditto, ditto -- Bill Quimby

I hunted with a client that used a DR without a front hood. Without knowing he bumped his rifle and he totaly missed an Impala at 80 yrds. On checking his rifle was completely out. He had perfect shots on 2 animals before this incident and he shot another 2 after the sights were fixed.

I think they can be useful

I bet the Australian Elephant hunter who had his front sight knocked off on the flight over this year wished he had one on for transport.
I use them if my front sight post is tall and at risk of being damaged.

With today's fiber optic inserts or white bead inserts, I think they are useful. Many come with a window cut in the top which creates a useful combination of protection from bumps plus good light gathering capability.

Front beads on sporting rifles are rather fragile. Light cut outs are a must on hoods. The proper front sight setup is mil spec. Solid steel front post with solid steel protective wings. This takes it from a poorly thought out nuisance to something that actually enhances the sight picture. It's all the more thoughtless because no gunmaker, fine or factory, has gone to the setup found on an M1/M14-FN FAL/R1. Same with rear peeps. They are useless unless they are correctly sized, placed and sufficiently strong. Again, the perfect iron rear sight is the big 200m apertature on the M16A2. But on a sporting arm, bolt or double, you can't get a ring like this close enough to your eye while retaining an aesthetically pleasing size. The farther away the sight the bigger it has to be. Principle being you always look thru it never at it. This eliminates one plane to focus on. Lever gun peeps had this figured out long ago. Tang mounted sights are fine for PG but I wouldn't use one for DG.

I like having the hoods on my rifles that have open sights. Both for function in that they keep the light consistent on the front sight, and I like the appearance of a banded hooded front sight. I haven't had the problem of the hood coming off as I use the NECG banded fronts with the retainer for the hood.

I lost one on the range and one in the bush. Since I stopped replacing them I've quit losing them.
Dave

To me, the hood just looks cool.

Use a sturdy front site and you dont' need it...And they are damn ugly, IMHO

quote:

Originally posted by almostacowboy:
I lost one on the range and one in the bush. Since I stopped replacing them I've quit losing them.
Dave

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Ishmael:
For close or short range work on game the front hood is of little use other than to protect the sight blade. For longer shots and target work without a hood you may find that your shots chase the sun, sun from the right you tend to shoot to the right. You may also see more vertical stringing in high and low light conditions with out the hood than with the hood in place. Remember light down sight down, light up sight up.

Jim

.....I have broken alot of front sights .and missed shots because of the sun ...A hood soldered or pinned to a banded or preferably , integral front sight base is the best imo.....,.A great thing about modern scopes is they don,t care where the light is coming from .....Front sights do ....a correct hood helps solve that ......And it keeps the sight from getting broken .....I will find one or have one made for my 375 Ruger Alaskan when I get it .....

I respectfully choose to differ with those who have stated here that front sight hoods have no purpose. Their purpose is to catch on and snag every branch, vine, soft gun case, and anything else that they choose to come in contact with. They will also expand one's profanity vocabulary, espcially when stalking in heavy cover.

Yes, definitely a front sight hood. I'm an aperture sight man, and unless I have a good old fashioned Redfield Sourdough front sight, the hood stays on. My old right eye is good for picking out either the Sourdough or a circle with a dot in the middle, and the front sight hood forms the circle and the front sight forms the dot. Anything beyond 200 yards is too far away anyway...

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
They are supposed to protect the front sight blade from incidental damage.

They actually do protect the front sight blade from incidental damage, but only if they stay on.

I've never had any problems with mine, once I got them properly bent and flexed so that they stayed on.

A spring loaded retention pin, or button, like the ones on the Recknagel/NECG ramps, helps to hold them in place.

Also, I like the ones with windows cut in them, since I generally use fiber optic front beads.

I'm in agreement here. My double rifle doesn't have a hood and I carry a spare front sight insert in the trap door grip cap just in case.

The hood on my 375H&H has been bent and mangled any number of times. I've always managed to bend it back. Its the NECG/Recknegel hood with windows. Just thinking about what would have happened to the blade and bead based on what the hood has looked like gives me willies.

JPK