Has anyone tried this fiber optic sight on a mini?

[Xmedic24]

https://www.hivizsights.com/product/mgh2007-i-ii/

It's supposed to have a very narrow viewing angle so only one eye can see the bead.

I thought it would align well with the barrel, and a hacksaw or Dremel could be used to cut a slot for the front sight to keep it in place.

With the narrow viewing angle the eye would need to be in line with the sight, sort of like a little pistol scope.

This would be for my 1 5/8" mini-mag, not one that has actual sights.

Any thoughts?

[heyjoe]

To each his own, but i think that more time would be better spent practicing point and shoot, which is what these guns were made for

[bearcatter]

My .22 SP101 has a green fiber front sight, but it's a normal size.

My .32 pistols both have very minimal sights, but they're fine when you get used to it.

[bill_deshivs]

I would think it would fly off and hit you in the head.

[Uncle_Lee]

In America we have the right to pursue happiness.
If a fiber optic front sight makes you happy, go for it.

[Xmedic24]

Hmmmm...some interesting responses...although the tone of some make me think someone's about to pop out and say "You'll shoot yer eye out, kid"!   


I've been trolling through some of the older posts, and I've noticed some things:
--Several people have done things to improve the sights on their Minis, often involving fiber optics.
--Lots of people like the Pug, the Black Widow, the Wasp, and the Earl (I include myself among them) at least in part because they have better sights.

To each his own, but i think that more time would be better spent practicing point and shoot, which is what these guns were made for

Sure, but having better sights doesn't preclude practicing point and shoot, it just gives options.  Just ask all the people with Pugs and Black Widows.

I would think it would fly off and hit you in the head.

That's what epoxy is for.   

Seriously though, the magnets are made to hold the sight on a shotgun rib against the recoil of a 12 gauge.  I doubt a .22 magnum will have more recoil than that, even in a Mini.  If I'm wrong, I still have the epoxy.   

If a fiber optic front sight makes you happy, go for it.

Yes, I already ordered it.  I just wondered if anyone else had tried it, or if I'm going to be the guinea pig.   

[Rex T. Dog]

I always wonder why folks continually ask more of any firearm than what it is designed for...the minis are designed for 'get off me' range, not engagements at  25-50 yards...and really, it's all guns...a guy on another site wondering about targets at 35 yards with his handgun, or the guy wondering why his single action can't have a swing out cylinder and double action...the list is endless...we can joke about adding a red dot, light, and bayonet, but some people are serious about asking why not...just amazing...

[billmeek]

I always wonder why folks continually ask more of any firearm than what it is designed for...

Some people just think out of the box or like the challenge.  For example, several years ago I started shooting targets at 500 yards with a 22 rifle. That was 105 MOA to hit.  There were plenty of jokes about lobbing them in like mortar fire.  Now I see a lot of people doing the same thing or shooting even longer ranges:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcnunlqzjE8

a guy on another site wondering about targets at 35 yards with his handgun

My guess is that he was thinking about the Greenwood Park Mall shooting and wanted to practice the "Dickens Drill":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwood_Park_Mall_shooting
https://nationalgunbroker.com/news/the-dickens-drill-long-range-awesomeness/

I have 2 pistols with green dot sights recently mounted.  The next time I'm out at the range, they'll be zeroed for 50 yards.  The zero range has nothing to do with the Dickens Drill and more about the pistol's caliber (5.7x28).  I have a friend that shoots longer range than that with his 44 mag revolver that has a fixed power optic on top. 

At times the wild ideas don't pan out while at others they create something useful.  It's called innovation.

[pietro]

.

FWIW, I've used that sight on the vent rib of my Beretta 686 O/U shotgun for over 5 years w/o any issues.

I place it with the front hard against the gun's front sight bead to support it from slipping forward/off under recoil.

[bill_deshivs]

I don't think you'll shoot your eye out, but I do think it will come off easily. I also don't trust epoxy- and I use a lot of it.

The sight is longer than your barrel, I think. It will be interesting to see it on your gun.

Does all this mean I think it's a bad idea? You betcha- but I'll be happy to be proven wrong.

[Xmedic24]

The sight is longer than your barrel, I think. It will be interesting to see it on your gun.

Don at HiViz (yes, I did do some research first) told me it's 2.410 inches long.  The width is perfect for the frame but probably a bit too wide for the barrel itself, so it may need shims if cutting a slot for the front sight won't keep it from moving from side to side.

https://nationalgunbroker.com/news/the-dickens-drill-long-range-awesomeness/

That looks like a lot of fun, billmeek, and one heck of a challenge.  I think my 6" .357 mag. is the only pistol I've ever fired at anything close to that range, and that was more years ago than I like to think about.     I probably won't try that with my Mini.   

FWIW, I've used that sight on the vent rib of my Beretta 686 O/U shotgun for over 5 years w/o any issues.

Thanks, that's good to know.  I have a Winchester 1200 it may wind up on, if I can't get it to work for my Mini.

[OLD and GRUMPY]

I don't like the big "shark fin" sight. I filed it down half way and super glued a 3/8" bit of that Hiviz light pipe on the stub. Much better. Glue holds well.  Can't find the good pics but this is the idea.Rear sight could be done the same with 2 bits of a different color glued to the frame.

[OLD and GRUMPY]

The magnetic bar is too long even if it fits and will put the dot you see at the rear. Zero sight radius. The bright spot needs to be at the muzzle. Like Heyjoe said "time would be better spent practicing point and shoot".

[Ozark75]

Has the sight arrived yet?

Does the magnet stick to the stainless steel mini?

How is it working out?

[OLD and GRUMPY]

I have several on shotguns. Love them.  But on Mini I think they will change holster fit. And if you pocket carry it will snag. Also they can slip some. I have used Scotch double sided tape to stop slipping.

[Rex T. Dog]

Things I learn...! that HIVIZ stuff might be the answer to several firearms we own...i'm gonna have to look around, somebody selling it...

[OLD and GRUMPY]

Midway has them. Also check out Truglo.  https://www.midwayusa.com/s?searchTerm=hiviz

[OLD and GRUMPY]

If you just want loose pipe check out the bottom of this page.https://www.midwayusa.com/s?page=3&searchTerm=truglo%20sights

[bill_deshivs]

If one is going to use fiber optic material for a front sight, the sight should be grooved lengthwise to the full diameter of the plastic. In other words, the fiber optic should be in a "trench" in the sight. Otherwise, it will come off.

[Xmedic24]

The magnetic bar is too long even if it fits and will put the dot you see at the rear. Zero sight radius. The bright spot needs to be at the muzzle. Like Heyjoe said "time would be better spent practicing point and shoot".

The point (pun intended) of the Magni-Hunter is that the bright dot is only visible from a very narrow angle, similar to a pistol scope.  I'm hoping that with the sight aligned with the barrel it will be more accurate, and more visible, than the "shark fin" (lol).

I don't like the big "shark fin" sight. I filed it down half way and super glued a 3/8" bit of that Hiviz light pipe on the stub.

I like what you did there, O&G; in fact, that was one of the posts that got me thinking about using fiberoptic lite pipe, but I didn't want to do anything that permanent to my Mini - not yet, anyway.  I did consider taking two of the replacement HiViz pipes (I bought a HiViz sight set for one of my 9mm pistols and it came with extras) and gluing one pipe to each side of the "shark fin", I may still try that if the Magni-Hunter doesn't work.

Has the sight arrived yet?

Does the magnet stick to the stainless steel mini?

It hasn't arrived yet, Ozark.  The package tracking shows it arriving later in the week.  The magnets should work; I tried out some neodymium magnets on my Mini first and they hold to the pistol pretty well.  I didn't try shooting it with them on, though; perhaps I should have.  I like O&G's idea of the double-sided tape to keep it in place too.

As far as loose fiberoptic pipe goes, http://shop.fiberopticproducts.com/ also sells fiberoptic pipe by the foot, in just about any color. (Their special "Fiber Optic Cutting Tool" bears a suspicious resemblance to something you might find in the pet aisle at Wal-Mart...    ).  HiViz also sells pre-shaped replacement pipes for their sights.

I ordered this particular sight from Amazon as they had it on sale.  I've ordered others directly from HiViz, though, and been very satisfied. 

[OLD and GRUMPY]

If one is going to use fiber optic material for a front sight, the sight should be grooved lengthwise to the full diameter of the plastic. In other words, the fiber optic should be in a "trench" in the sight. Otherwise, it will come off.

I thought it would come loose but it sticks fine. I sanded a flat side on the pipe first.

[Xmedic24]

So I found a package waiting for me when I got home...

I can't seem to get this doggone thing to let me post more than one or two (nope, just one) photos, so I'll have to divide this up.

The sight comes with two bases.  Naturally the one it was mounted on was too small, so I had to change it, and that's not quite anywhere near as easy as the instructions made it seem.   

Once I got it changed, though, the larger base seems to be the perfect fit for the frame of the Mini.  There are four neodymium magnets and they have a very strong grip.  I doubt that .22 magnum recoil will knock it loose.

The sight is almost as long as the entire pistol.  I was concerned that there might be significant wobble from side-to-side, but it seems very solid with only minimal movement when putting pressure on the barrel end.  I'll probably still put some shimming material between the sides of the barrel and the sight, but I don't think it's really needed.

The viewing angle on the sight is indeed very narrow, and the green dot disappears when the pistol is not aligned almost perfectly - and "almost" perfect is easily seen to be obviously not perfect because of the way the green dot looks.  It's hard to describe, but the dot distorts with minimal muzzle deflection off-target.  I couldn't seem to get a good photo of this effect, so I can only hope that my description makes sense.

It looks weird mounted on the pistol, but I can live with that as long as it works.

The last photo (assuming they appear in the order I uploaded them) is my Mini with the sight mounted, in my pocket holster.  It doesn't seem to interfere with fit in, or draw from, the holster, and doesn't really seem to snag, but further trial is needed to make sure of that.  This is just a generic pocket holster that cost under ten bucks; I'm sure that a change in fit would be much more noticeable with a form-fitting holster.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to the range - hopefully soon - and when I do I'll compare groups with and without the Magni-Hunter sight.  I'm anxious to see if it actually makes a difference in accuracy.

[Xmedic24]

O&G, how did you manage to get three pics in one post?  I can barely get one...

[Xmedic24]

 

[Xmedic24]

This is supposed to show what the dot looks like when alignment isn't perfect.

[Xmedic24]

Mini with sight in holster.

[OLD and GRUMPY]

O&G, how did you manage to get three pics in one post?  I can barely get one...

I have to resize almost all pics or I can't post even one. I go to edit and resize the pixels (not percent) from about 2500 (the size they start at) down to 1200X900. Some kinds of files won't post at all.  Think it's a data volume thing. 3 is my limit.

[bearcatter]

My EDIT button stopped working months ago. I get a red "Loading" banner at the top of the window, and that's all it does.

For sharing stock pix, I have to post the photo URL in IMG brackets. Then I hit "modify" which adds sizes to the URL. I then retype the sizes and submit. I have to use a calculator to keep height and width in proportion. I've found that keeping the largest dimension at 400 pixels gives a good size for the forum window.

Pix as attachments from my PC are easier, they're already sized right when I save them.

That explains why I don't post many pix. It's a major PITA.

[Xmedic24]

It's odd, when I tried to post multiple pictures, I got an error message that just says the total size of attachments is 2048 kB.  However, none of my pics are over 500 kB.  The error message doesn't say anything about the height or width of the pictures; neither do the instructions for posting attachments.

I guess the contradiction in the warning: "Restrictions: 10 per post, maximum total size 2048KB, maximum individual size 4096KB" (emphasis added) should have been a clue.   

I'll try to keep that in mind next time I post pictures.