The idea has therefore arisen that the rifle and pistol are not weapons to use in sport but merely implements at the game of bull’s-eye shooting, and that the shotgun is the sporting firearm.
The idea is that a rifle or pistol can be used only at a stationary object.
When the above is realized, it is very easy to understand why in England all rifle and pistol clubs shoot only at stationary bull’s-eye targets at known distances.
The reason they adopted the black front sight probably arose because it is easier to make a small black spot in the middle of a white sheet of paper than to paint the whole sheet black and leave out a white bull’s-eye.
It was merely a matter of convenience in target-making.
Once however a black bull’s-eye on white paper was decided on; the colour of the front sight had to be black.
To shoot at a minute object, aim must be at the bottom edge of it “at six o’clock” (so called from the analogy of the face of a watch).
If the aim is taken in the middle of a small bull’s-eye, the front sight covers most of it and makes seeing the bull’s-eye difficult.
In order to see the front sight best on a white target below a black bull’s-eye, the front sight must be black; black against white being the strongest contrast. A white front sight on a white target would be lost.
As a result, all except big game rifles and English pistols are made with black front sights.