Some of you may have seen your grandfather or older shooters lick their finger and touch the bead sight on their shotgun. Why was this done? There are many explanations and Hollywood has created some of the reasons but the one that makes the most sense is that the moisture puts a little shine on the sight. Some might say they do not need a shine and may need the sight blackened with a smudge pot as some used to do. It simply proves that everyone has his or her own techniques and style. The soot from the smudge was flat black and did not give off any reflection. In other words absolutely no glare. If the color of the front bead is the same as your target you may have a hard time distinguishing the two so on occasion you may need a contrast for better accuracy.