For those of you who keep a handgun at night for protection: how necessary are tritium sights? Is a quality flashlight in conjuction with regular handgun sights adequate for self-defense? Thank you in advance for any thoughts/ opinions.
Handgun sights for home defense?
- Thread starter RM
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Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
I think a quality, rail mounted light (such as the Streamlight TLR-1) works
better without night sights, when properly mounted underneath an auto-
loader. It illuminates enough area as too encompass the sights on my
Springfield XD-45ACP, with NO problems at all. And, it makes it easy
for these old eyes too see. I used mine just last night 08-04-06, as
my wife thought she heard a bump in the night~!
better without night sights, when properly mounted underneath an auto-
loader. It illuminates enough area as too encompass the sights on my
Springfield XD-45ACP, with NO problems at all. And, it makes it easy
for these old eyes too see. I used mine just last night 08-04-06, as
my wife thought she heard a bump in the night~!
MachIVshooter
Member
Home defense ranges are going to be nearly contact distance for those of us working class folk in normal sized homes; you won't be using sights.
That said, night sights are wonderful for locating your gun in the dark.
I keep two pistols handy, one with attached light and one without. The attached light makes for less fumbling in a true emergency (potential BG in the doorway of your bedroom), but the separate light and pistol are far better IMO for investigating when time is on your side.
That said, night sights are wonderful for locating your gun in the dark.
I keep two pistols handy, one with attached light and one without. The attached light makes for less fumbling in a true emergency (potential BG in the doorway of your bedroom), but the separate light and pistol are far better IMO for investigating when time is on your side.
FrogClan
Member
And if there is a little light in the room (from a window, skylight, etc) a stainless gun is easier to get on target than one with a blued finish.
Redneck with a 40
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I mounted a streamlight TLR-1 to my XD40, it works awesome. I live out in the country, so if I ever have to go investigate a noise, that light should really pierce the darkness, identify my target. I'd rather have the rail mounted light, than the night sights. I'd highly recommend the streamlight, its an impressive unit. It uses a 3 watt LED bulb that puts out 80 lumens of light.
Chuck R.
Member
I use a Streamlight M3 on my 220ST with nightsights. Flip the switch, and you’ll never know the nightsights are there. If you plan on using a weapon-mounted light or a good handheld flashlight, you can do without them. The sights will be visible against the target. Put the money saved towards a good light.
Without a light, they come in very handy.
Chuck
Without a light, they come in very handy.
Chuck
grislyatoms
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That's been my experience. They work well for low light indoor ranges as well. Come to think of it, a better name for them may have been "low light sights" or "twilight sights".
They aren't going to help you if you can't see what you are shooting at.
fastbolt
Member
Whatever your choice, it's reasonably still going to require familiarization and practice on your part.
You need to review available information from sources you consider trustworthy and credible, and then make your own informed decision.
Night sights may be very useful for aligning your handgun on an identified intended target under many reduced/low light conditions. Night sights have even been found by some folks to be useful when used with both hand-held and weapon-mounted light sources.
Flashlights are very useful for illuminating an area to identify things.
Flashlights can break, especially if dropped (under stress). Some are more robust than others in this regard. Dropping a light source may create more stress, reduce your ability to identify what's occurring in an area, and force unwanted multi-tasking to occur (fumbling with a dropped light while holding a firearm, and doing so while under potentially already stressful conditions.)
The potential for hand confusion to occur, especially under stress, is something to consider. Training and frequent practice can help.
Illuminating things with a weapon-mounted light means you're pointing your weapon at things, and likely before you've identified them ... under stress.
Weapon-mounted lights can fail, just like other flashlights. The shock of being unintentionally struck against something may be a bit different than the shock experienced during recoil. If you think you can't easily & unintentionally hit a weapon-mounted light against something while negotiating rooms inside a structure, you may be in for learning the same lessons learned by some SWAT & Patrol cops when first becoming accustomed to using weapon-mounted lights.
The method used to operate the weapon-mounted light should be carefully considered by each potential user. The circumstances under which a user anticipates using any particular system should be carefully considered. Potential hand confusion and training issues come to mind ... (for example, how do you feel about using a weapon-mounted light which requires your index/trigger finger to operate the switch ... under stress?)
When we first started issuing new pistols equipped with night sights (and equipment rails, FWIW), I remember hearing how surprised some folks were when they discovered that even when using a hand held flashlight to illuminate a potential target under low light conditions, the backlit night sights were even easier to see than standard sights.
I wasn't particularly in favor of night sights for many years. I finally realized the inherent potential advantages of night sights, even when used in conjunction with hand held flashlights. Both of my issued pistols are equipped with night sights, as are several of my personally owned pistols.
While I'm not particularly in favor of weapon-mounted lights for my daily duties and tasks, I own and carry various styles, sizes and types of hand held lights ... and practice with them.
Can't offer the right answer for your needs ... only my own.
You need to review available information from sources you consider trustworthy and credible, and then make your own informed decision.
Night sights may be very useful for aligning your handgun on an identified intended target under many reduced/low light conditions. Night sights have even been found by some folks to be useful when used with both hand-held and weapon-mounted light sources.
Flashlights are very useful for illuminating an area to identify things.
Flashlights can break, especially if dropped (under stress). Some are more robust than others in this regard. Dropping a light source may create more stress, reduce your ability to identify what's occurring in an area, and force unwanted multi-tasking to occur (fumbling with a dropped light while holding a firearm, and doing so while under potentially already stressful conditions.)
The potential for hand confusion to occur, especially under stress, is something to consider. Training and frequent practice can help.
Illuminating things with a weapon-mounted light means you're pointing your weapon at things, and likely before you've identified them ... under stress.
Weapon-mounted lights can fail, just like other flashlights. The shock of being unintentionally struck against something may be a bit different than the shock experienced during recoil. If you think you can't easily & unintentionally hit a weapon-mounted light against something while negotiating rooms inside a structure, you may be in for learning the same lessons learned by some SWAT & Patrol cops when first becoming accustomed to using weapon-mounted lights.
The method used to operate the weapon-mounted light should be carefully considered by each potential user. The circumstances under which a user anticipates using any particular system should be carefully considered. Potential hand confusion and training issues come to mind ... (for example, how do you feel about using a weapon-mounted light which requires your index/trigger finger to operate the switch ... under stress?)
When we first started issuing new pistols equipped with night sights (and equipment rails, FWIW), I remember hearing how surprised some folks were when they discovered that even when using a hand held flashlight to illuminate a potential target under low light conditions, the backlit night sights were even easier to see than standard sights.
I wasn't particularly in favor of night sights for many years. I finally realized the inherent potential advantages of night sights, even when used in conjunction with hand held flashlights. Both of my issued pistols are equipped with night sights, as are several of my personally owned pistols.
While I'm not particularly in favor of weapon-mounted lights for my daily duties and tasks, I own and carry various styles, sizes and types of hand held lights ... and practice with them.
Can't offer the right answer for your needs ... only my own.
jjohnson
Member
Keeping it Simple
Well... if I'm going to assume that you're looking for something handy for your nightstand and you're not going to combat train often (so you shouldn't play with complex stuff - you'll be excited and forget stuff when you need it) I'd leave the tech stuff alone. Yeah, you're not likely to need sights a LOT, but just a little light on a stainless barrel will help you keep your muzzle where you need it. I'd be pretty leery of shooting in absolute darkness (are you SURE who your target is if you can't see them at all?). I have tritium sights on a couple of Glocks, and yep, they're bright enough to let me find my muzzle when it's dark, so there's absolutely nothing wrong with having them. I have mixed feelings about tac lights. They illuminate what's past your muzzle, but they kinda give your position away. That could be a good thing in some cases - maybe a cat burglar would be scared away by that - I know I would. You could 'night blind' a bad guy, too, so it's not all bad. Tac light though is something else to dink with while your heart's pounding. I also learned not to put whole faith in things with batteries. I'm sticking with tritium. I have a tac light for the Glocks but have opted not to use it. If you're in one of those deals, though, where you may have to investigate a noise, and your handgun doesn't have to fit in a holster all the time, I don't see a downside to having the tac light bolted on there, too.
Well... if I'm going to assume that you're looking for something handy for your nightstand and you're not going to combat train often (so you shouldn't play with complex stuff - you'll be excited and forget stuff when you need it) I'd leave the tech stuff alone. Yeah, you're not likely to need sights a LOT, but just a little light on a stainless barrel will help you keep your muzzle where you need it. I'd be pretty leery of shooting in absolute darkness (are you SURE who your target is if you can't see them at all?). I have tritium sights on a couple of Glocks, and yep, they're bright enough to let me find my muzzle when it's dark, so there's absolutely nothing wrong with having them. I have mixed feelings about tac lights. They illuminate what's past your muzzle, but they kinda give your position away. That could be a good thing in some cases - maybe a cat burglar would be scared away by that - I know I would. You could 'night blind' a bad guy, too, so it's not all bad. Tac light though is something else to dink with while your heart's pounding. I also learned not to put whole faith in things with batteries. I'm sticking with tritium. I have a tac light for the Glocks but have opted not to use it. If you're in one of those deals, though, where you may have to investigate a noise, and your handgun doesn't have to fit in a holster all the time, I don't see a downside to having the tac light bolted on there, too.
1911 guy
Member
No night sights.
Not for me, anyway. Some folks love 'em. I use black Novaks with a Patridge style front. My carry gun has white nailpolish on the front sight, red on the rear to frame the front. Bounces pop cans out to 20 yards. Gun can do more, I can't. I don't like the dots on sights because I have always shot from the top of the sights. Front and rear flat and level, hole magically appears directly above. If you like the 3-dot sight systems, you'll probably like night sights.
A flashlight, however, I'm in complete agreement with everyone else. If you don't have one, get one before you tirn in for the night. Tonight. Whether it's weapon mounted or seperate, practice shooting with it. If it's seperate, practice with the light ON and illuminating the target. Go-time is a Bad-time to find that you're comfortable holding the light, but pointing the light makes you shoot funny.
Not for me, anyway. Some folks love 'em. I use black Novaks with a Patridge style front. My carry gun has white nailpolish on the front sight, red on the rear to frame the front. Bounces pop cans out to 20 yards. Gun can do more, I can't. I don't like the dots on sights because I have always shot from the top of the sights. Front and rear flat and level, hole magically appears directly above. If you like the 3-dot sight systems, you'll probably like night sights.
A flashlight, however, I'm in complete agreement with everyone else. If you don't have one, get one before you tirn in for the night. Tonight. Whether it's weapon mounted or seperate, practice shooting with it. If it's seperate, practice with the light ON and illuminating the target. Go-time is a Bad-time to find that you're comfortable holding the light, but pointing the light makes you shoot funny.
My nightstand has a 228 in 9mm with 15 rounds in 226 mag. The sights are XS Big Dot tritiums. I like both ideas for my HD handgun, big dot and tritium.
Most importantly, I practice with it at the range.
Oh, and there's a Smith 640 at the ready as well, with rounds in 38+. Crimson grips.
Most importantly, I practice with it at the range.
Oh, and there's a Smith 640 at the ready as well, with rounds in 38+. Crimson grips.
Magnum Wheel Man
Member
Just passed my range qualifying for my concealed Carry permit 100% score on the range... didn't use the sites once... in fact my instructor regularly tapes over peoples sites that can't learn to point shoot...
BTW... ( at least in my state )... it is not illegal to enter your house, if it is not locked, & during class, we discuss lots of reasons strangers could be standing in your doorway in the middle of the night, so threat assessment is really as important as target aquisition...
I would feel terrible shooting the alhiezmers patient who in advertantly wandered into your house in the middle of the night...
BTW... ( at least in my state )... it is not illegal to enter your house, if it is not locked, & during class, we discuss lots of reasons strangers could be standing in your doorway in the middle of the night, so threat assessment is really as important as target aquisition...
I would feel terrible shooting the alhiezmers patient who in advertantly wandered into your house in the middle of the night...
MachIVshooter
Member
That sounds erred. I can't think of anywhere in the US where it is legal toenter a private residence uninvited, locked or not. Here in CO, the door can be wide open and it is still an unlawful entry.
He may have been outlining the difference between unlawful entry and forced entry, and how each will set with a judge if you kill the intruder. That does not mean it was legal for the intruder to enter your unlocked home.
RustyShackelford
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Good reasons for "night sights" on carry guns
Most handguns I'd get for CCW/protection use would have night sights for these reasons;
1) About 80% of all violent crime/attacks take place in low light areas.
2) Night sights may help re-sale value if you want to sell the pistol later on.
3) For most shooters, 3 dot type night sights offer improved marksmanship.
4) Night sights offer a clearer sight picture in low light places(like a bedroom or home). This will aid in target ID and provide a more accurate shot under stress.
I like the IWI night sights with 2 seperate colors. This to me is a good set up. Trijicon is a popular brand for many firearm makers.
Rusty S
Most handguns I'd get for CCW/protection use would have night sights for these reasons;
1) About 80% of all violent crime/attacks take place in low light areas.
2) Night sights may help re-sale value if you want to sell the pistol later on.
3) For most shooters, 3 dot type night sights offer improved marksmanship.
4) Night sights offer a clearer sight picture in low light places(like a bedroom or home). This will aid in target ID and provide a more accurate shot under stress.
I like the IWI night sights with 2 seperate colors. This to me is a good set up. Trijicon is a popular brand for many firearm makers.
Rusty S
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
You might ask several questions along similar lines.
For those of you who keep a handgun at night for protection: how necessary is daily, weekly, monthly practice? (Whatever is more than you do already)
For those of you who keep a handgun at night for protection: how necessary is quality defensive ammunition?
For those of you who keep a handgun at night for protection: how necessary is training?
The endeavor is not one of absolutes, but of percentages, just like camoflage. Camoflage doesn't make invisible a person running across a battlefield, but helps break up the runner's outline so as to make the runner a harder target to shoot. Things like good ammo, practice, night sights, flashlight, etc. are all things that give you more of an advantage should you need to use them. After all, a flashlight likely isn't going to do squat for you if your home defense situation takes place in your back yard at high noon, but you will have it for low light conditions. Night sights are nifty because they are always there and they will be functioning continuously and if conditions are within their range of operation, they will already be working for you.
10-Ring
Member
I'm not a big fan of night sights. I do prefer a good hand held light & a well regulated set of 3-dot sights.
TimboKhan
Member
Some of you are going to laugh at me when I say this, but I don't worry about night-sights because I sleep with the light on! Sounds funny, but I think I am a borderline insomniac or something, because I simply cannot fall asleep without reading for an hour or two. A bedside lamp is too bright for me, so I just keep my room light on. Given that I literally read myself to sleep, about 99% of the time, my light is on all night. Also, I usually leave at least one light on downstairs. That habit is actually a conscious decision, because occasionally I wake up and want ice water, and I don't want to go ass over teakettle down the stairs AND because if I hear someone in my house, I want to be able to see. That doesn't sound overly tactical, but my townhouse is small enough and designed in a way that I don't think there is any real advantage to trying to conduct defensive maneuvers in the dark. As such, I maintain that the best handgun sights, at least for me, are great big dots. I am not concerned with pin-point accuracy so much as I want to get my rounds on target and recover as quickly as possible. If the great blobs of white paint that I prefer for my sights increase my groups from 1 inch to 3, thats OK with me.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
So you don't need a flashlight or night sights AND by sleeping with the lights on, the monsters won't get you at night, come out of your closet, out from under your bed, etc. According to my 4 year old daughter, your routine goes way beyond just satisfying the possible need for night sights!
Gary G23
Member
I've shot several low light matches. I really believe you need both night sights and a light.
It seems as though some ya'll have the idea that you can only have one or the other in regards to night sights/tac-lights. Instead of trying to argue about what's better, why not just admit that having both would be the ideal situation?
P.S.- My Sig 229R has an M3 light and Night Sights on it.
P.S.- My Sig 229R has an M3 light and Night Sights on it.
BullfrogKen
Moderator Emeritus
The ones I carry have a Gold Bead installed in the blade of the front sight, and just plain ole Heinie rears.
And I have old school 6Ps.
I'm really opposed to anyone without a LOT of training having only a weapon mounted light. But, let's not highjack his thread with that arguement, OK?
And I have old school 6Ps.
I'm really opposed to anyone without a LOT of training having only a weapon mounted light. But, let's not highjack his thread with that arguement, OK?
Top Gun Supply
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I like night sights, but for a bedside weapon I think a rail mounted light is more useful. Before I pull the trigger, I want to be damn sure of my target, especially in my own house. A flashlight will work, but a mounted light is less complicated. I use an XD40 with a TLR-1.
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