Night Sights: actually useful, or gimmicky?

[TUBBY1]

Like them ,want them

If i'm ordering a gun and night sites are available,i'm getting them.i've added them to every pistols i own.nightsiter.com has kits for under 20 bucks you can do 2or3 guns front and rear.really enhances sight recognition, day and night.

 

[JohnBiltz]

1. Night sights add no weight, are always on and work as normal sights during daylight. There is no down side.
2. Point shooting. Is anyone removing their regular sights from their gun because in a self defense encounter they intend to point and not use their sights? Then why do it in the dark?
3. Flashlights: Flashlights are nice do you practice drawing it at the same time you are drawing your gun? If not then chances are you are going to live or die without it.

 

[Zerodefect]

Some lessons I've learned:

1. My eyes like clean simple sights. Plain lack sights are quicker for me to aim in most conditions. Night sights are too busy and cluttered. My eye has trouble decideing what to aim with.

The dots? The blade edges? The Tritium vial?

2. When I use my pistol for night training with a Sure fire E2D or G2 light, busy complex sights are hard to use when the glare of the light hits them. Shiny smooth Tritium vials can refect light back.

3. If it's so dark I need my nightsights, I'll probally be point shooting anyways.
But i'm in a suburb tonight, it really deosn't get dark.

4. Contrast is what works best for aiming. Pure black sights are easy to contrast to things quickly. A front sight that is super thin helps as well. Letting what little light between the sights and improving contrast.

A fat front sight turns my sight picture into a black blob. I never use a front sight fatter than .110, .090 is best IME.

5. Point shooting. Forget the sights, my backdrop is clean, and there's a gun pointed at me. Odd's are point shooting is one of the most important skils

6. A fibreoptic front sight works as well as plain black sights, you never notice the FO rod in low light. But outside it glows and can speed up rapid fire shots. So I usually use FO front and plain rear.

7. My DW V with Heinie Ledge works well at night, and is the simplest night sights I've used. In low light the rear sight looks like a plain black sight.

So in low light this setup has a bright glowing front, plain rear. A decent compromise. Only in pure darkness deos the rear glow. (you can't even see it in the pic, just like a proper front sight focus)

It suffers a little during the day time. Timers in competition show it to be a hair slower, at 15+ yards, than black sights in low light most of the time.



8. This next setup rules the day, deos well in low light due to it's simplicity, and the thin front blade. In pure dark I expect to have a flashlight. 80% of the time this setup is my choice for CCW. In most practical senerios, these look just like plain black sights.



My other 1911's have this setup with even thinner .090 front sights. Better for long, long range shots. 25-50yards.

9. Night sights are allways crooked. The vial is allways off center compared to the edge of the sight, or the white ring isn't concentric around the entire sight. You have three things, all poorly crafted fighting for your attention. Plain sights only have one thing for you to focus on.

I had a set of XS bigdot sights that the line vial in the rear didn't lineup with the V notch. So my eyes were allways trying to decide which to aim with. One day at the range I took my time to try each. And using the V-notch had a significant change in POA/POI compared to the vial.


10. Bottom line, I have a few sets of Heinie Ledge night sights. But those are for a specific senerio. (Night, no flashlight being carried, in the sticks) For most uses FO front, plain rear work best for me.

 

[X-Rap]

I like the TFO sights and that's what is on my HD G22 along with a guide rod laser and a light on the rail.
I bought the gun that way and it sits in my draw next to mt bed so IDK what it looks like and I figure the redundancy in the sighting and light options is a pretty good deal.
I probably wouldn't go out and buy retail all these items but the TFO sights are something I'm putting on more weapons, they are much superior to tritium only in that the fiber optics light up real bright in all but darkness, then the tritium shines.

 

[WRGADog]

get a set of Tru Glo TFO's they are easy to see in all light, and remarkably bright in total darkness. I have trijicons, Sig and Glock factory night sights and the TFO's are the easiest to use in all light conditions.

 

[MrWesson]

for all around TFO's are great

I used to shoot with a guy who carried a G19 with NO sights and just practiced point shooting. He was a good shot with it out to about 15yds. It makes sense really as you will not be making any well aimed shots during a gunfight.

 

[orionengnr]

Another fan of the TruGlo TFOs.
I can't believe some of the posts, such as...

Night sights are allways crooked. The vial is allways off center compared to the edge of the sight, or the white ring isn't concentric around the entire sight.

One thing I learned long ago, is to never say "never" or "always"... and maybe, just for fun, try to spell "always" correctly.

Hey, zerodefect, time to reconsider your user name? Guess I just made another friend. Occupational hazard...

 

[jmr40]

Night sights are not going to solve every problem, they are just one more tool in the tool box. Does not mean a light is no longer needed. I have range toys that don't have night sights on them. I wouldn't have a gun for serious use without them.

 

[LiveLife]

fastbolt, your post mirrored what the Range Master told us and his SWAT classes - practice, practice, practice until you attain acceptable "tactical" proficiency with your weapons (regardless of what they are, night sights or not).

Having the best firearms in the world won't do anyone any good if you are not proficient with them to hit reliably. Even a MP5 in unfamiliar hands won't operate to its full potential.

Someone who is proficient with a revolver will come out on top against a shooter who "sprays" with their semi-auto.

When my/family's life is in danger, I really believe in "simpler the better" and minimize "things" that might break or not work. We practiced, practiced and practiced until we were proficient in reaching for our pistols/defensive fire arms (AR for my wife and shot gun for me) and make them ready in total darkness while we send out our two guard dogs to buy us time. We have perimeter security lights that will sufficiently lit every part of the yards so we can move inside the house without being seen from the outside.

I have nothing against night sights, but my sentiment is to not rely on any additional thing that might not necessarily help you when your life is in danger. Many people try to use their rail mounted lasers at the range and often find them out of sight adjustment and not pointing POA/POI (they mumble - "Maybe it got bumped?" ). When they see me run through my quick draw drills and tight double-taps on targets, they ask how I learned to do that. I tell them, "A lot of deliberate practice."

 

[BADUNAME13]

for all around TFO's are great

I used to shoot with a guy who carried a G19 with NO sights and just practiced point shooting. He was a good shot with it out to about 15yds. It makes sense really as you will not be making any well aimed shots during a gunfight.

There are a WHOLE lot of dead people who disagree with you!

 

[1SOW]

I pretty much agree with Zerodefect and BDS. I like the red FO front and black rear. No gimmicks, with a little speed edge in daylight.

 

[Girodin]

I like night sights but after doing a fair amount of training and shooting in low light environments I have come to prefer a different color front sight.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Not all night sights are equal.

I prefer the XS 24/7 Big Dot sights - they are incredibly easy to see and use in both daylight and lowlight conditions.

 

[smoothdraw]

Night sights are not gimmick. There are real applications for them mostly for defense weapons. We need to always train to manage our trigger and look at our sights no matter what is the lighting condition.

 

[Fishslayer]

I'm like Dogguy. Old eyes & poor low light vision. The range I shoot at has pretty dim lighting on the line. I have a lot of trouble seeing the sights.

Tried white paint. For some reason the white doesn't show & was actually worse than flat black.

I fired a couple of guns that had Trijicons on them and they really made a difference. Not only could I put the sights where I wanted 'em but I could actually pick them back up while the muzzle was coming down.

The confidence factor of KNOWING your sight picture is right makes a world of difference, too. I can concentrate on something besides "Where's that &#*($&! sight?"

My KP90 is in the shop right now getting a set of it's own.

As for night & day, I'm pretty sure that statistically you're gonna be needing your gun most when the sun's down. They don't say "When things go bump in the daytime."

 

[CDW4ME]

MY interest is SD.
Night sights allow me to see the sights at night.
If the threat is so close I don't use the sights, or have time to, so what.
If I do have time to get focus on the front sight I will be more accurate if I can see it.
At a cost of about $100 and a useful life of at least 10 years, I spend $10 a year to have them on each pistol, big deal.
I'd rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them.

 

[X-Rap]

Night sights a gimmick???
So I suppose grips that improve your shooting or holsters that improve your draw are gimmicks as well, maybe white outlines and colored inserts are sighting gimmicks as well.
Nothing but box stock 1950's technology is truly relevant.
I guess I need a better definition of gimmick.

 

[RC20]

Rather than good views, I am seeing replies (and multiples of same thing over and over) of you have to do it my way.

Gimmicks: Well, the damned gun is a gimmick as well. If you aren't into gimmicks, then keep a bucket of rocks next to your bed. David supposedly made it work, you just need to practice a lot (oh, that's right, rocks aren't cool).

Practice: I really get tired of the you have to practice until you become a Ninja Mutant Gun Wielder.

My first reply to that is you just put your money where you wants are, not where it should be. Take a professional driving course, and then keep it up )along with your wife and kids). Vast majority of deaths are traffic related. So, rather than harp on your gun skills, you need to man up, admit you would rather make things go boom and are justifying it, beating; your breast all the time.

Fine if that's what make you happy, the rest of us have lives to live and we have to do the best we can with our finances and time. Give the rest of us a rest from how many drills you run, you can run 40 miles in 30 seconds and all that.

Personal: When you respond, write what some have. This is my setup, and this is why it works for me. Don't TELL me it has to work for me or I have to. It may not and I certainly don't have to. I have been around for almost 60 years, I have been shooting guns since I was 6, and I will make my own decisions based on as much information as I can get. I am not afraid or embarrassed to learn or admit I do not know. I have found that know it alls don't have anything to teach anyone.

Like another write, my eyes are bad and I have found the dots work amazingly well in helping with the sight picture. That's helpful, tells someone what is going on, what works. It may not be you or work for you, but it puts it in correct perspective and you can determine if it applies or not.

I plan on night sights on my next gun. I think they offer major improvements, and they do not detract if not. I call that a complete plus.

 

[BADUNAME13]

So... what are you saying those of us who HAVE taken BOTH Driving AND motorcycle courses?

(Oh, and yes, I enjoy making things 'go boom" and I have no need to justify beyond "I want")

Fact remains... TOOLS and SKILL.

Those are separate from what I 'Like'

otherwise I'd be carrying Colt 1903's, Old S&W's, Classic 1911's, guns from when firearms has CLASS... rather than the cheap injection moldings I rely on as TOOLS.

 

[fastbolt]

Yep ... the saying of "mindset, skillset, toolset", in that order, does arguably have some merit.

As has been said, all night sights are not created equal. Not by a long shot.

I've tried many different configurations over the years, too, from a number of companies. Some I've found useful. Some not so much. Quality has varied from very good to abysmal.

Different colors? Well, changing light conditions have an effect on the light wavelengths reflected to our eyes. Not all colors are equal when it comes to visibility, especially under less than optimal conditions. Green tritium capsules are generally considered to be the brightest, but some folks till like other colors. Having tried some different color combinations I've long since decided that the green ones work best for my eyes.

Using some night sights in bright daylight conditions may not prove as satisfactory as using regular white dot, brass bead or plain black sights ... for some folks ... but that depends to some extent on the vision and experience of the user, too.

I don't try to tell other folks what will work best for their eyes, though, in the conditions they anticipate using the night sights. That's their call after gathering enough info so they can make their own informed decision. They've got to be able to acquire the sights well enough to be able to make consistently accurate and effective hits on their intended threat targets, in whatever situations and circumstances may come their way.

I will often allow someone asking about such things to try some of the different configurations I have available on some of my guns, or some other guns, if possible ... and let them decide for themselves.

Night sights aren't a "gimmick".

Neither are they the ultimate "one-size-fits-all" definitive answer to all sighting acquisition/alignment/picture needs for all people, either. In my opinion, anyway ...

 

[Fastcast]

otherwise I'd be carrying Colt 1903's, Old S&W's, Classic 1911's, guns from when firearms has CLASS

Amen......Although they're still tools. Just exceptionally nice looking tools, with class!


Night sights?.....Sure, if you can afford them, why not.

 

[oldbanjo]

I put a tritium front site on my Mossberg. You instantly know where to barrel is pointing, no matter how dark it is. PGO. I had a Deer walk under my tree stand one morning, could see the Deer but could not see the sights, I added the material from an old clocks hands to my SKS sights after that. Now if I'm back lighted, like in a stand, I can see my sights. The only ones that wouldn't like night sights haven't tried them.

 

[Dups]

Where is Billy Bad ass going to try and kill you to rape your wife???? the middle of walmart? or the far end of the dark parking lot??? if MY Trijicon night sights allow me .0000001% better chance to kill the offending SOB who thinks he can lay a finger on my daughter or wife, then i will pay every last penny i own. ok now with the randing aside, the sights that i purchased (as i stated, Trijicon GL01), have a bright white ring around the tritium lense, and i feel that they are just as easily seen in broad daylight, low light, and NO light. my wife even agrees that its much easier to line up on a target at the end of the hall with the light off. They are absolutly worth there weight in gold as far as i'm concerned... and should be the very first mod you do to a defensive handgun... leave the lasers at home for the cats to play with. I feel with laser grips, you focus to much on finding the red dot, than lining up your sights like you should.

 

[Messenger Guard]

If for nothing else, I like that warm green glow on the nightstand when I wake up in the middle of the night to the low Ferrari like growl coming from my pitbulls.

 

[Pilot]

Night sights are fine, but remember they are only good for one shot. In low light condition the muzzle blast will ruin your night vision after the first shot.

If you really, really have that much time to aim with sites in a defensive situation maybe you should be retreating or avoiding.