Night Sights

[MadMurdock85]

Maybe, maybe not.

And only if there is light at the target to begin with, that won't always be the case.

Your target may or may not be the size of a person, your target may or may not be inside of 7 yards, and even if those are both true, simply hitting a "person" size target isn't necessarily particularly helpful.

The point I was making was with a flashlight, light will filter back to the front sight. Yes your target may not be person sized but in most personal defense situations, that is the case. I have yet to have a squirrel try and attack me. Also, I don't know about where you live but in nc if you are shooting at someone bast 7 yds, they better be shooting at you or in your building, otherwise you have a ton of explaining to do.

Look at page 3 once you follow the link and click on the pdf entitled: Officer involved shooting, what we don't know has hurt us... you will find that most shootings take place at extremely close range and if you read before that you will see that most officers say that they don't remember sighting the firearm.

 

[george burns]

If I walk out the back of my house right now, I can't see a freaking thing past what the moonlight gives me. With no lights on outside the house. it's pitch black. Many times I will pull my weapon, "one of them", because we have a large "pig" population, in my neck of the woods, or the dog will see or hear something.
If you know your dog, you know when they are serious. I can see my front sight only because there is a night sight on my guns, "with no lights on". With no light, I can't see my front sight on the one or two guns, that don't go out at night much.
Now sometimes there is enough light from a neighboors house or moonlight that I can see 50-75 feet, but tht's if they are still up watching tv. If they turned in at 10, like during their working days, then there just are no lights on. They still work for a living, suckers.
Unless you want to go and set off their motion dectetor. Or wake them all up with a tac light.
Now when I lived down in Broward, I never had this problem, and even less where I spent the first 45 years in NYC, where I did have a permit to carry.
There weren't night sights back in 73. Back in NY, you could see for miles, and miles.
By the way, the way the pro's and cops do it, "well most of them" , is the raise the wepon to the dominent eye, and fire. It's just as fast as point shooting, and Most all the guys you watch and see on websites do it this way. Unless you shoot from the hip, it's still the fastest way to hit something accurately, most times if you practice, "even without firing" it works well. Forget your feet, stand the way you normally stand and just bring the gun up to dominent eye and fire, one hand or two, you will find it's the fastest way to hit what you want to hit.

 

[RX-79G]

The point I was making was with a flashlight, light will filter back to the front sight.

This is your theory, but it is wrong. You should try this out for yourself.

 

[Old Dog]

Quote:
I can, under pressure/stress, keep it on an 8.5x11 at 25 yds drawing and firing 13 rds in under 5 seconds. If stress isn't involved I can keep it on the same sheet at 100 yds in about 10 seconds.

Quote We'd love to see this in action, maybe a video is in order. That is some world class shooting.

Shucks, heck with a video, I'd almost pay to fly down to NC to see someone shoot like that ... especially with no nights being used ... and at night ...

Then the OP opines

The point I was making was with a flashlight, light will filter back to the front sight.

"Filter back?" I do know that if I'm using the Harries technique, I can see my sights pretty clearly if I'm lighting up a target or wall area. So anyway, we have a guy who says he doesn't use his pistol sights, yet maintains the light will filter back so he can see his front sight. I'm getting confused.

and if you read before that you will see that most officers say that they don't remember sighting the firearm.

Doesn't mean they didn't use the sights; simply, they just didn't remember sighting ...most folks will devolve to their level of training, if they've had decent training. And there's plenty of accounts out there of cops who've survived gunfights who say they made conscious efforts to get a good sight picture during these encounters.

 

[Warp]

The point I was making was with a flashlight, light will filter back to the front sight. Yes your target may not be person sized but in most personal defense situations, that is the case. I have yet to have a squirrel try and attack me. Also, I don't know about where you live but in nc if you are shooting at someone bast 7 yds, they better be shooting at you or in your building, otherwise you have a ton of explaining to do.

Look at page 3 once you follow the link and click on the pdf entitled: Officer involved shooting, what we don't know has hurt us... you will find that most shootings take place at extremely close range and if you read before that you will see that most officers say that they don't remember sighting the firearm.

The point you are making is incorrect.

Plenty of people do remember seeing the front sight, and seeing the front sight is important for accurate shots at distances that include legitimate self defense. Possessing a flashlight does not necessarily mean you will be able to see your front sight. Being able to identify your target does not necessarily mean you will be able to see your front sight, either.

 

[Snyper]

The light that filters back from the target is enough to see a front sight if one is so inclined but at under 7 yds it's hard to miss a person sized target if you even half ass keep your wits about you.

That's not even close to reality in all situations.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I Bought a new Dan Wesson in 2007 Night sights were totally dead in 4 years Went dim in little over 3 years . I think total waste of money after that experience. I bought the gun day it arrived at dealer . So wasn't sitting around dealer going bad.

 

[RX-79G]

I Bought a new Dan Wesson in 2007 Night sights were totally dead in 4 years Went dim in little over 3 years . I think total waste of money after that experience. I bought the gun day it arrived at dealer . So wasn't sitting around dealer going bad.

Did you warranty them? That is not normal.

 

[Old Guy]

Glock 19, TruGlo sights, typical threat situation, someone wants your wallet, and cell phone, 5 yard challenge? Eye level point! Three green dots, looking through them! You look at the person, through the sights.

In your house, a investigation of a sound gives you a vision of two young men, across the living room, holding your push button flash light, one has a knife, push arm straight out, fire twice! You most likely will have the other running!

And one leaving wounded, you can see sights in all lights, with your arm pushed out.

 

[Snyper]

Originally Posted by MICHAEL T View Post
I Bought a new Dan Wesson in 2007 Night sights were totally dead in 4 years Went dim in little over 3 years . I think total waste of money after that experience. I bought the gun day it arrived at dealer . So wasn't sitting around dealer going bad.

I bought a Glock with factory night sights in the early 90's.

This week during the hurricane when the power was out at night, I could still easily see them on the headboard of the bed, even though I couldn't see anything else at all. They aren't nearly as bright as they used to be, but they are still visible in the dark.

 

[Warp]

Glock 19, TruGlo sights, typical threat situation, someone wants your wallet, and cell phone, 5 yard challenge? Eye level point! Three green dots, looking through them! You look at the person, through the sights.

In your house, a investigation of a sound gives you a vision of two young men, across the living room, holding your push button flash light, one has a knife, push arm straight out, fire twice! You most likely will have the other running!

And one leaving wounded, you can see sights in all lights, with your arm pushed out.

If you have night sights.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

In your house, a investigation of a sound gives you a vision of two young men, across the living room, holding your push button flash light, one has a knife, push arm straight out, fire twice!

Apologize to the comma. It doesn't deserve that abuse.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

IMO, a small, powerful light is more useful than night sights. As stated, night sights don't identify the target.

I agree that if money were tight. Would rath have a flashlight. I do have night sights on most dfensive guns. I just purchase some XS sights (sights I prefer for defensive use) for a training mule pistol and I've got them without tritium so I can run them a bunch to evaluate them.

I have done enough walk through practice in my home with an unloaded pistol in low light to know that there is a light threshold in which the sights glow well and I can still identify the target without extra illumination. It's quite a big range. I was surprised by this.

 

[RX-79G]

If money is tight, sell one of your other guns. Either you are truly committed to your self defense at night, or you are just a gun owner that likes to play what if? with your toys.

Night sights will do things no other system can, and there is virtually no downside.

 

[Warp]

I have done enough walk through practice in my home with an unloaded pistol in low light to know that there is a light threshold in which the sights glow well and I can still identify the target without extra illumination. It's quite a big range. I was surprised by this.

Yes, there certainly is.

There is a very big range of lighting in which non-illuminated sights are not visible or not visible enough for reliable defensive use yet identifying a target/threat with the naked eye is easy. Particularly when talking about inside your own home.

It also just so happens that, in these lighting conditions, it is possible to use a handheld or weapon mounted light to identify or light up targets/threats without that light significantly aiding in picking up the sights (front sight is what we're really after of course).

There is a good reason the vast majority of professionals and professional organizations equip their pistols with tritium night sights.