Why are self-powered reflex sights so expensive?

[atomchaser]

A gram of Tritium is a huge amount in regard to these type of devices. I'm not sure how much tritium an ACOG uses but it is probably a Curie or less. For reference a self-illuminated exit sign uses about 25 curies. Using the above quoted $30,000 per gram figure, that would be about $3 dollars of tritium in an ACOG. Of course the NRC licensing, manufacturing, waste disposal considerations with radioactive material are not insignificant additional costs. Tritium can be pain to deal with with but in such small quantities, it's not much of hazard.

 

[kBob]

I mentioned on another board that I had one of the non illuminated single point scopes. I powered it with an add on bit of one inch PVC and cap for the same and an old Wheat lamp bulb (Before LED were commonly available) and an AA battery. In day light I took the PVC pipe off and used the scopes regular light gathering system. I also put a bit of "Ranger Eyes" glow in the dark tape like we used in the service in the end of the PVC pipe to give some illumination for a while it the battery went dead on me. This would have been about 1977.

Someone with a Quick Point saw my Rube Goldberg illuminator and said he was going to try it on his scope, but never got back with me.

In the Infantry we used "ranger Eyes to mark the front sight of our M-60s, and I marked some rifle sights with it later with a veritel stripe under the peep and a horizontal stripe below the front post. This made a sort of interrupted T and sort of worked for the couple of hours the tape glowed after sun down or for a few minutes if charged with a white light.

Later I got a H3 powered model......unfortunately the H3 has been dead a good 20+ years now. Worked great under flairs or in dark enough to just see a target.

If I am using my little sure fire 123 flash light to illuminate a target with there is generally enough light for either of the Single Points to work.


BTW all the H3 front sights on M-16A1s were recalled in 1980 because of concerns about breakage. Through 1983 at least we had to do radiological surveys on arms rooms with particular interest in the rifle racks and hot spots had to be marked and monitored. Any H3 tubes seen on a rifle after 1980 should have gotten someone in trouble. My last arms room had six marked spill locations that were monitored quarterly.

The wrist watch that was issued or available at the Clothing Sales store in the VN era through 82 at least had H3 powered markings and was marked as such on the back.

Some of the early reflex sights for .22 rifles had large windows in top to bring in light.

-kBob

 

[dancitizen]

The tritium cost issue is not a significant factor.

Tritium emergency exit signs cost a tad under $200 and contain as much tritium as at least twenty weapons sights (about 3 feet of it).