Night sights upgrade

[jeep45238]

I was merely relating some homework I spent a month or more completing. "Sights on a stick" © could be whipped out whenever I pleased without raising the DEFCON level.

Not you Brian - you had a question and experimented. DTOM attempted to force extremes of situations, and not read things for what was said.

[TSiWRX]

The reason I went with these is I had tried models with the fiber exposed on the top, front, and sides, and did not realize how much less light the TFX picks up with the fiber exposed only on top.

Yup. Having the front open really helps the FOs pick up and carry through ambient light.

I am a bit skeptical of photo-luminescent painted sights. For concealed carry purposes, are they any better than just painted sights? For me it usually wouldn't be practical to charge them with a flashlight.

Don't think of the "light-charged" sights as the same as self-luminous night-sights.

While the latter does exceptionally well when there is little to no ambient light, their vials will not provide enough light to overcome what your eyes will do naturally when you go quickly from a bright ambient (i.e. daylight, outdoors) to dark ambient (i.e. the interior of your home, with the blinds down/curtains drawn).

Since your TFOs are Tritium night sights, you can try this for yourself. Step outside with it (you can just take the slide, there's no need for the entire gun to be out, if that upsets the neighbors ). Stay out there for a few minutes, and then quickly step indoors into a darkened area (dark enough that you cannot see your sights). Can your eyes quickly pick up on the glow of the Tritium, or do you need a few seconds to adjust?

This is the same idea as why some prefer "T100" to "T25" markers on watches: a more intense glow allows your eyes to pick up on the emitted light faster, as it adjusts from light-to-dark.

This is the same reason why on the Trijicon HD sights, the surround to the front Tritium vial is painted in that photo-luminescent paint: so that there's an intense, bright, sighting reference, even as you make that transition.

[ And speaking of the HDs, it may be worth it for you to wait and get a look-see with the XR-variant, which will have a thinner front sight post. ]

As you have read here, BadCrosshairDay, these accessories all exist on a continuum. There's no hard right or wrong. It's about personal preferences - it is about each individual's perceived needs and wants.

I know someone who is very adamant about the need for both front and rear night-sights, all "dots," specifically because it was his experience as a long time agency trainer as well as police officer, he feels that the lack of the rear horizontal reference points led to unacceptable levels of uncertainty in the sight picture, when all one could make out of one's sights were just those Tritium vials. There are those with similarly impressive backgrounds who just as strongly feel that either only the front dot should be visible or, alternatively, that a simple "strait 8" or "dot over bar" or other similar setup is acceptable in no/low-light as the three-dot configuration can cause side-to-side errors. And there are again those who maintain that a simple FO front paired with a WML/handheld obviates any need for self-luminous night-sights. Then there are those who advocate lasers or micro-RDSs.

Each system has its advantages as well as disadvantages. Truth be told, "having it all" is the only way you will be able to successfully not have to worry about any shortcoming (i.e. although every system's disadvantages will still be present, you will have backup systems that will counteract such problems). But how many are willing to take things that far?

Don't get too hung up on what any one shortcoming may be. Figure out what your priorities are, and understand how the context of your specific needs drives you towards better or worse choices to fill those needs.

And trust me, there's nothing like getting behind these sights for yourself, to see what your eyes actually really take to.

[BadCrosshairDay]

Since your TFOs are Tritium night sights, you can try this for yourself. Step outside with it (you can just take the slide, there's no need for the entire gun to be out, if that upsets the neighbors ). Stay out there for a few minutes, and then quickly step indoors into a darkened area (dark enough that you cannot see your sights). Can your eyes quickly pick up on the glow of the Tritium, or do you need a few seconds to adjust?

This is the same idea as why some prefer "T100" to "T25" markers on watches: a more intense glow allows your eyes to pick up on the emitted light faster, as it adjusts from light-to-dark.

This is the same reason why on the Trijicon HD sights, the surround to the front Tritium vial is painted in that photo-luminescent paint: so that there's an intense, bright, sighting reference, even as you make that transition.

[ And speaking of the HDs, it may be worth it for you to wait and get a look-see with the XR-variant, which will have a thinner front sight post. ]

I tried this out - the TFX with new tritium was just bright enough not to need time to adjust to see. I do see how the photo-luminescent paint would help here though, I didn't consider that use case.

I'll probably try some of the other sight pictures you mentioned next. The glock picture worked better for me than the 3 dot and rear u, but I'll give it 2-3k more rounds and see if that changes. Will also spend some more time in low light with dawsons. Dawson with a laser might work. I just put a green laser on my jframe and I liked it more than I expected to. That gun doesn't have replaceable sights.

Anyone try the xs big dots? I like the front sight profile (round instead of square like most front posts), but not the rear sight.

[TSiWRX]

Anyone try the xs big dots? I like the front sight profile (round instead of square like most front posts), but not the rear sight.

That gigantic glowing orb is awesome for near-instinctive alignment on a big enough target at short distances.

But for more demanding targets, it requires, like anything else, dedicated practice to achieve proficiency.