ASHLEY EXPRESS HANDGUN SIGHTS.

D

DONCO12345

Inactive
HAS ANYONE HAD EXPERIENCE, WITH THE INSTALLING AND SHOOTING, WITH ASHLEY EXPRESS HANDGUN SIGHTS? ANY PROS OR CONS. THEIR DESIGN SEEMS LIKE A GREAT IDEA. THANKS.
 
YES I HAVE. HAVING THEM INSTALLED ON YOUR PISTOL IS THE BEST THING THAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR SHOOTING AND YOUR GUN.
I INSTALLED THEM ON A SPRINGFIELD TRP AND WAS MOST PLEASED.
I WILL INSTALL THEM ON MY OTHER WORKING GUNS AS WELL, EVENTUALLY.
THE STANDARD TRITIUM DOT SIGHTS ARE FANTASTIC. THE BIG DOT SIGHTS ARE BETTER SUITED TO LONGER BARRELED APPLICATIONS, IN MY OPINION.

OH MY...
LOOKS LIKE WE LEFT OUR CAP LOCKS ON!
OOPS!
 
I put them on my Ultra Carry, and they are wonderful. That big dot takes a little acclimation (about 10 rounds), but you will be amazed how much more quickly you will acquire your sights and they are indeed accurate. I didn't install mine (Mr Garrett at No. VA Gun Works did a fine job), but I'm very pleased and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for any carry gun. My Kimber Compact is next up. I bought mine direct from Asley http://www.ashleyoutdoors.com/
M2
 
The Ashley's are great. I put a set on my Glock 34 about six months ago and the more I shot it, the better I liked the sights. They are hard to miss, especially as the light starts to go, and they are plenty accurate enough for combat use. With the standard dot I can make a head shot at 25 yards and shoot one-hole groups at 7 yards. I have since added them (with tritium insert) to one of my regular carry guns (Les Baer Concept IX) and will ultimately do the same for my Kahr P9.
 
It Makes Sense to ME

Let's see, BIG DOTS... BIG LETTERS. Looks good on this 11 inch monitor. Easier to acquire in dim light etc.

DONCO12345, dont feel bad about George. He was just making a little joke.
 
Cons: They are big, and not precise so your accuracy will suffer. However if that gun you have them mounted on is ment just for fast and close work, it won't matter.

Pros: As others pointed out they are large and easy to pick up. Many gun manufacturers put white dots on the sights, but they usually drill a hole and put a dab of paint inside, so the dot area is concave. Ashley front dot is not only big, but is also convex. So the light source can be close to perpendicular from the line of sight, and the light will still reflect off the front sight. Just don't realize why other manufacturers don't do that, can't be that much more for dab of white epoxy vs white paint. Than again many "experts" prefer Heinies black on black for serious work, so go figure.
 
There are many good sights for target shooting that help you narrow in your sight on the center of the target. But in the heat of self defense this may result in tunnel vision. The above posts discuss the benefits of the Ashley front sight.

But the other advantage to Ashley is the rear sight. It opens up your line of sight to not only see the BG, but also his hands, the periphery, the background, other BGs and innocents, for a clear safer shot.

I think they are the best sights for defense and carry. They are indeed accurate for these purposes. Remember, they were originally developed for hunting "attacking" types of game.

I have them on all my guns that they fit and can highly recommend them.
 
DONCO: I put the Ashley Express sights on a H&K USP 40C, with the standard dot tritium front. They were very fast to acquire and gave good accuracy at seven yards. When I tried some longer range shooting, say 15 to 25 yards, I noticed that my groups suffered. They just don't offer the precision of a good square front/rear sight system. The accuracy thing bothered me to the point that I recently replaced the Ashleys with Mepros. Might be good to try before you buy.
Good Shooting, CoyDog
 
Accuracy Suffers - Myth.
Accuracy is generally increased on top of the bonus of faster target aquisitions.
Accuracy is greatly increased when you are firing rapidly.
Have you ever been able to see your front sight back on target while doing a double tap? With an Ashley YOU CAN!
Group sizes shrink considerably because you are able to consistantly see where that front sight is and that is the key to good pistol shooting.
If you are taking the time to bench the pistol and really sight in for a precision shot - You can still take it with Ashleys. Unless you are just not able to locate the top apex of a circle.

Most of the time accuracy suffers in pistol shooting is bacause the shooter looses the front sight for one of 2 reasons... 1 - the front sight is not clearly made out in relation with its background. OR 2 - the front sight is obscured by the monolithic rear sight.
Ashleys solve BOTH problems.
 
George: I shot 25 yards groups with both Ashleys and Mepros, then measured them. The Ashley groups were substantially larger. I don't think that is a myth.
 
Have you shot a lot with the Ashleys or was this a one time, one mag full "test"?
Quite often, the fellow just trying them out will not do as well as he does with his old sights.
Also, if you tested them on someone elses gun, especially if its a differnt model gun than the one you used to... well, thats not a fair assesment.

A real "test" for a new sight system as different as the Ashleys are is to have a smith mount them on your own pistol and leave them on for at least a weeks worth of shooting (not just a week length of time).
Some guys I know with them it took a week to get used to. Some guys take less. I took about one box of ammo.

Kinda like driving a car like say a Mustang LX with its 4 cylinder engine and swapping it out for a 5.0 V8 - same car even - just all the sudden you got something very different and you need to get used to it!

Some people just cant get used to that difference and cant hit well with them... Just like other different gunsights like SIG's Dot and Bar or the Heinie Straight Eight. Or even standard 3 Dot types if you are only used to shooting Bullseye style target sights.
 
I just had the AO sights put on my Kimber PRO CDP, and they are GREAT! When your eyesight starts to diminish, and the front sight is hard to see, you can really appreciate the Ashleys. I put the large tritium sights on my gun, which I carry daily. They're great for quick pick-up, and within 15 yards or so, you can shoot small groups. Those black on black sights were fine 15 or 20 years ago, but not now. I'll probably put the Ashleys on my other Kimber soon.
 
Here is what SM&A have to say about them:
Ashley Express Sights
ashley.jpg

Ashley Express sights, as the photo shows, are a bit different. Based on the principle of African dangerous game rifles, they feature a very shallow "V" rear sight notch and a huge white, tritium-inserted globe front. We’ve installed and played with several of these systems on Colt .380s and 1911s and offer the following insight.

The manufacturer claims that the sights are fast. They are. Sight acquisition is rapid at close ranges. Precision aiming, however, pretty much goes completely out the window beyond about seven yards, due primarily to the front sight covering up so much of the target. Those who don’t see this as a problem will probably get along very well with a set of these sights. To be honest, I shoot as accurately and as quickly at defensive distances with a sightless Deep Cover Pony as I do with one equipped with Express sights. But I tend to shoot somewhat instinctively. As the man said, "Your mileage may vary."

A downside to these sights is the fact that the rear is not nearly as snag-resistant as a Novak – it tends to catch on things. On a positive note, it fits in the existing Colt dovetail, thus eliminating some expensive machining.

If you’re confused by all this I can’t say as I blame you. So are we. Some for whom we’ve installed these sights rave about them; some have had them removed and Novaks installed (at least they are retrofittable, another positive aspect). Best recommendation is to find and try a set before you order yours, but that’s often easier said than done. Sorry, but we offer no refunds if you don’t like them.
Click to expand...

Although they don't really say, I would imagine that most of their experiance has been with the Colt Mustang, although they do advertise work on other guns. The web site is Scott, McDougall & Associates.

[Edited by Kevinch on 02-17-2001 at 10:02 PM]
 
Ah - that's the Ashley Big Dot sight...
The Standard Dot which is bigger than normal dot sights but not nearly as big the Big Dot.
I can see SM&A point about the Big Dot obscuring the target at long range - but I dont agree with it as any front sight post will obscure the target anyway.

Ashley Express Standard Tritium Dot is the sights I recomend most highly... and as I said before, the Big Dot is better suited to longer barreled guns.
 
George, I think I have this base covered.

I just ordered a set of the small-dot tritiums for my CZ-75. I will be able to shoot it next to my CZ-85 with the stock(3-dot) sights. I will give it two sessions, about a week apart, so that I have a fair take on their performance. Then, I will post the results.

Oddly enough, they do not yet have a tritium insert rear blade for that model. I am also curious to see if the Ashley front is in any way compatible with the stock rear.
 
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