Doesn't the answer depend on the purposes for which one has a carry gun? While most carry for personal defense, which for the most part means rapidly deployed point and shoot, law enforcement might have to resort to a concealed carry piece in an aimed fire scenario. For example, an undercover or off duty officer might find it necessary to affect a felony stop while armed with only a carry gun.
best sights for carry gun
- Thread starter iceman320
- Start date
Whether weapon mounted or not, to me a light is essential. People often worry about giving away their position, but the goal isn't to walk around with it on. The goal is to turn it on when searching specific areas, turn it off, and move. Target identification is critical and you can find any number of stories of folks shooting family members because they failed to ID the perceived threat. With a weapon mounted light understand the dangers of pointing your muzzle around your house. You could point it at a threat, or a family member. That said weapon manipulation and reloading with a weapon mounted light is just easier and it gives you a free hand if need be to help someone or move something. Hand mounted lights let you search without pointing the muzzle, but you need both hands and manipulation gets a bit trickier.
If you go the mounted route try to practice using the flood of the light to illuminate an area from the low ready or universal cover position. With weapon mounted lights pushing close to 1000 lumens these days even the flood from the light lights up areas like a Christmas tree. With a hand carried light practice manipulation with your hold of choice. This can be done at the range as well as at home with snap caps (check and then check again to be sure the pistol and mags are clear of live ammunition and be sure your backdrop if you're doing dryfire will actually stop a round).
Really practice is the key with any of this.
If you go the mounted route try to practice using the flood of the light to illuminate an area from the low ready or universal cover position. With weapon mounted lights pushing close to 1000 lumens these days even the flood from the light lights up areas like a Christmas tree. With a hand carried light practice manipulation with your hold of choice. This can be done at the range as well as at home with snap caps (check and then check again to be sure the pistol and mags are clear of live ammunition and be sure your backdrop if you're doing dryfire will actually stop a round).
Really practice is the key with any of this.
The ideal would be night sights and the option of using a weapon mounted light. If the threat is close enough that you don't need any sights, don't use them. If it is daylight and you don't need the night sights or light, don't use them.
But there is a disproportional number of SD incidents in the dark. For home or vehicle use having a light attached and used properly is invaluable. Actually carrying with the light attached isn't usually practical. Night sights aren't nearly as good as a light, but better than nothing for those times when an attached light isn't possible.
But there is a disproportional number of SD incidents in the dark. For home or vehicle use having a light attached and used properly is invaluable. Actually carrying with the light attached isn't usually practical. Night sights aren't nearly as good as a light, but better than nothing for those times when an attached light isn't possible.
There are a lot of holster companies these days making holsters that are compatible with pistols and specific lights. They're generally Kydex and I know folks aren't always big fans of that, but I have one from Bravo Concealment and it works quite well with the light and I really don't notice the added bulk.
To me night sights are great for finding that front sight when at dusk and dawn, but as you said they can't identify a threat for you. Carrying a small light along with the pistol, and again lights these days have impressive output, can be a big help. Also there are some very affordable options in a variety of options.
Just went down that road. What sights for a conceal carry gun, no sights. Most of the time on that type of handgun is point an shoot, at very close range. I picked up a Colt New Agent in 45acp , came with Crimson Trace laser grips. I shoot it once a week, a great little pistol.
Exactly!
What do you do, when the gunfight you always win in your mind, isnt the one you get in the real world?
A gun with sights is in no way a hindrance while point shooting. A gun without sights when you need them, tends to be.
Three dot night sights, factory Glock or Meprolight, work for me.
There are handguns used for target shooting, an handguns for conceal carry, point an shoot. I love my S&W 2" Chief revolver. For a carry, I feel its at the top of the list. No safety, perfect for the 21 foot rule. Point & shoot. Just pray you never have to use it. No time to think of proper grip, trigger control or lining up your sights. Carry nothing less then a 38 SPL. In my opinion.
So what happens past 21 feet? Or is that out of bounds? 
All my 2" S&W's do have sights, and they work fine when needed, even at extended distances.
I agree, you shouldnt have to think about grip, trigger control, or sight alignment, as that comes from constant practice, and happens without thought.
If youre carrying a gun, that is where you should be. From most of what Ive seen at the ranges Ive been to, that doesnt seem to be the norm.
All my 2" S&W's do have sights, and they work fine when needed, even at extended distances.
I agree, you shouldnt have to think about grip, trigger control, or sight alignment, as that comes from constant practice, and happens without thought.
If youre carrying a gun, that is where you should be. From most of what Ive seen at the ranges Ive been to, that doesnt seem to be the norm.
AK103K
21foot rule is , if the problem is 21' from you , 99% of the time you will not be able to draw & fire before contact is made. What you practice at the range is good, but its not real world. A real carry must have one shot stopping power. John Wayne never carried a 380, only kidding. Be Safe Out There.
Chris
21foot rule is , if the problem is 21' from you , 99% of the time you will not be able to draw & fire before contact is made. What you practice at the range is good, but its not real world. A real carry must have one shot stopping power. John Wayne never carried a 380, only kidding. Be Safe Out There.
Chris
Speak for yourself.
If they are close (and more often than not, even if they arent) and moving, Im not standing still and waiting for them to do something.
I dont practice standing still either.
A well rounded repertoire covers as many of the bases as possible. That covers from point blank, out to as far as you can reasonably make good hits. And doing so while on the move, had better be in there too.
And what handgun offers that?
A proper gun is one of a reasonable caliber with the onboard capacity to allow you to sustain the fight until its done. "Shoot them to the ground" is the proper response. Anything less, will likely not be good for you.
RAfiringline
New member
>the sights that come on it< with the front sight enhanced w/ Testors fluorescent orange paint.
If I remember correctly that is from the scenario of an assailant starting from a rest and then sprinting at you from that distance versus drawing from a duty holster, coming to a full extension, delivering two rounds, and sidestepping the attack.
People who have done force on force training will tell you that there are often two typical mistakes. The first is not moving yourself, as AK103K mentioned. By all means if taking a few steps back or to the side as you draw gives you the time you need (space permitting as well), go for it and don't become a statue. The second is an overreliance on the pistol. Some people get so focused on the pistol being the weapon rather than themselves being the weapon that rather than make an effort to redirect the knife attack or control it and deliver blows of their own that they keep trying to draw the pistol even as they're getting stabbed with the training knife. Sometimes the better call is going to hand to hand first and then drawing the pistol if an opportunity presents itself. In any of this the ability to shoot from retention and having practiced doing that is very useful as it saves you drawing time and allows you to deliver rounds in much closer proximity to your attacker.
Even a day of basic hand to hand training can at least give you something in that event where you know you cannot draw in time. There are good instructors out there that make an effort to combine both pistol and hand to hand.
None of this negates the usefulness of sights, by the way.
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Super Sneaky Steve
New member
CT laser grips work the best.
And if you run out of ammo you can at least give the bad guy permanent eye damage.
And if you run out of ammo you can at least give the bad guy permanent eye damage.
For realistic carry...
YMMV, Rod...(hellofa election eh?)
Yep, good advise, and while a light mounted would improve your night time capabilities, in my opinion it's not really workable...just to bulky. For a bedside gun, the light is very useful and I have one on my usual bedside gun.
YMMV, Rod...(hellofa election eh?)