Night Sight Help
- Thread starter Mercenary
- Start date
jason_iowa
New member
I would advise putting any aftermarket gear on your weapons. Night sights have a pretty short lifespan add nothing to the value of the gun and are fairly useless imo. Spending time with your draw, grip and bringing up a consistent point will do ya more good.
That being said tru glow has a good reputation from what I have read.
That being said tru glow has a good reputation from what I have read.
Mrgunsngear
New member
Best all around option---mepros.
Best short distance/quick aquisition---XS.
I have both and both will serve you well.
Best short distance/quick aquisition---XS.
I have both and both will serve you well.
Nightsights - for the most part - last for about 20 years (EDIT: er, 10 years - why do they put the 1 and 2 so close together? Laptops don't go well with sausage fingers).
They're one of the few "upgrades" that pretty much everyone agrees are a good idea.
I don't think you can go wrong with any of those options - it's mostly going to be a matter of what you like the best.
The XS's are very fast from what I've heard, but you may find that if you're using the gun for a lot of target shooting you'd rather have something a little more traditional. I had Heinie straight 8's on a gun (same idea kind of) for awhile and while I did like them I had a harder time getting consistent groups than with regular ould 3 dot sights.
They're one of the few "upgrades" that pretty much everyone agrees are a good idea.
I don't think you can go wrong with any of those options - it's mostly going to be a matter of what you like the best.
The XS's are very fast from what I've heard, but you may find that if you're using the gun for a lot of target shooting you'd rather have something a little more traditional. I had Heinie straight 8's on a gun (same idea kind of) for awhile and while I did like them I had a harder time getting consistent groups than with regular ould 3 dot sights.
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I have the XS 24/7 front sight on my LCR-357. I like it just fine.
I have the TFO on my old Duty XDm 40. Again I like it just fine.
I have a Meprolite Tritium Insert on my 610. It worked well for over 10 years till it went weak. I have not replaced it so far. I will probably put a colored insert back in it, as I have a couple other night sight options, and I am now retired.
I had Wilson Night Eyes on my Colt 1911 for several years. Not all that impressed with them. If you had enough light to identify your target, they were too dim to see well. Not sure who makes them for Wilson.
If I were going to put a night sight on an M&P, I would go with a TFO. I would do only the front sight if that were an option also. In my opinion 3 Dots are too many to sort out in a hurry, even if they are different colors.
Good Luck
Bob
I have the TFO on my old Duty XDm 40. Again I like it just fine.
I have a Meprolite Tritium Insert on my 610. It worked well for over 10 years till it went weak. I have not replaced it so far. I will probably put a colored insert back in it, as I have a couple other night sight options, and I am now retired.
I had Wilson Night Eyes on my Colt 1911 for several years. Not all that impressed with them. If you had enough light to identify your target, they were too dim to see well. Not sure who makes them for Wilson.
If I were going to put a night sight on an M&P, I would go with a TFO. I would do only the front sight if that were an option also. In my opinion 3 Dots are too many to sort out in a hurry, even if they are different colors.
Good Luck
Bob
Mrgunsngear
New member
XS on my Kahr, mepros (factory) on my G23, and black blade sights on the BG380.
Home defense handguns have mepros, shotguns have XS.
Home defense handguns have mepros, shotguns have XS.
I had a set of combined tritium/fiber optic sights. I believe they were truglo. The fiber optic part of the sights were ok, the tritium part wasn't bright enough to be useful.
Of the others you mentioned I have Meprolites on several hand guns. The only issue with any of the tritium sights is that they dim over time. After ten years they lose about 50% of their brightness.
Of the others you mentioned I have Meprolites on several hand guns. The only issue with any of the tritium sights is that they dim over time. After ten years they lose about 50% of their brightness.
ScottieG59
New member
All of my carry guns have night sights and they are a great option. I an not sure they will last 20 years, but most seem good for 10 years.
Night sights really do help in low light situations where the stock sights will be impossible to see. Laser is helpful here too.
There are plenty of people who have hard and fast rules about these items. The same us true with name brands. These are like the "I will never buy a Ford because (fill in the blank)," or "trust me, because I have been everywhere and done everything, I have learned (fill in the blank)." Given enough opinion guys, and enough time, one or another will occasionally randomly fall on the right answer.
I suggest you first consider what you personally want to achieve and do some first hand looking.
For me, the key thing is how visible the sights are and that they are not too tall for my holsters. Additionally, I like the rear sight to be flat enough in the front so that it will better serve if I need to use it to rack the slide one handed by hooking it on my belt, holster or whatever.
The sights I like may not suite you. I would check out the sights in person, if you have a store that stocks them. Then, consider the price and the value each sight will have to you and your budget. You may see the best out there costs more than you are willing to spend.
Night sights really do help in low light situations where the stock sights will be impossible to see. Laser is helpful here too.
There are plenty of people who have hard and fast rules about these items. The same us true with name brands. These are like the "I will never buy a Ford because (fill in the blank)," or "trust me, because I have been everywhere and done everything, I have learned (fill in the blank)." Given enough opinion guys, and enough time, one or another will occasionally randomly fall on the right answer.
I suggest you first consider what you personally want to achieve and do some first hand looking.
For me, the key thing is how visible the sights are and that they are not too tall for my holsters. Additionally, I like the rear sight to be flat enough in the front so that it will better serve if I need to use it to rack the slide one handed by hooking it on my belt, holster or whatever.
The sights I like may not suite you. I would check out the sights in person, if you have a store that stocks them. Then, consider the price and the value each sight will have to you and your budget. You may see the best out there costs more than you are willing to spend.
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My not so humble opinion:
Meprolights - Nice, bright, good sight picture. Only negative is they are foreign imports. At least they are friendly foreign imports.
XS Big Dots - Great sight picture for 0 - 7 yards. Horrid sight picture for beyond 7 yards. To me, the trade of isn't worth it.
TruGlo TFO - Good sight picture, but it is the slightly different sight picture which fiber optics give. Also, the sights are huge! They are OK.
You might check out Dawson Precision. They are a nice sight set.
Meprolights - Nice, bright, good sight picture. Only negative is they are foreign imports. At least they are friendly foreign imports.
XS Big Dots - Great sight picture for 0 - 7 yards. Horrid sight picture for beyond 7 yards. To me, the trade of isn't worth it.
TruGlo TFO - Good sight picture, but it is the slightly different sight picture which fiber optics give. Also, the sights are huge! They are OK.
You might check out Dawson Precision. They are a nice sight set.
Warren, Trijicon, David Bowie...
For a S&W Military and Police pistol, I'd look at the Warren, Trijicon HD or maybe the David Bowie tactical night sights.
The new HD night sights from Trijicon are impressive.
David Bowie is a top pistolsmith & SWAT unit commander. His shop is Bowie Taftical Concepts. Bowie is well known for M&P sights & service work.
CF
For a S&W Military and Police pistol, I'd look at the Warren, Trijicon HD or maybe the David Bowie tactical night sights.
The new HD night sights from Trijicon are impressive.
David Bowie is a top pistolsmith & SWAT unit commander. His shop is Bowie Taftical Concepts. Bowie is well known for M&P sights & service work.
CF
Shadi Khalil
New member
You make good points but I disagree about the night sights. Other than grips, including a set of CT's on my snub, the only mod I ever make is night sights.
I personally use trijicon but have had mepro's in the past and liked them. Pick which ever last the longest and has the best sight picture for you.
A side note about big dots. Years ago, I was planning to buying one for my 342pd. While at the range, I noticed they had a revolver with one in the rental case so I decided to try before I buy. I absolutely hated it, the dot was far too big and I just couldn't warm up to it. This is my personal opinion but others swear by them.
I'm not a fan of fiber optic (FO) sights as they have been shown to break and fall out under hard use, such as during repeated one-handed manipulations in training classes.
I'm also not a fan of the XS Big Dot sights and similar types because the big dot front sight can eclipse the target when shooting at longer ranges.
In my opinion, handgun sights should be made of steel (not plastic like standard Glock sights) and have a distinct ledge on the rear sight, not a ramp, to aid in one-handed manipulations in a critical incident.
I prefer sights like these, from 10-8 Performance, on my handguns:
http://www.10-8performance.com/products/S&W-M&P-Front-Sight.html
http://www.10-8performance.com/products/S&W-M&P-Rear-Sight.html
There are benefits to using a blacked out rear sight with a tritium front sight. One reason we're seeing subdued rear sights and shockingly bright front sights become popular with various manufacturers is that the bright front sight naturally draws the eye to it, where the focus belongs.
Also, with the 2-dot sights or the front-only dot night sights, the user cannot accidentally misalign the sights laterally in the dark (as with 3-dot sight systems) to the point where one of the rear dots is mistaken for the middle dot because the muzzle is so far left or right that the front dot is to the left or right of the entire rear sight. In lowlight and darkness, you only really need to see the front sight post properly aligned on the target in close quarters (3-15 yds) to get quality combat effective hits.
I currently use the Redback One Glock Combat Sights, manufactured by 10-8 Performance, on my EDC Glock 19.
I'm also not a fan of the XS Big Dot sights and similar types because the big dot front sight can eclipse the target when shooting at longer ranges.
In my opinion, handgun sights should be made of steel (not plastic like standard Glock sights) and have a distinct ledge on the rear sight, not a ramp, to aid in one-handed manipulations in a critical incident.
I prefer sights like these, from 10-8 Performance, on my handguns:
http://www.10-8performance.com/products/S&W-M&P-Front-Sight.html
http://www.10-8performance.com/products/S&W-M&P-Rear-Sight.html
There are benefits to using a blacked out rear sight with a tritium front sight. One reason we're seeing subdued rear sights and shockingly bright front sights become popular with various manufacturers is that the bright front sight naturally draws the eye to it, where the focus belongs.
Also, with the 2-dot sights or the front-only dot night sights, the user cannot accidentally misalign the sights laterally in the dark (as with 3-dot sight systems) to the point where one of the rear dots is mistaken for the middle dot because the muzzle is so far left or right that the front dot is to the left or right of the entire rear sight. In lowlight and darkness, you only really need to see the front sight post properly aligned on the target in close quarters (3-15 yds) to get quality combat effective hits.
I currently use the Redback One Glock Combat Sights, manufactured by 10-8 Performance, on my EDC Glock 19.