Night Sights - Help Me See The Light

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predecessor

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While I admit that some indoor ranges are poorly lit, I just don't ever find myself in a shooting situation when plain old sights don't work just fine for me. That being said, I've never felt the urge to spend $100+ for night sights on a gun. What am I missing?

Also, what is the preferred configuration? All 3 dots nighted, or just the front dot?

And does brand/type make a big difference? Is Trijicon or TruGlo best or would standard "Factory" nights sights do the trick just as well as after-market brands? Tell me the pros and cons to night sights!
 
Night sights on G27

I thought the same thing until last week. On a whim, I purchased the night sights and had them installed ($98 for everything, BTW).

I bought Tru-Glo with all 3 being green...WOW!

Not only is it nice to go back to the 3-dot sighting system, of which I am a fan, but it has tightened my groups up a little. I thought that I was shooting decently with the standard Glock sights but WOW.

If I could only do one upgrade on a pistol it would be the addition of night sights.

I have been impressed so much that I am going back and buying a set for my G23.
 
just don't ever find myself in a shooting situation when plain old sights don't work just fine for me.
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You don't think it may be low, altered or failing light when you get in a fight?:confused: Do not a heavy plurality if not a majority of fights happen in low light conditions?

I like the front sight of a different colour. But that's just me and with guns, the subjective is objective.
 
Ever since our department went to weapons with night sights years ago I have loved them and added them to any pistol I buy if not already installed. I think they are a greaqt help in sighting and recommend having front and rear sights. Haven't compared the brands out there but have used trijicon with good results.
 
Pros- most defensive/HD shootings occur at night because that's when the critters are out. There is really no comparison under low light conditions.

Cons- cost
 
predecessor, 4/8/09

I also favor night sights for a carry pistol. I have had to deploy my pistol on some really dark nights and I was unable to see my pistol without night-sights even though it was right in front of my face. On another occasion, at night, I had a pistol with me with front and back 3-dot green tritium night sights. It was reassuring that I could see the sights if I needed to use them. I have also trained in low light houses and for me it was much easier to get good, fast hits with the night-sights. Of course one needs to have a good flashlight to ID a target before even contemplating the use of a pistol.

I have tried several makers of night sights- Trijicons, Meprolights, and MMC/PT. The Trijicons are the most expensive but have the best customer service. The Meprolights are the brightest and cheapest. Meprolight and MMC/PT have not responded to my emails regarding customer service questions in a couple of years, so I favor the Trijicons even though they are more expensive knowing the customer support is readily available. Good luck.

I favor the green front and rear and have no problem lining them up at night. Others prefer different colors for front and rear which is mainly a personal preference.

best wishes- oldandslow
 
Trijicons came on my FNP-40 so I didn't spend any extra cash on them, but now that I see the advantages, I would in a heartbeat.

The best advantage of true night sights is that in pitch black conditions I can find my gun and I know exactly how to grab it safely. Those three little green dots tell me exactly how my gun is laying, and where. No more fumbling in the dark for a gun just a few feet from me.

Think you can find your gun fast in the dark without them? Wait until you're in deep sleep and there's a very loud noise coming from inside the house. The shotgun was less than three feet from me, but I couldn't find it because I couldn't see it. The FNP-40 with night sights helped a whole lot that night.
 
I think they are a must have on any defensive pistol. If you are just a target shooter, save your money. I differ from many in that I prefer a plain black rear sight with a tritium front. This keeps me from having any sight confusion when trying to sort out which of the three dots is really the front sight. I find it much faster and many people have switched to this setup after trying it out.
 
I'll be the dissenter here. When I did lowlight shooting, I generally found that if it was bright enough for me to identify my target, I could use white dot sights. If it wasn't bright enough for me to identify my target, then a flashlight would let me use regular or tritium sights and without a flashlight, out in the country where there wasn't a lot of ambient light, the tritium could be bright enough that it washed out the target and made it harder to see if it was right on the edge of being visible to begin with (assuming I wanted to shoot at something I couldn't identify).

Having said that, the tritiums are easier to use and pick up than the white dots in low light where there is still enough ambient light to identify the target. I don't think they are necessity; but they can be nice to have in some scenarios.
 
I had Triijicon, three-dot night sights installed on my Springfield 1911. They also came with my Kimber Eclipse Pro II. What I like about them is that they are not too bright; just illuminated enough for me to pick them up easily at night. Bright sights that over-illuminate are not desirable.
 
I prefer the night sights that have a large white outline around the tritium. Between the white, the tritium, and the black front sight, you're in pretty good shape for different light conditions. However, night sights aren't at their best until it's fairly dark, and there are still light conditions where your sights are hard to see.

Greatest sight in the world for daylight? Wow, the FO sights are fantastic. But, alas, those I've had proved fragile. Had them disintegrate on my 1911. Both rear, then the front. Still have some I shoot on a G22 and a Sig 245, but don't trust them for carry.

I think I've found a pretty good solution with CT lasers for eyes that aren't as young as they used to be. I call 'em my parking garage sights. They're no good if there's any sunlight, but really shine indoors or dim light. When I can't see my iron sights, the laser takes over nicely. The laser it'self might even have some psychological effect, but that shouldn't be Bubba's main worry.

Wanted them on my P229, but the short grip requires the CT's to be a little fat. Bigger hands, no problem. The P220 size is nice and thin enough--that's where my new CT's just went.:D

Not trying to turn the thread into a laser discussion, but they'd be a great thing to combine with good night sights with white outline on any pistol, and CT can solve issues with hard to see snubbie sights in dim light--especially for us ol' timers who need all the help we can get.



http://www.vickerstactical.com/TacticalTips/VisibleLasers.aspx
 
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My Sig 226 came with factory installed SigLite Night Sights. I am not sure who makes them but they are wonderful. Excellent sight picture. For dusk/low light/night shooting I couldn't ask for anything better.
 
I have Novak Night Sites on my carry gun. I figure that since crime is most likely at night, being able to see where I'm aiming will be advantageous.
 
Meprolight night sights on my 686 carry gun and my 648 trapping pistol. The reason is you never know when you will be in a dim parking lot and need your weapon. Or in your house, asleep and not able to get to a light before needing to shoot. Or checking traps late in the afternoon and getting to last one at dark and needing to protect yourself from a timber wolf or yotes.These tritium sights are glow in the dark for 10yrs without having to charge them with light. I would not own a pistol without them.
 
Very little or no benefit in standard light or no-light situations. In low light situations they are invaluable, however. Unless you have a flashlight to backlight your sights, night sights greatly aid your ability to get your sights lined up in low light situations. However, since most people dont remember ever using their sights in a shooting (point and shoot) then who knows. IMO if you've got the money they dont hurt a darn thing and you will see an advantage with them in low light situations.
 
Very little or no benefit in standard light or no-light situations
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Actually this is a false statement. Look at tritium night sights in complete darkness and they are just as easy to pick up as if it was light.
 
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