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Night Sights
- Thread starter AgentPickle
- Start date
Night Sights are optional. Your better off getting a handheld light before upgrading to night sights.How many of you have night sights on your pistol? Id it necessary or just an option? If so what kind?
In natural light there is about a 30 minute window of rising or setting sunlight where they are useful. Artificial ambient light can work if just right. In total darkness they are useless without a handheld light to illuminate the target, where you wont notice the night sight glow anyways. A handheld light negates the need for night sights in any lighting condition.
reynolds357
New member
I worked night shift at PD for 17 years. They are useful quite often. Very rarely are you in absolute darkness.Night Sights are optional. Your better off getting a handheld light before upgrading to night sights.
In natural light there is about a 30 minute window of rising or setting sunlight where they are useful. Artificial ambient light can work if just right. In total darkness they are useless without a handheld light to illuminate the target, where you wont notice the night sight glow anyways. A handheld light negates the need for night sights in any lighting condition.
I worked night shift at PD for 17 years. They are useful quite often. Very rarely are you in absolute darkness.
Ive also heard the opposite from police officers.
Even in low light you still need a flashlight to identify and fire at your target which renders the night sights useless.
I think they are a useful addition to my carry guns, and so equip them all. Trijicon will re-lamp their old sights and I had that done recently. Very happy with the results and turnaround. They use a third party vendor if you are active/retired military or First Responder. That lowers that price significantly.
reynolds357
New member
I have never seen a SWAT officer own an entry weapon without some type night sights. Be it holographic, dot or Tritium, some type illuminated sighting system is on their weapon. "Tritium sights" were required for my SWAT level 1 class. Lvl 2 and 3 did not require them because after lvl 1, no one would dare show up without them. Run a tire house at night without an illuminated sighting system and make head shots. A flashlight used properly does not light your sights. It in essence further blacks them out. I am failing to follow your logic. An extremely bright LED, HID, or Zenon light in front of your weapon lights up your sights????Ive also heard the opposite from police officers.
Even in low light you still need a flashlight to identify and fire at your target which renders the night sights useless.
To clarify my comment you replied to, an external light washes out the tritium glow of night sights rendering that glow useless.A flashlight used properly does not light your sights. It in essence further blacks them out. I am failing to follow your logic. An extremely bright LED, HID, or Zenon light in front of your weapon lights up your sights????
An external light does not render any iron sight useless it blacks them out like you said making them very usable. My opinion to the OPs question is, the night sight (the glowing part) is not necessary and an external light should take priority when upgrading.
reynolds357
New member
An external light, properly used, does not black out bright night sights.To clarify my comment you replied to, an external light washes out the tritium glow of night sights rendering that glow useless.
An external light does not render any iron sight useless it blacks them out like you said making them very usable. My opinion to the OPs question is, the night sight (the glowing part) is not necessary and an external light should take priority when upgrading.
reynolds357 said:An external light, properly used, does not black out bright night sights.
I think he's saying that the white light cast forward will further silhouette the iron sights, which has been my experience as well. Even with a weapon mounted light, which is forward of the muzzle, when I turn the light on the night sights themselves are practically nullified. At that point I use the contrast of the sights against the white light being cast forward. I just tested this out to make sure I was remembering correctly. In the past with lights that don't output as much it may not have been the case, but these days many lights are monsters when it comes to output.
An external light, properly used, does not black out bright night sights.
This has not been my experience.
When properly used an external light silhouettes the sights and makes the tritium glow virtually zero. I am simply expressing my experience to the OPs question. I have nothing against using them, have some myself, but will recommend getting a good tactical handheld light way before upgrading to night sights. There is a very small window of lighting where night sights are useful without an external light, if the target is absolutely positively identified.
I concur. Exactly what I have in mind.This has not been my experience.
When properly used an external light silhouettes the sights and makes the tritium glow virtually zero. I am simply expressing my experience to the OPs question. I have nothing against using them, have some myself, but will recommend getting a good tactical handheld light way before upgrading to night sights. There is a very small window of lighting where night sights are useful without an external light, if the target is absolutely positively identified.
-TL
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reynolds357
New member
How do you use a light so that it "silhouettes" the sights? Back in the day, I held the light in front of the muzzle using a cross grip. Now I put the light on the rail. Neither way silhouettes my sights or washes out my tritium glow.This has not been my experience.
When properly used an external light silhouettes the sights and makes the tritium glow virtually zero. I am simply expressing my experience to the OPs question. I have nothing against using them, have some myself, but will recommend getting a good tactical handheld light way before upgrading to night sights. There is a very small window of lighting where night sights are useful without an external light, if the target is absolutely positively identified.
How do you use a light so that it "silhouettes" the sights? Back in the day, I held the light in front of the muzzle using a cross grip. Now I put the light on the rail. Neither way silhouettes my sights or washes out my tritium glow.
The intense white light in front of the sights makes the dark outline of the sights stand out in stark contrast against that light. Relative to that intense white light I don’t even see the tritium glowing. While “silhouette” might not be the exact term in this case, it’s the term that comes to mind for me as well.
How do you use a light so that it "silhouettes" the sights? Back in the day, I held the light in front of the muzzle using a cross grip. Now I put the light on the rail. Neither way silhouettes my sights or washes out my tritium glow.
I think its called the Harries technique.
I dont put the light in front of the muzzle though, i dont think it would make any difference in silhouetting the iron sights though.
reynolds357
New member
My hand is not in front of muzzle, but front of light is.I think its called the Harries technique.
I dont put the light in front of the muzzle though, i dont think it would make any difference in silhouetting the iron sights though.