sights for a 3914

[half-lug]

I acquired a super clean 3914 a few months back. The gun has been flawless, devouring any and all it's fed. I trust it, and carry it often....but;

my aging 51 year old eyes cannot find the front sight as rapidly as I should. No, I'm not LEO, I'm not an "operator", nor secret agent;
Just a responsible citizen who legally carries.
The factory 3-white-dot sights are good, the novak rear awesome, but my aging eyes can't seem to find that post. Thinking Fiber optic is the way to go, as a set of Trituims for theis gun is highway robbery, and quite frankly,I'm not a big fan of three dot.

So my question is, to anyone who has changed their front sight on a Gen 3 9mm....
Is the front sight height on a 3900 series gun the same as on a 5900 series? Dawson precision offers a fiber optic front, for the 5900 series, at different heights. I've measured the height of the 3914, it is 3mm, or roughly .125" high.

to those who have done it [and lived to tell ] will this work!

Thanks in advance,

Chris~

 

[RV4driver]

Don't discount painting the existing front sight.

I know this, because I was in the OLD Guard, when ships were were made of wood, and men were made of steel!

Semper Paratus!

 

[half-lug]

Tried that, thanks, still not the best.

 

[epj]

Have you tried something like flourescent Orange or green paint? It works pretty well for my old eyes. FOmis maybe better, but more costly and harder to install.

 

[2K7]

Are you measuring from the bottom of the dovetail to the top of the sight?
Shortest factory sight I know of using that measurement is .204

 

[cpeblue]

Fiber optics are more for competition not defense as they work poorly in low light , so I would say their a bad choice for you. About 10 years ago I put Trijicons on my 3913 and they worked really great for about 7/8 years now they need to be relamped . We all know that most self defense cases the bad guy will be at arms length so not much need for sights period . That being said my carry guns are a Shield 9 and a CS9 and I am toying around with the idea of putting on a XS big dot on one of them just to see if it makes me feel better about my front sight . Did I mention that FOs break at the darn-est times. JMHO

 

[half-lug]

Are you measuring from the bottom of the dovetail to the top of the sight?
Shortest factory sight I know of using that measurement is .204

According to Dawson precision, I am to measure from the top of the slide to the top of the sight. This measures approximately .123".
It is not my primary carry gun, so I am not so concerned about the lack of tritium. Primary is a Glock 27.

As for the neon paint, I did try orange, it just doesn't work for me. For the 39.00 I'll try the Dawson.

 

[brentb636]

I acquired a super clean 3914 a few months back. The gun has been flawless, devouring any and all it's fed. I trust it, and carry it often....but;

my aging 51 year old eyes cannot find the front sight as rapidly as I should. No, I'm not LEO, I'm not an "operator", nor secret agent;
Just a responsible citizen who legally carries.
The factory 3-white-dot sights are good, the novak rear awesome, but my aging eyes can't seem to find that post. Thinking Fiber optic is the way to go, as a set of Trituims for theis gun is highway robbery, and quite frankly,I'm not a big fan of three dot.

So my question is, to anyone who has changed their front sight on a Gen 3 9mm....
Is the front sight height on a 3900 series gun the same as on a 5900 series? Dawson precision offers a fiber optic front, for the 5900 series, at different heights. I've measured the height of the 3914, it is 3mm, or roughly .125" high.

to those who have done it [and lived to tell ] will this work!

Thanks in advance,

Chris~

I have the Dawson Precision front FO sight on my 3914LS . I drilled out the sight hole to accommodate a 0.060 fiber rod, giving my 67 year old eyes a larger dot to acquire. I'm happy with it.

 

[brentb636]

Fiber optics are more for competition not defense as they work poorly in low light , so I would say their a bad choice for you. About 10 years ago I put Trijicons on my 3913 and they worked really great for about 7/8 years now they need to be relamped . We all know that most self defense cases the bad guy will be at arms length so not much need for sights period . That being said my carry guns are a Shield 9 and a CS9 and I am toying around with the idea of putting on a XS big dot on one of them just to see if it makes me feel better about my front sight . Did I mention that FOs break at the darn-est times. JMHO

I have the XS Big Dot sight set on both my 3913LS and 4513TSW, and like the setup very much. At 30 feet, I can shoot 4-5" groups fast, changing targets, using just that front sight. It's not for bullseye shooting, but "in a fight, front sight" shooting.
Brent

 

[half-lug]

I have the Dawson Precision front FO sight on my 3914LS . I drilled out the sight hole to accommodate a 0.060 fiber rod, giving my 67 year old eyes a larger dot to acquire. I'm happy with it.

Thank you sir. What front sight height did you use?

 

[Dot_mdb]

Make an appointment with an eye doctor

If you haven't done so get yourself to an eye doctor and explain your problem. That is what I did and now I see the front sight very well.

Bill

 

[half-lug]

Hahaha..... That's what started all this, stronger rx and tri-focals eight months ago.

 

[TercGen]

If I were in your shoes, I would spend the extra cash and get the XS Big Dots. The nature of the sight system, with a wide-open rear notch and the huge front sight, makes it very easy to get a good defensive sight picture quickly. This eliminates 'losing' the front post side-to-side, since there's nothing for it to hide behind, and I have found that centering the big dot in the notch comes naturally.

Like Brent636 said, it's not the best for bullseye target shooting, but very good for a defensive situation. I had a learning period of about 3-4 shooting sessions with the XS sight on my 457, and now I'm knocking out the bullseye at 21 feet. I plan on outfitting more of my guns with these XS sights in the future, though I personally will try out the standard dot next.

 

[brentb636]

If I were in your shoes, I would spend the extra cash and get the XS Big Dots. The nature of the sight system, with a wide-open rear notch and the huge front sight, makes it very easy to get a good defensive sight picture quickly. This eliminates 'losing' the front post side-to-side, since there's nothing for it to hide behind, and I have found that centering the big dot in the notch comes naturally.

Like Brent636 said, it's not the best for bullseye target shooting, but very good for a defensive situation. I had a learning period of about 3-4 shooting sessions with the XS sight on my 457, and now I'm knocking out the bullseye at 21 feet. I plan on outfitting more of my guns with these XS sights in the future, though I personally will try out the standard dot next.

I've read other opinions that say to use the Big Dot on .45's and the standard Dot on 9mm's.

 

[half-lug]

Thanks guys, but big dots are not an option.
I regularly carry, 90% of the time a Glock 27, but the 3914 is another great choice. I'd like to be able to spend the $ on the XS system, but that kind of expense just isn't a need.... It's a want.
I am going to order the .125 ramped sight and give it a try.
Will post pics of the finished product.
Thanks for your time.

Chris

 

[TercGen]

I've read other opinions that say to use the Big Dot on .45's and the standard Dot on 9mm's.

That's how I plan on doing it, though I may also try the Big Dots on a .40 and see how it does.

With vision problems though, I would definitely go with the Big Dots. They aren't cheap for sure, but I honestly think that it would be worth the money for you, half-lug. I'm sorry we didn't have this conversation before Christmas, would have been a great gift idea.

 

[half-lug]

So I have an update.
In trying to 'improve' the factory sights on my bone stock 3914, I took some flat black krinkle paint and blacked out the two white dots on the rear Novak sight. I have ordered and received my Dawson Precision fiber optic front sight, and will install it tomorrow. I'll post pictures asap.

years ago, there was a company that made a replacement adjustable rear sight. does anyone remember the name, or have one they would part with?
I always felt that the 5900 series adjustable, while functional with it's wings, were the ugliest things around.

Stand by for pictures.

 

[WTN1271]

LPA lists some adjustable rear sights for 3rd gens.

http://www.lpasights.com/en/product...owse&manufacturer_id=24&limit=20&limitstart=0

 

[half-lug]

That's the one I was looking for!!!!

Wooooohoooo!

Thanks

 

[firescout]

...years ago, there was a company that made a replacement adjustable rear sight. does anyone remember the name, or have one they would part with?...

Novak. I have an all-black Novak adjustable (for elevation) rear sight on my 908. I've had it for about 10 years, and I really like it.

Almost all of my handguns have a bright front sight and all-black rear. It works very well for me. I also shoot with both eyes open, which I find not all handgun shooters do.