Pease VOTE: Should a Concealed Carry/Personal Defense revolver be outfitted with night sights? Of course - they are fixed.

Let me tell you why I said "no". I put them on my pocket carry gun. Then I realized that it never see's daylight so they never charged. It's a good thing I never had to depend on them. Don't waste your money if the gun will never see daylight.

I am not a gun nut, nor do I play one on TV, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn express. Just my opinon.....

I would say NO. You need to learn to shoot at point of aim, looking for sights can give enought time to get you killed, my two cents worth.

I believe that most deadly force engagements in civilian life will take place at close range, and, moreover, many people will never even look at their sights when they are shooting to save their life. .

However, I'll take anything that might give me an advantage. That includes lasers and night sights. So my vote is "yes".

teufelhunden, I think you are right. However, I've found that night sights have helped me in night time exercises so theoretically they should be of benefit - however slight. If anything they give me a "visual" in the deepest of dark.

I voted yes but I do not believe they can be used solo without some light source. In and of themselves they would probably would not be the difference maker. Used with a system and tactics for engagement in low light they are quite helpful.

I voted yes for the simple fact that night sights offer the user an advantage with out any maintenance, batteries, or user intervention. Even if this is slight it is worth it. One does have to be sure to buy type of night sights that don't require an external light source to recharge them, like anything with tritium.

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J.D. Roy

I have never heard of night sights that "recharged." I was under the impression that there was radioactive gas in each sight...this gas glows and has a half-life of 3-5 yrs...then you replace them. Are there really sights out there that recharge?

Night sights are much less important for me on a carry gun than on a home-defense gun, but I want every advantage I can get.

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grit

Night Sights = tritium inserts that emit due to radioactive decay; need no "recharge"

I'm really suprised that a higher percentage of enthusiats don't think tritium night sights are an absolute necessity. It seems to hover around (2/3) 66.6% of those that respond to poll.

Some CZ's have glow in the dark dots that require a "charge" in order to "glow". Nothing more than glow in the dark paint.

Wow. That's low-budget.

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grit

No. It's hard to tell what you're shooting at if it's so dark you need night sights. Shooting at somebody in light so dim that you can't positively identify your target doesn't really sound too safe to me. If I ever have to shoot an intruder in my home I'll be happy to flip the lights on for them first as soon as I hear them coming in.

tritium recharge eh?
Interesting...very interesting...
Nice to see that all we need to do with tritium is,
Recharge it and it glows oh so pretty.
My vote goes to yes but with the mindset that
Anything that will benefit and not hinder must be considered a benefit!
Do they benefit? In what aspect do they hinder?

Voted NO.

I always use a weapon light or a hand held flashlight when shooting in the dark. Night sights on a J-Frame don't make a lot of sense to me anyway.

Shooting in the dark presents a lot of different issues...mainly having your night vision affected by muzzle flash after firing a couple of rounds. Ported barrels really compound the problem. Then there is the problem of the reload in the dark. I think many people have never shot a gun or tried a reload in a totally black environment....it can be a learning experience!

I agreed with you up until you made mention about the laser. Most lasers that I've seen (and would want) is turned on my putting your hands on the grip. I maybe in a place were my gun is upholstered but I don't want no one to know were I'm at. A laser would out my location.

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Don't look, reload and shoot!

"I maybe in a place were my gun is upholstered but I don't want no one to know were I'm at. A laser would out my location."

It's a very simple matter to just block the beam with your trigger finger. It's also possible to learn not to activate the pressure switch when gripping the gun. As with anything else it just takes practice. I have CT lasers on all my carry guns. It just makes sense to use the latest technology and give yourself an edge in a self defense situation.

Night sights, not a bad idea...

However, Crimson Trace Laser grips are worth every penny.

I like, and use them, on my Bear protection 44 Mags as well.

I would opt for a laser instead of night sights.

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S&WCA #2173

One thing nice about night sights, is, if you are asleep, and hear a "bumb" in the night, and wake up, the night sights make it easy to "see" your handgun on the nightstand. Once you "grab" it, then the Crimson Trace Grips, and the Sure Fire flashlight come into play.

I wasn't aware that CZ had the rechargeable phosphor (wristwatch type) night sights? I do recall that it was either Sig or H/K that had "night sights" that were NOT the Tritium vials but relied on flashlight charging. The story I'd heard was it being related to a customs issue in some country's not allowing nuke material in?
Bottom line for me is, Tritium (at least the front) a must!
Crimson Trace in addition for redundancy and flexibility, even better!
SureFire weapon light in addition- a Trifecta!

Outside of the dollar cost, I see absolutely no disadvantage to having night sights.

I became a believer when my department transitioned to semiauto pistols. The 3 day class included a night shoot. Either just enough ambient light to make out your target, or no light and you used your flashlight.

Many of the guns had night sights; we were buying our own handguns and most opted for them.

The results amazed me. Many of the deputies had higher night shoot scores than they did during the day! This was mostly true among the lesser shooters, a couple of which shot the first perfect scores they had ever shot, while in the dark!

I soon realized that it was because the deputies were actually using their sights properly, many for the first time in their lives, and not being distracted by watching the targets for the bullet hole locations.

I believe that the use of sights, if properly trained and practiced, does not significantly slow the shooter down while radically improving their hits. I think the only time I would point-shoot instead of use aimed fire is when the target and I am standing fully exposed within arms length of each other.

I much prefer tritium style sights to any battery powered sight, like a lazer, or most flashlights attached and used as rough sights instead of just for illumination.

I would not say they are a necessity, but there could be instances where tritium sights might be useful. I cannot think of a plausible circumstance where they could be a liability.

I have mixed feelings on lasers. If I need help aiming then I'd better spend more time at the range.

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Fast is fine;accurate is final

I said no, because I think they should have a Crimson Trace laser sight.

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May God Bless The USA

Lets turn it around. Why shouldn't a defensive gun have night sights?

I can't think of a reason. They may not help, but they can't hurt. I've done plenty of shooting at night. There is often enough light to ID a target and still not be able to see sights well, unless the weapon has night sights.

For revolvers I like a front night sight only, and CT grips are good too.

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Hello Cleveland, Rock and Roll

I have found the night sights to be helpful. I have them on many of my working guns. I shot scores at night that are very respectable using the night sights.

My .02

Doc

I'm one of the "No'ers". Do not think it's necessary. About 80 percent of your self Defense shooting will be within 20 feet. When you're in that situation you can't say to the Bad Guy "Wait.. let me walk up to you & mark an "X" on your forehead", & then come back & take precise aim with your sites. Look at the average bedroom size, or your living room size.. not normally over 20 feet in distance. Gun has got to come out, aim it from the hip or even point shoulder, & plug the guy. Sites are good if you're pinned down & the guy is blasting away at you from a distance. My 2 cents.

The vast majority of modern "night sights" use tubes filled with radioactive tritium gas. They don't need to be "charged" as their glow has nothing to do with their exposure to sunlight.

Night sights are nice, but nowhere near necessary.

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Steve
NJ State Trooper (rtd)

Although I do have them on mine I don't think they are a necessity.

I vote no.Also should be DAO and have bobbed or concealed hammer.






Point Shooting - Colonel Rex Applegate - Sykes - Fairbairn - bobtuley.com Real World Gunfights Happen At Close Range

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WALSTIB

Groo here
I though night sights were the bees knees fore a while.
Now if the gun comes with them ok if not I will not put them on.
With any gun if you can not see your sights how will you find the target?
If the sights are bright enough to see in low light they will distract you
most any other time .
If they are dim enough to not blind you at night they will not work the
rest of the time.
And with a revolver - I carried a 357 mag for over 10 years-
after the first shot you will not see the sights well anyway.
We were taught to not shoot till we were close enough to the target
to make sure that it was the right one then actually
use the flash of the first shot to align the sights for any other needed ones.

Big +1 for a flashlight
A light with a big flood for in the house and a brighter one with a flood
for out doors.[ No need to align the light to see the target or sights]
And do not get hung up on the strobe [ To many Disco Dudes out there]

Having spent many hours in varied levels of darkness and poor light conditions inside buildings as a LEO, I like night sights on all my serious handguns. I like laser grips also. I always carry a small Surefire, day or night. I would put radar on my handguns for serious use if it was available. I think anything that can give one an edge in a deadly encounter without posing serious disadvantages is worth having. There are times when one is in dim light and can identify the target but cannot see the sights. There is a place for point shooting but also aimed fire is needed at times too.

I voted no... but like others mentioned, there's no reason to not have them. I just feel for me they don't help enough to make it an important issue.

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- The Federalist #46 -

I don't think they're as important as people make them out to be.

I like them, but would be fine without them too.

I voted yes.
The reason I voted yes is because I want anything that even might up my odds in a fight for my life. I see a lot of posts stating that I'll do this or that in a gun fight as if you will get to design the way it will go down. To paraphrase Clint Smith "A gun fight will never be what you want or thought it would be".

Folks that speed shoot enough learn to use a flash sight picture that you don't have to stop and think about. Your eyes pick up things a lot quicker than we can think about them. I think that a night front sight at minimum could be of some benefit. Since they can not hurt and even if they have a small chance of helping I would want them on the pistol. You never know what the scenario may be when you have to defend yourself or family.

No! Night sights encourage bullseye shooting in the dark. If you can't identify your target, you shouldn't be shooting at it. If you are close enough and you absolutely know what's in front of you needs to be shot, you'll still make the hits if you know your handgun and you actually practice with it. A flashlight would be far more useful and versatile.

Dave Sinko

I say yes and let me tell you why.

This case was documented by 2 police agencies. Dark and foggy night without a moon in late summer of 2002. Police officer wakes up to a noise outside his farmhouse. Grabs his gun to see what is going on. He turned a corner outside his barn when he got hit by a piece of wood. As he fell he droped the gun but the glow from the night sights allowed him to pick up the gun. He fired 6 shots killing the intruder. FYI only 2 shots hit their mark.

Yes, night sights may not help you identify the target but they can help you find the gun in the dark. My night stand gun has them, making the gun easy to find.

You better have enough light to identfy your target as a threat. I voted NO on night sites.

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Memory of Randy Freas-Rimfired

I had them on all of my carry-guns while on-duty and now have them on my CC-guns. Night-shoots are enhanced by the mere fact of picking up on them quicker in low-light. They at least tell you where the firearm is if you become disoriented, too. It was and is a YES vote from me.

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GA Carry member
Vietnam Vet

For every single person that voted "No" I have an interesting question: Is it important to know where your front sight is?

The answer of course is yes. Tritium sights (I prefer the front only in tritium) more easily show where that front sight is. There is not a single circumstance that I can think of where seeing your front sight will be a liability.

I have to agree w/ Bullseye Smith...+2

I do have them on mine, but thats cause they came with the revolver.

It's amusing to see some of the responses here as to why increased visibility sights are a bad thing.

I imagine similar arguments were made against the double action revolver when it was introduced......

I voted no, but I like the Crimson Trace laser sight at night

I don't see anything wrong with night sights -- But with my old eyes I can't see them anyway anymore -- I have both types but it's all a moot point for me

Not necessarily. Just preference....a few of my weapons have them....most don't....and I have taken classes in low light techniques a couple of times, and shot just as well with one as the other. YMMV.

Waste of money. Especially for the rear.

I vote yes for night sights. I have them on my .357 and .45 Tactical. In a low-light situation I want to know my point of aim. After the first round, the muzzle flash makes it all a moot point. If I know where that first round is going, and I have the proper follow through, I will still be on target should I need a second.

I agree, and would add that having them there at all would only add to the possibility that the shooter might try to use them.

While I don't think they are a necessity, I still voted yes because they don't hurt anything. Most CCW weapons, when used in actual life threatening situations, are used at very close range. Typically, instinct takes over and you shoot point of aim or from the hip even with sights that you have trained with. If I had two guns lying side by side that were exactly the same, and cost the same, except one had the night sights, I take the NS one just on the off chance they might benefit me somehow at some point.

I'll take them,thanks,I see it this way if you don't use them at point blank range is one thing~but what if you wind up having a enemy at a bit of distance taking a bead on you after you shoot the one who's on top of you and you can't see your sights?

Then what?