So after seeing the Hi Viz front sight (that I accidentally ruined trying to install it myself) I'm not totally sold and sure what direction I should go. Not that it was bad but I'm starting to think that I will want sights in low light situations as well as easy to see in the day time. Mainly I will be using my M&P9c for CC and general shooting as well as a home defense weapon.

I will say that I am becoming a pretty huge fan of all black rear sights and fiber optic front sight but that doesn't help me much in low light. Guess I would love to hear some people's thoughts one way or the other as well as some good product suggestions.

P.S. Also probably going to get the new CT Rail Master laser eventually so with that said does that change the potential need for night sights?

I have an M&P9 and an SR22 both with RailMasters. They are not useful in medium to bright light outdoor settings. OTOH, I have not found an indoor situation (up to 25 yds) with any kind of lighting where I didn't prefer the laser visibility to iron sights. And in near total darkness, the laser is superior to any IMO.

So with my old eyes, the laser + iron sights of any kind cover all situations for me . . . except a dead battery lol.

I have Trijicon's on 3 of my M&P's and am very happy with them. I shoot IDPA and for low light / day light they are great.

Get both with Truglo fiber optics w/night sights....problem solved.

I second that.

I have Truglo TFO sights that combine fiber optic with tritium and they are FANTASTIC.

I have NS on my pro 4.25''. I think they are the perfect blend for day and night. For HD, night sights trump everything IMO.
I'm so intuned to iron sights, lasers just don't interest me. That said, if you can transition between lasers and irons, I guess it would be viable.
I always figured in a SD situation, sights aren't going to matter that much. It's going to be, point and shoot.

I did the HiViz front sight mentioned above and am happy with the results. Went to the range yesterday and the results were good after I got accustomed to the new set-up. Read sight is the S&W provided Trijicon night sight. Be sure to get a front sight that is the same height as the one removed unless you are replacing both to match height. I also ordered a LaserMax rod guide laser. I'll let you know how that works out. I had a $120+ free money (not credit) so I went nuts.. nothing ventured nothing gained! It should be here next week. Anxious to try it out with all three barrels.We'll see....

Tru glo TFO's the only thing I don't like about them is its hard to rack the slide with one hand. But they are great for any light.
Cracker57

I have the truglo TFO's on my M&P 40.

They are great.

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Gerry

Factory night sights on both my M&P's, TruGlo TFO's on my XDM

What brand are the factory night sights on the Pro?

I believe Trijcon

Here is my Fiber Optic Sights I had trijicon on my last M&P Compact I just put these on my Shield to try them out.

M&P Shield - HiViz Fiber Optic Sights - YouTube

I have XD Big Dot. The center has the night sight outer is a big white dot. They work well for me and great as defense sights.

Russ

I have to disagree with that assesment. I have the Tru Glow TFO's on an XDM and had high hopes that they would be more visible at the indoor ranges that I shoot at. That is not the case, they are in fact LESS visible than the standard 3 dot sights that my XDm was sold with. The problem is that none of the indoor ranges in my area have overhead lighting in the booths, so there is nothing for the fibre optics to work with.

I also have 2 Sig Sauer semi's that came with Meprolight night sights from the factory. A small bit of good news about these particular sights is that there is a reflective white ring surrounding the tritium vials. As a result at the range that has the area behind the firing line brightly lit I can actually see the dots in the sights. However, that doesn't word at the 2 other local ranges that don't have a lot of lighting behind the firing line.

So, what works the best for this age challenged Old Fart. Reflex sights are truly fantastic for indoor ranges but you can become dependent on them. For an iron sight what works the best for me is 3 BIG WHITE DOTS. Those I can see in a wide range of lighting. A very close second is a gold bead Patridge front sight but this setup leaves the rear sight on my 625 invisible.

Now for an old farts opinion on Night Sights. Like I stated earlier I have 2 Sig Sauers that came equipped with night sights and have those TFO's on my XDm. In spite of this I think that Night Sights are pretty much a worthless gimmick. The problem is that I cannot focus on handgun sights anymore in moderate lighting and in the dark I'm nearly blind to small detail at distances under 6 feet. So, when it's dark enough for night sights to be visible I can't see them clearly enough for them to be of any use. Knowing this, and having a distinct loathing for stubbed toes, I keep a couple of CFL bulbs burning 24/7. What I'm saying here is that night sights are a waste of money once your eyes get to the point where you can't see them.

Another vote for TruGlo TFOs. They are great kit, highly recommended.

I'm torn about the idea of night sights. Don't get me wrong, I like that I can see them better at the range, indoor and out. But the funny thing is, in a low light situation you want to see what your shooting at. If you use a light, your night sights essentially become black?! That being said, every single pistol i own has tritium sights on them lol.

I put these on my wife's M&P 9c AmeriGlo Weapon Sights | Complete Sets (see SW-433B "Hack") and they look GREAT, fast in an IDPA match, night sight capability, VERY happy with the results (both of us)

I'm afraid that I have to disagree with your assessment as well. TFOs are great in any light. If you have poor eyesight, that's not a problem of the sight. Night Sights are hardly a gimmick any more than eyeglasses are. If they help you to see what you're doing better, they work as advertised. For the majority of people, they DO help you see what you're doing better.

Personally, I've had TFOs and they were great for 3 dot sights. I actually prefer a black rear sight though and have since switched to Warren Tactical front tritium/rear black u-notch and absolutely love them. For me, they're MUCH quicker for acquisition. If you are a 3-dot person, I think the TFOs are a great option for visibility. They're more fragile than I prefer but if it's a nightstand gun or range gun, you probably wouldn't be able to tell a difference.

My 45 with 10-8 Performance fiber optics front sight. Although they are completely useless where there is no light available, clean fiber optics do provide some visible reference when there is some light. For real world low/no light encounters, I would recommed using some type of a light, either hand held or weapons mounted anyway... for the simple purpose of identifying what you are engaging in the dark. Even tritium vials tend to not be visible when light is brought into the equation.

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I HAVE TRUGLO TFO'S AND LOVE THEM IMMENSELY! BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!

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M&P40/45FS, 40C, 2206TGT

Botach Tactical, either directly or through buy.com sells the Tru-Glo TG131MPT fiber optic + tritium for 79.99 with free shipping.

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Bob
NRA, MSI, SAF Member

The problem with the TFO's is they only make them for your typical Plasti-Gun as best I can tell.

I'd love these on all my stuff, but out of 14 Pistols and Revolvers, not a single one is on the Compatibility list.

I had tfos on my 45c. I really didn't care for them that much. They were yellow and green and pretty hard to see against a light background in a dark room

You have to identify your target before you can shoot it.If its totally dark out and your use you handy dandy night sights to start lobbing lead projectiles through the dark you may find yourself in trouble.Get a GOOD flashlight or a weapon mounted light and learn how to use them.With a good light you will be able to see your sights no matter what kind you use.I have pistols with both types of sights and am beginning to prefer the fiber optics.

Do they make shield specific tfo's yet?

I would like to get a set of TFO's for my M&P fullsize 45. I don't know, if I got em, how hard they are to put on. I don't want to take em and pay another 100.00 plus just to get em on. I would like to get the red on front and green on back

I have Tru Glo TFX Pro’s on both my Shield and Compact 9’s. Work as a fiber optic during the day, and a night sight at night. Love them!

Over the years, I've become less enamored with fiber optic sights due to having seen too many broken fiber optic pipes. Yes it is generally fairly easy to replace the pipes on most sights but they seem to break or be missing/broken at the worst possible times. As a result I was looking for a sight set up that would really draw my 64 year old vision to the front sight, a wide open mostly black rear sight while still retaining decent precision sighting ability and have tritium night sight capability. I've have settled on the Trijicon HD sights and have put them on all but 1 of my M&P's and most of my Sig's.
Trijicon HD ™ Night Sights - Smith & Wesson M&P / SD9 / SD40 | Trijicon(R)

I hear ya. But, I've been impressed with the fiber optics that S&W uses on the Performance Center Shields. There is a metal spiral protecting the light rods.

HiViz has their H3 sights that are both fiber optic and night sights. I have a pair on both my M&P Shield 9 2.0 and my M&P .45 Compact. They are the best of both worlds and really help with quick sight acquisition.

I will be carrying my new S&W Metal in a Muddy River Tactical Holster for the next few weeks

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Is that a gun No a lifesaver

Trijicon HD's are expensive, but they are the gold standard, in my opinion.

While they are expensive, Trijicon stands behind their products 100%. Also, at least historically, Trijicon will relamp your night sights for minimal cost (currently $17 per lamp).

Depends on your intended use. I have experience with the Truglo fiber/tritium and various brands of tritium only.

The fiber/tritium does have its advantages. There are certain lighting conditions a fiber only sight is just useless. Specifically dawn/dusk, you won't see anything. The fiber/tritium solves that as the tritium will illuminate the fiber and is absolutely visible in those lighting situations. That said, the Truglos are obviously longer than normal night sights and in shorter barrel lengths makes the sight radius even shorter. That was evident on my Sig 938 that came stock with the Truglos. While I never bent/broke a front sight, can see how that could happen in certain situations.

At one time, most of my handguns had the Truglo fiber/tritium. Have since changed most of them out with tritium only. The newer designs have a very bright ring around the tritium that really sticks out and almost as good as fiber. Love my Ameriglo I Dots, which are on all my M&Ps. Meprolights are good too. Night Fision makes a very good night sight with a highly visible front sight. Have those on my Caniks and few other various firearms.

I like fiber optics if I can't get night sights. Trijicon is probably my favorite when they have one to fit my gun. Truglow comes in second.

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balin
NRA Life Member

I've owned fiber optic sighted guns for years. Never had a problem with breakage. My favorite range does not have good overhead lighting so F/O's don't work there. When their outdoor covered range was available, I had the same problem. But they should work well under most real life situations. Tritium fiber optic is the best way to go. That being said my latest purchase, a gen 5 Glock 19 has Trijicon HDs.