The Shield with Big-Dot, XS Sights.
Has anybody added these?
Give the forum your thoughts!
Schneider,

Schneider:

I have installed XS Big Dot Night Sights and the sights have satisfied two needs.

#1 Need: Pocket conceal the stock three dot rear sight catches on some small pocket openings. The Big Dot rear sight is angled forward with no sharp edges that can catch and has a lower profile making pocket draw much easier.

#2 Need: Quick target acquisition. Speed is the name of the game for a ccw and the XS Big Dot satisfies that need. The front oversized sight and horizontal rear shallow v shape design opens up your field of view and makes front sight aiming and point shooting much easier than a notch and post sight which for me blocks my field of view and slows my aim as I line up the dots.


Now for the down side to XS Big Dot Night Sights:

Those tight 1 inch groups or round stacking you can pull off with the stock full size three dot sights at 7 yards will be a thing of the past and forget about 25 yard shots. The golf ball size front sight will cover the 50 ft rated target at that distance. However, the Shield is a defense gun and 7 - 10 yards I can hit the black of an 8 1/2 x 11 inch (50 ft rated target) all day at lightning fast speed.

Russ

Had a set on my shield but took them off because at night have no rear reference. Rear sight has no tritium bar. Daylight shooting they are great but would not trust them at night. Have a set of warren Tacticals coming. Like the 8 configuration. Have straight 8's on all my Glocks and I have a preference for this type of sight. With my 60+ eyes I have a tough time picking up the standard 3 dot configuration. Have a set of Trijicon sa37 on my shield now.

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Texas:

You bring up a good point on the rear sight not illuminated.

What I discovered if you aim in complete darkness where you cannot see your rear sight I personally believe you should not be shooting. Second in complete darkness you only need one illuminating reference point in fact if it is so dark you can not see your gun or rear sight it is easier on the eye if you are only looking at one reference point. That is why night sights will have different colors for the front versus the rear so your brain will know which is front and which is rear but you are taking valuable time to process those multiple reference points.

The best example I have to explain it is consider the moon your front sight and your thumb the rear sight.

Hold up your thumb until you block out the moon. If dark enough that I can't see my thumb will I know where my thumb is in relation to the moon? Yes, the thumb and moon are perfectly lined up.

I know from practice with the XS Big Dot I must make a lolly pop shape (the rear sight is located at the bottom of the front sight.) If you are in complete darkness when you adjust the gun so you can see the complete round illuminating circle you are ready to shoot just like if I move my thumb down until I can see the full moon.

I know this sounds like a lot of thinking but honestly I have practiced in a completely dark room and I am dead on lined up everytime I turn the light back on.

Russ

Curious, if it is so dark that you could not see your rear sights how do you see what you are shooting at?

Alfanator:

Agree on your observation that is why I posted I would not shoot if it is so dark that I can't see my rear sight.

Night sights are for low light situations and I can see the rear sight just fine in low light.

My moon and thumb example was to illustrate you don't need the front and rear sights to illuminate to line up the sights in complete darkness. In fact, I can line up the XS night sight with one point of illumination quicker than three points of illumination in complete darkness.

The only example where I read in the news of a homeowner shooting in complete darkness where night sights could have come in handy was when an intruder was breaking into his rear door and the homeowner shot in complete darkness through the glass patio door before they entered and struck and killed the person.

A night sight could have been useful to pick up the silhouette of the person against the night sky.

I am not going to judge the person and fortunately it was a bad guy and not junior who lost his key to get into the house. I am just saying for me it would be difficult to shoot in complete darkness toward a sound or silhouette of a person I cannot identify as a clear threat.

Russ

Because my eyes are old I have less than perfect short vision. Having tritium dots front and rear assist me in aligning my weapon In low light conditions. I would never shoot in complete darkness but it is just myself and my wife in the house. If someone breaks in during the night I know that visitor is not invited and I must assume that individual is a threat. I want to be able to pick up both sights quickly. XS sights with no rear illumination can inhibit quick acquisition for me in case I can't get to my 12 gauge. Thanks for your insightful inquiry.

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'THE HYPNOTIZED NEVER LIE"

LOVE mine.....

The truth is that most likely if you encounter a confrontation you will not even have time to aim using your sights, its going to be aim in a direction and shoot. Nite sights IMO are just a huge marketing. Better invest on a mounted flash light.

I've got the "big dot" on a 40C. Bo (at XS) told me that they didn't have room on the rear for the tritium vial. I'm not sure I agree....

OTOH, it works well enough. The "night" situation, where there's no tritium on the rear sight really comes down to seeing where the rear sight occludes the front dot....

But, in all honesty, IMHO, night sights are for some very rare situations where you can see the target, but not the sights. The rear tritium would likely be an advantage....

(I have a couple sets of "small dot" on other guns, including tritium-vial-equipped rear sights. Quite a bit better, within the limits I mentioned in the previous paragraph.)

IAC, the big dot front sight makes it an SD gun. Six rounds into a six-inch circle at 30', more or less, is what you're trying to do. Paper punching is a waste.... The small dot front sight is only slightly larger than a decent front sight, and doesn't really cause issues for me for paper punching. It's not as quick, but the end result is that the overall feel is enough like standard sights - night or not - that the transition isn't a major change. Having that golf ball out front on the 40C is a little jarring .

Regards,

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Stu.

Having put the XS Systems Big Dot sights on both my M&P40c (for carry) and my 1994 SIG229/40 (for the nightstand), I became curious why the SIG got a tritium rear but the M&P got a simple white-paint bar.

Said Bo (of XS Systems) to me a few weeks ago: "Because tritium in the rear sight is expected. We are already pushing a big rock up hill getting folks to understand that more (bigger) front sight and less (shallow “V”) rear sight is really what you need for defensive purposes."

Before I switched to the Big Dot system, my paper punching at 10 yards with both guns produced satisfying groups. If the Big Dot means I can put the front sight on a threat at 7 yards (or in) and get my intended hit faster than with stock sights (because I can actually see the big and glowing Big Dot with ease), but also means my paper-punching beyond typical defensive distances will likely suffer, then I'll just have to use other guns for target shooting.

I have two guns with the big dot sight system. First is a Sig 245 that came from the factory with the old "AO" big dot system. It has also has a tritium rear as well. Then I found a Charles Daley Hi Power that also came from the factory with the XS big dot system. I have found they are very fast to acquire and while I agree they are not for target accuracy they certainly accomplish their intended goal in my mind which is to help an aging and active shooter have a competitive edge in finding the front sight when needed.

If I were really worried about not having Tritium rear sight, just go to your local hobby shop and get some really good glow in the dark paint and do it yourself with a toothpick and some patience. The rarity of this being an issue isn't all that big.

Personally, I would go for a tac light (now available from Viridian) or a laser (many options).

Viridian RTL-Shield Gun Laser Sights | Viridian Green Laser Gun Sights

I have two Shields. I added the Big Dot (front sight is tritum
and the rear is just a white line to one and a set of Ameriglo
to the other. I wish I'd gone Ameriglo for both!
I have an Ameriglo rear sight (two dots) coming and I'm going to
leave the Big Dot on the front and replace the Big Dot rear sight.
Actually, even in daytime shooting the Ameriglo (Mine has the surrounding orange ring on the front) front sight is far better than
the Big Dot front sight.
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-- George Orwell

I have a number of firearms with X/S sights, both handguns and long guns; I'm not a big fan of the big dot, but the standard dot is great. It's got good contrast day or night against light or dark targets.

Today the Trijicon HD works very well in that regard, too, and is an excellent choice.

There are a lot of us that are quite comfortable with a blacked out rear sight; no dots, bars, or references, day or night. If you're familiar enough with your firearm, that front sight reference is what's needed, and there are a number of occasions (particularly close) when the weapon may never be brought up for sight alignment (making any sighting system fairly redundant). I wouldn't let lack of rear illumination concern me in the least.

I have XS-BigDots on every weapon I carry concealed. My split times with them are 50% faster than conventional front sights. I have no illusions about target grade accuracy nor long range shots though I have trained at 75 feet and done ok.If you are a believer in my personal guide to salvation which is; “ Front sight, index, press and repeat” They work very well especially if you train often

I had no experience with guns when I got my shield. But my firm understanding it's going to be my SD gun (within 7 yard civilian SD range) and not to be my HD or BUG, etc. I settle on Big Dot for rapid point and shoot tips of defense. It serves this propose well, but Big Dot XS sights like be frustrating to practice at a range. If I'll start all over I would settle on (Trijicon ?) HD night sights I have on eto other guns and its a easure to shoot target with as well as good rapid aiming against dark targets/background.

Zombies glow in the dark.

I never saw Big Dot (and similar) as target sights. Nor do I see my Shield as a target pistol. But for speedy response to a threat, they can make a great combination.

Two questions: if Big Dots are put on a pistol, will new holsters be needed? Regarding painting sights.....this is done often on revolvers. Why isn’t this done on autos? I’ve thought about painting the front sight of my 2.0 9c because my I can’t really focus on my sights easily (and I don’t wear glasses), and I thought maybe I could discern the front sight more easily if it were orange. Thoughts?

Spirit:

I never put anything on my Shield, but I do have XS sights on a couple of other guns.

There shouldn't be any holster issues, although a tightly fitting Kydex might give you a problem. The new sight should wear itself in - overall size is quite close to "standard".

I've found that the big dot sights do impede accuracy, but they're fine on SD guns, and tolerable on others.

Just between us chickens, lasers and tritium, as well as other "enhanced" sights probably aren't worth anything except for bragging rights at the range. Here in OH, if it's dark enough to use the tritium, you probably will get in trouble for shooting under adverse conditions. Lasers may have more value, but I haven't found 'em yet. (My EDC 1911's have lasers, and one's got night sights, although they're kinda tired out.) Learned too late .

I do like the idea of paint - maybe orange or white - and, of course, that can be done for next to nothing. Be sure you can see all of the sight, though, after painting it.

Regards,

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Stu.

I run the AmeriGlo i-Dot Night Sight and love them, essentially the same setup with the added rear trit.
easer for me to use than the X-Ray sighs on the Sig.

I have two slides for my Shield 9mm 1.0. One slide has TruGlo TFO's and my intent was to put a Vortex Venom Red Dot on the other...my gun dealer talked me out of putting a Red Dot on my other slide...now why would a reputable gun dealer talk a customer out doing something knowing they're going to make a buttload of money on the sale and the work? How's your eyesight by the way?

I don't worry a lot about night sights.
At my age, I don't go out much after dark. If I do, I stay out of dark alleys. Big Dots, Trijicon HD, etc are what's needed.

All of my home defence guns have lights mounted.

I have big dots on my Glock. It may have something to do with the size of the sight, but mine has an illuminated rear sight. They serve a purpose, but they’re not target sights by a long stretch.

It is possible to shoot accurately with what America considers "oversized" front sights. The Swedes proved it with their Mauser 96 having a large, square front sight compared to a k98k barleycorn or a 1903 razor blade. With a 96 you just put the small target in the middle of the front sight rather than the thin (and hard to see) front sight in the middle of the target like you do with a Mauser 98 or a 1903.

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