Information Needed on Tritium Night Sights

[BigBoy99]

I'm considering getting a semi-auto handgun with Tritium Night Sights. My question is, How long do the Tritium Night Sights last? Will they remain bright and highly visible for years and years or because of the radioactive decay of the Tritium, the visible light from the sights gets dimmer and dimmer with passing time? If the Tritium Night Sights need to be replaced, what is the time table for replacement and how expensive is it to replace them? Since the sights are radioactive, are there any special precaution ones needs to be concerned about? Do the used sights have to be taken to a Hazmat sight for disposal because of their radioactivity?

Appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

[Arik]

It gets dimmer with time but not noticeable until years or decades down the road. I've had guns from the mid 90s that still had some glow to them. While they weren't bright, in the dark they still stood out. My carry gun has had night sights since 2004 and they are about 1/2 dead. Maybe a little better than that

Depending on who's sight you buy the viles can be replaced at the factory. Just send them the slide. I don't remember it it's Novak or Trijicon.

No special precautions are needed. You are exposed to more radiation just stepping outside or going to an antique flea market. Every time you fly it's like getting an x-ray. The particles in the tritium can't penetrate skin. Glow watches are filled with the same stuff. The glass/plastic it's encased in makes the Bata particles effects on the human body practically zero

 

[solomon]

It gets dimmer with time but not noticeable until years or decades down the road. I've had guns from the mid 90s that still had some glow to them. While they weren't bright, in the dark they still stood out. My carry gun has had night sights since 2004 and they are about 1/2 dead. Maybe a little better than that

I agree except with the "not noticeable" part - my carry gun bought new in 2008 is already noticeably dimmer. In low-light when new the sights would pop out like mad, now you don't see the glow until darkness.

5906TSW from 2002 has no noticeable glow under any conditions now.

So I'd say 5yrs of very good brightness, maybe another 5 of functional night brightness. I believe that's about what Trijicon says (10yrs) for lifetime too.

Reputedly Trijicon will re-lamp their sights for ~$60 - I keep meaning to do that with the 5906 but haven't gotten a round tuit.


With all that said, I would absolutely get Tritium sights! I got them on my carry gun solely to get 3-dot (as the non-NS version had a different system) but now I'm a believer.

 

[loc n load]

Night sights

Ten years of usable illumination has been my experience, I see a noticeable degradation as they approach the 10 year mark, as the above post said.Tritium sights will glow for some time, and everybody's eyes are different as far as using lamps that have degraded. I recently removed a set of tri ji cons from my 1st gen G-17. I installed them in 94, they were still dimly visible in total darkness, enough to know they were there, but that was about it. I have trijicons on a number of my guns and I expect 10 years of service life out of them.
I have a "big dot" night sight on my G-30 which is my EDC in the summer months, it is new, and really jumps out at you in the dark.

 

[-db-]

Tritium has a half-life of a little over 12 years, so even in the best of cases (newly-produced tritium put immediately into night sights and into the customer's hands), you're not going to get real brightness for more than 12 years out of them. Considering time spent between production and manufacturing, the sights sitting in warehouses and on store shelfs for who knows how long, etc. and, like others said, 10 years is about the best to expect. Trijicon dates their tritium sights so you know how old they are. Always look at the date prior to purchasing them, this way you'll know how long they should last.

 

[TEB]

I Trijicons on my 5906 that I bought new in Sept of 1991 no noticeable glow.

 

[Stephanie B]

Reputedly Trijicon will re-lamp their sights for ~$60

That they will (plus your cost of shipping to them).

 

[Revoman]

I just had a set re-lamped. New 12 year warranty and a lot cheaper than buying new sights.

 

[Gunhacker]

That they will (plus your cost of shipping to them).

And... if they are less than 10 years old (based on the 2 digit year code on the sight) and DOA, you get a new set installed N/C.

I sent back three 3rd gen slides to be re-lamped unaware of their warranty...until I got them back in a couple of weeks with an invoice with N/C on all but one slide.

 

[Racer X]

And... if they are less than 10 years old (based on the 2 digit year code on the sight) and DOA, you get a new set installed N/C.

I sent back three 3rd gen slides to be re-lamped unaware of their warranty...until I got them back in a couple of weeks with an invoice with N/C on all but one slide.

Yes, they should have a 10 year warranty.

 

[Arik]

Last night I sat my Glock on the dresser, walked across the room and turned out the lights. I could see the night sights from across the room and they are roughly 10 years old

 

[BigBoy99]

Thanks for the inputs. I'll have to do some more looking into them.