Night Sights?

[Roller Delayed]

Dude, dial it back a notch. We're all friends here . . .

Friends don't say things like "Thanks for playing" or engage in name calling, do they Dickie? Lots of dismissive language being thrown around but not so many people being penalized for their contribution.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Duly noted . . .

Friends don't say things like "Thanks for playing" or engage in name calling, do they Dickie? Lots of dismissive language being thrown around but not so many people being penalized for their contribution.

 

[Roller Delayed]

Night sights are only a necessity if you decide they are. If you just have to have them, then there is probably a good reason for it. And there is only one way to know if they will work for you.

Buy a set. See for yourself. Trijicon, Meprolight, Ameriglo, and Truglo are good to go.

It is amazing just how precisely you can shoot a pistol with night sights. You can be in pitch blackness shooting at a poorly lit target and get better scores than in daylight.

 

[Wise_A]

First. The discussion is about a HOME INVASION - not something in the streets.

Second. If he is in my house, uninvited, in the middle of the night.....[which means he's already broken through a locked, dead-bolted, reinforced door, or a window] that's hardly an innocent person. So whether he "deserves it or not - he CERTAINLY ASKED for it.

"Killed in the streetz" is generally how we talk about any sort of "omigod doing X will get you killed" nonsense: Turning on a flashlight gives away your position and gets you killed in the streetz! J-frames don't have the capacity/stopping power/whatever and will get you killed in the streetz!

Yes, it's dismissive, because "killed in the streetz" rants are absurdly common.

And yeah, if some guy stumbles into my house in the middle of the night, I'd really like to avoid killing him over it if I can. Take your pick--maybe I'm just a super-awesome dude and want to save a fool's life. Maybe it's just ethical. Maybe avoiding using lethal force is just legally-obligated--not having a duty to retreat isn't a carte blanche, after all. Maybe it's just infinitely more convenient to not kill a fool.

For instance, the reason that I decided that it was time for night sights happened when I arrived home from work around 11:30 pm one evening. As I was getting out of my vehicle on the street, out of nowhere came a guy at my passenger side door after i was already out and had the car locked. He kept the street light behind him so that I couldn't see his face.

...

I really believe that he was trying to get me close enough to grab me.

A flashlight would have come in real handy there. It unmasks, destroys his cover, and bad guys just prefer not to be lit up.

It also would have come in super-handy after he left, when you were walking to your house and (hopefully) looking for his accomplices.

Night sights help you shoot. Flashlights help you do everything else.

It is amazing just how precisely you can shoot a pistol with night sights. You can be in pitch blackness shooting at a poorly lit target and get better scores than in daylight.

If that's the case, you're allowing the target to distract you from trigger pull and sight alignment. No target = focus purely on sights and trigger = smaller group than with target present.

Solution is to shoot with the target facing away from you a bunch, ruminate on what's different when you do that, and then turn the target back around and apply what you learned.

Bullseye 101. Actually I'm pretty sure it's in either the AMU or USMC workbooks.

If it's legit that dark and I happen to be fighting the League of Shadows, once I get done questioning what poor decisions caused me to get on their radar, I'll probably just point my Glock at them and shoot. No problem hitting that way.

 

[Roller Delayed]

If that's the case, you're allowing the target to distract you from trigger pull and sight alignment. No target = focus purely on sights and trigger = smaller group than with target present.

Solution is to shoot with the target facing away from you a bunch, ruminate on what's different when you do that, and then turn the target back around and apply what you learned.

Bullseye 101.

That isn't an argument against night sights, but an argument for them. They accomplish in low light what is difficult in bright light.

 

[Kanewpadle]

It is amazing just how precisely you can shoot a pistol with night sights. You can be in pitch blackness shooting at a poorly lit target and get better scores than in daylight.

Not necessarily. Depends on the shooter.

In pitch black, one better have a good flashlight. The use of night sights is secondary. Another tool that may or may not be necessary.

In low light regular sights stand out very well. Well enough to know that I don't have to have night sights.

 

[Kanewpadle]

That isn't an argument against night sights, but an argument for them. They accomplish in low light what is difficult in bright light.

That doesn't make sense. If you have a problem in bright light, you need to regroup. Night sights are not a cure all.

 

[Roller Delayed]

That doesn't make sense. If you have a problem in bright light, you need to regroup. Night sights are not a cure all.

Who said there is a problem in bright light? I just said that the relative contrasts of night sights in low light makes it easier to shoot well. Same idea as the popular fiber optic sights for daytime use.

 

[Wise_A]

That isn't an argument against night sights, but an argument for them. They accomplish in low light what is difficult in bright light.

It's not an argument at all. If you're experiencing the scenario you describe--shooting better scores or a smaller group with no visible target but visible sights--I'm telling you that in my experience as a competitive pistol shooter, you have a flaw in your technique. Probably 9/10 times, it's trigger control.

It's difficult to diagnose in oneself, but easy to correct if you know what the trigger pull should feel like. Even easier if your pistol has a really smooth DA or a single-action "roll" trigger.

I'm not even high-roading you. I have to self-correct that exact tendency every few weeks. I'd wager that most people would actually find they shoot better groups with the target turned around, particularly if they also manage to not be distracted by the bullet holes themselves.

If anyone's familiar with "offset" targets from rifle shooting, btw, I'm thinking about applying that principle to the above--offset the impact area several inches below the PoA, so the group is concealed from the shooter, and the aiming point remains consistent from shot to shot.

 

[Roller Delayed]

It's not an argument at all. If you're experiencing the scenario you describe--shooting better scores or a smaller group with no visible target but visible sights--I'm telling you that in my experience as a competitive pistol shooter, you have a flaw in your technique. Probably 9/10 times, it's trigger control.

It's difficult to diagnose in oneself, but easy to correct if you know what the trigger pull should feel like. Even easier if your pistol has a really smooth DA or a single-action "roll" trigger.

I'm not even high-roading you. I have to self-correct that exact tendency every few weeks. I'd wager that most people would actually find they shoot better groups with the target turned around, particularly if they also manage to not be distracted by the bullet holes themselves.

If anyone's familiar with "offset" targets from rifle shooting, btw, I'm thinking about applying that principle to the above--offset the impact area several inches below the PoA, so the group is concealed from the shooter, and the aiming point remains consistent from shot to shot.

I am also a competitive shooter, and I am not talking about shooting at an invisible target. I am remarking that fast, accurate combat shots are even easier to make on a IDPA type combat course when you turn down the lights and have tritium sights because their location and alignment are easier to see at all focal lengths compared to daytime shooting.

This is similar to why red dot scopes are fast - because the bright dot is more naturally placed over the target. Bright glowing dots are faster to align and won't get lost in the background, while judging their alignment is more obvious than lining up parallels and looking for the light gap on either side of the front sight.

I'm not the fastest guy on the course, but my groups are small. They remained small with low light and night sights and felt easier to accomplish. That is all.

 

[Kanewpadle]

That isn't an argument against night sights, but an argument for them. They accomplish in low light what is difficult in bright light.

"They accomplish in low light what is difficult in bright light."

Again, this doesn't make sense. Exactly what is difficult in bright light?

 

[Roller Delayed]

"They accomplish in low light what is difficult in bright light."

Again, this doesn't make sense. Exactly what is difficult in bright light?

Rapidly aligning and holding alignment of iron sights. The same reason everyone has gone to 1x dot scopes on military rifles.

Another reason it is easier with glowing dots at night is because the depth of field of your eyes is much greater when your pupils dilate, so you don't have to concentrate on focusing on the sights - you will see them clearly even if you are focused down range.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Rapidly aligning and holding alignment of iron sights. The same reason everyone has gone to 1x dot scopes on military rifles.

So what your saying is that you can get on target faster with night sights in low light better than regular sights in broad daylight?

 

[Roller Delayed]

So what your saying is that you can get on target faster with night sights in low light better than regular sights in broad daylight?

Yes. It is very similar to a dot sight because of the focus and brightness issues.


Have you any experience with either?

 

[Kanewpadle]

Yes. It is very similar to a dot sight because of the focus and brightness issues.


Have you any experience with either?

Yes. Considerable. I dont have a problem in daylight. I don't need nor use night sights. A good flashlight is always at hand.

 

[Roller Delayed]

Yes. Considerable. I dont have a problem in daylight. I don't need nor use night sights. A good flashlight is always at hand.

Saying that something is "easier" does not imply its inverse - I have no problem seeing the sights and hitting the target in daylight. However, I use modern combat sights that are designed to be easily visible because it somehow matters how visible your sights are, which is why your gun doesn't have Luger size sights. Target guns have even bigger, easier to see sights, despite the fact that I can hit a target with smaller ones. You see where this is going?

If you have neither night sights or a weapon light, how do you shoot accurately at night?

 

[Kanewpadle]

Saying that something is "easier" does not imply its inverse - I have no problem seeing the sights and hitting the target in daylight. However, I use modern combat sights that are designed to be easily visible because it somehow matters how visible your sights are, which is why your gun doesn't have Luger size sights. Target guns have even bigger, easier to see sights, despite the fact that I can hit a target with smaller ones. You see where this is going?

Not really. Never had a problem with any type of sight in daylight.

 

[Roller Delayed]

Not really. Never had a problem with any type of sight in daylight.

Then those big hi-viz combat sights must confound you just as much as night sights would.

But who said anything about a problem?

 

[Kanewpadle]

Then those big hi-viz combat sights must confound you just as much as night sights would.

But who said anything about a problem?

No problems here. You're talking in circles and you are difficult to understand. Over and out.

 

[RoyM52]

I live in the country and I find that night sights extend the useful range for shooting skunks in low light conditions. {not at 5 to 7 feet either}YMMV.

Sometimes shots count in other ways. {they also still work for daytime shooting}