Night Sights?

[biku324]

I'm a Murphy's Law guy...if you can see your night sights, so can others. My department issued 4506s with tritium night sights; you could tell who our guys/gals were in the dark. I carried a personal Browning High Power in 40 instead - it has big, blocky sights with white inserts. My night qualification scores were always better than my day scores, but the night course was easier.

 

[pittpa]

I prefer them if I'm in low light. View from my bedroom.

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[zzclancy]

Glad someone said it.

I'm a Murphy's Law guy...if you can see your night sights, so can others. My department issued 4506s with tritium night sights; you could tell who our guys/gals were in the dark. I carried a personal Browning High Power in 40 instead - it has big, blocky sights with white inserts. My night qualification scores were always better than my day scores, but the night course was easier.

I don't use night sights for that very reason. The battlefield is 360 degrees.

None of my rifles or shotguns have scopes, red dot, lights or any other systems. I was trained with iron sights and they have worked for me for nearly five decades. I do use a flashlight with instant on/off with a handgun.

 

[speedyquad]

"so I assumed "

There is your problem.

I said he was at my PASSENGER DOOR as I was closing and locking the driver's door, basically as I stepped away. Even without that being implied, it should be assumed that there is a vehicle, a barrier if you will, between us. I kept moving trying to see his face, and he kept it hidden in the shadow. " He kept the street light behind him so that I couldn't see his face" That sentence implies movement by both parties. I was also trying to gain sight to other blind spots so I wasn't being jumped.

"I really believe that he was trying to get me close enough to grab me." This would imply that there is some distance between us.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Back on topic, I put these on my Glock 45. Big white circle on front sight works for daytime, little green dots for darker conditions . . .

 

[Mister X]

"so I assumed "

There is your problem.

I said he was at my PASSENGER DOOR as I was closing and locking the driver's door, basically as I stepped away. Even without that being implied, it should be assumed that there is a vehicle, a barrier if you will, between us. I kept moving trying to see his face, and he kept it hidden in the shadow. " He kept the street light behind him so that I couldn't see his face" That sentence implies movement by both parties. I was also trying to gain sight to other blind spots so I wasn't being jumped.

"I really believe that he was trying to get me close enough to grab me." This would imply that there is some distance between us.

My assumption and assessment was accurate. Movement, a barrier, dark, close distances...you should be focused on the threat, not your sights.

 

[Ziggy2525]

Back on topic, I put these on my Glock 45. Big white circle on front sight works for daytime, little green dots for darker conditions . . .

Do you have a lot of experience with them? I was curious how much better they work than regular glock sights. Is it just faster acquisition or are they more accurate too?

 

[Kanewpadle]

Back on topic, I put these on my Glock 45. Big white circle on front sight works for daytime, little green dots for darker conditions . . .

Are these Aero Tek? How are they in daylight?

 

[Muss Muggins]

They're Ameriglo. I've got probably 1,000 rounds in front of them. The big white circle on the front sight really works during daylight and the gjost ring speeds acquisition . . .

 

[biku324]

I don't use night sights for that very reason. The battlefield is 360 degrees.

None of my rifles or shotguns have scopes, red dot, lights or any other systems. I was trained with iron sights and they have worked for me for nearly five decades. I do use a flashlight with instant on/off with a handgun.

The other thing to consider about any need for night sights is that if you actually fire at night, in darkness or near darkness, your target and surroundings have been briefly lit by muzzle flash, making the second 'tap' much easier/more accurate. It's true even with flash-suppressed weapons, but far more so with handguns or 18"-20" barreled shotguns.

And move.

 

[handejector]

If it's too dark to see the sights, how are you IDing the target?

Well, gee, that's a good question.
Maybe the target is the guy in a dark parking lot that says "Gimme your wallet now!".....
Maybe it is the guy that kicked in my front door at 3am and is coming down the hall....

Maybe it is the guy breaking my car window on my locked car in the driveway as I walk outside tonight.....
Maybe it is the guy down the hill at my barn that I hear beating on the padlock.......

I don't think you understand the point.

There are plenty of these cases a year--"homeowner shoots X, it was dark". A bunch of dumb accidents where people died, that could have been prevented by a light switch or something from Streamlight. Everybody thinks about low-light sights, nobody thinks about increasing the light level. It's dumb as hell.

Thanks for playing.

You're welcome.
See the above. Maybe there are situations where the target has identified himself beyond dispute.
Target ID and sight alignment are two different things. Being able to align my sights in poor light does not diminish my responsibility or ability to ID the target.

Everybody thinks about low-light sights, nobody thinks about increasing the light level. It's dumb as hell.

If I am ever outside in a bad situation at night again, I really hope the other guy turns on a flashlight. It won't be me providing the aiming point.

 

[Protected One]

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.

That's where our homes are different - It's not possible to "stumble into my house", so I don't concern myself with that.

 

[IAhunter]

I'm a Murphy's Law guy...if you can see your night sights, so can others. My department issued 4506s with tritium night sights; you could tell who our guys/gals were in the dark. I carried a personal Browning High Power in 40 instead - it has big, blocky sights with white inserts. My night qualification scores were always better than my day scores, but the night course was easier.

It is fairly common for officers to shoot more accurately on night quals because they are paying closer attention to their night sights and can't see the target very well. If you pay closer attention to your sights (particularly the front sight) on day quals you will improve your accuracy. I saw this play out as an instructor on the range many times.

 

[Wise_A]

That's where our homes are different - It's not possible to "stumble into my house", so I don't concern myself with that.

Even if he drove in the front door with an MRAP, I'm cool with letting the guy live if I can help it. Whatever the dude feels like grabbing.

Like Jules said--"Know what I'm buying, Ringo? Your life."

Make out to harm me or mine, however, deal's off.

Well, gee, that's a good question.
Maybe the target is the guy in a dark parking lot that says "Gimme your wallet now!".....
Maybe it is the guy that kicked in my front door at 3am and is coming down the hall....

Maybe it is the guy breaking my car window on my locked car in the driveway as I walk outside tonight.....
Maybe it is the guy down the hill at my barn that I hear beating on the padlock.......

The first two, I'm still required to verify that the dude's a lethal threat. Around here, "Gimme your wallet!" ain't gonna hold a ton of water. Maybe if I light him up, I'll learn some stuff that keeps my finger off the trigger. Either way, I'd feel a lot better about my prospects for not being in jail if I can see who I'm shooting.

And besides--I'd really prefer to not shoot if I can help it. Even if I'm legally-justified. Even if the guy deserves it. I think it's the moral choice, and I think it's infinitely more convenient. YMMV.

The latter two, I'm gonna walk away and call the 5-0. Although I don't have livestock, so I've never examined that. I think in my county, you'd probably get acquitted for shooting a guy trying to burn down your horse barn.

But hey, we can sit here all day and invent situations. How do I indicate I'm not being disparaging or sarcastic? Pretty much anything you can think of, somebody can think of a situation to justify it. It gets us nowhere, just arguing.

"If you can't see your sights, how are you IDing your target?" is a rhetorical question. I agree--you can't shoot with miserable sights. Good sights are...good. I also think that having a flashlight is a good tool that does a lot of things, and thinking hard before you use lethal force is also good.

If I am ever outside in a bad situation at night again, I really hope the other guy turns on a flashlight. It won't be me providing the aiming point.

If I find myself in the middle of a situation where people are shooting at light sources, I have made some awfully poor life choices and run afoul of the wrong folk.

And yes, I'm being facetious, I realize those comments are very frequently made in reference to or based upon military/LEO service. Which is precisely my point--I'm not over there, I'm back here. I know where there are some guys, over here on this side of the Atlantic, that would probably shoot at lights, so I'm not going to go to the places where they are.

It is fairly common for officers to shoot more accurately on night quals because they are paying closer attention to their night sights and can't see the target very well. If you pay closer attention to your sights (particularly the front sight) on day quals you will improve your accuracy. I saw this play out as an instructor on the range many times.

Every single friggin' time with me, it's start-stop-start on the trigger. One day I figured out how to just pull straight through, and suddenly got good at shooting. Periodically I revert, because I start caring about scores, or lose faith in myself. But it's all mental management. If I trained/practiced more, I bet I wouldn't.

Then I realized that most people I know were still shooting with interrupted trigger pulls, because they thought that that was how you were supposed to work the trigger, and my mind was literally blown.

 

[Execpro]

I put Meprolight night sites on my Sig P220,Glocks etc..
Trijicon has a white ring around the insert and I have a major problem because my eyes want to focus on the white rings and not on the entire sight.
I looked at a new Sig and the night sights are the worst I have ever seen! I did not buy it because of the additional price I would have to pay for a GOOD set plus installation would be another $150 on top of the price paid for the gun. I don't want to look at a black/gray front and rear sight for defense in daylight for a defense handgun. You are better served with plain white dots and a flashlight. JMO!

Be SAFE and Shoot often!

 

[Trooper224]

Every time the topic of night sights arises it always brings home the fact that most people really don't grasp what tritium sights are really for.

During the last twelve years of my career I worked the midnight shift, so I have more than a passing familiarity with night sights and their use.

Nights sights are NOT for shooting in the DARK. Let me restate that: night sights are NOT for shooting in the DARK. They are meant to be an aid for shooting in LOW LIGHT conditions. Example: you're engaging an assailant on a street corner with only a single dim street light for exposure. There's enough light for you to identify your target, but not enough ambient light to gain a clear sight picture. This is where tritium sights come into play. They're an aid, not a substitute. They're NOT meant to give you the ability to take a shot in your pitch black bedroom at o'dark thirty.

In the aforementioned bedroom scenario, a hand held light is far more valuable. Again, a HAND HELD LIGHT, not a weapon mounted light, is of more use than tritium sights. A hand held light will allow you to identify a possible threat WITHOUT POINTING YOUR WEAPON AT IT, as a weapon mounted light would.

There's nothing wrong with tritium sights and, in my opinion, every carry gun should have them. Why? They are a big aid in certain circumstances, without adding any additional weight or bulk to the weapon. There's no good reason not to have them, just use them as intended.