Am I alone in disliking the white dots on rear sights? They distract me, making it harder for these tired eyes to focus on the front. A white bar on the bottom of the rear sight that lines up with the front would seem better IMHO. It seems like Walther used that arrangement on the P-1.
White Dot Sights
- Thread starter Tom 1951
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Haven't been able to use three dot sights for years now. Glock sights work well for me.
3 dots were a big blur on my Shield and improved greatly with Hackthorne rear sight, have no problem with full size pistols
When I was a teenager I just loved the different sight treatments on the market. White dots, red ramps, this, that & the other.
As time has passed I find all of them lousy in comparison to solid block and non-reflective sights. Give me a target adjustable rear Bomar sight and I'm happiest.
I've learned to live with and make do with whatever, but I still have my least favorites:
--OEM Glock "cup and ball", hate this
--fiber optic, yuck, I don't like em at all
--XS Big Dot, I see the utility for fast/defense, but I find them ugly and "dumbed down"
I wouldn't call any of them deal-breakers, but I definitely have my preferences.
As time has passed I find all of them lousy in comparison to solid block and non-reflective sights. Give me a target adjustable rear Bomar sight and I'm happiest.
I've learned to live with and make do with whatever, but I still have my least favorites:
--OEM Glock "cup and ball", hate this
--fiber optic, yuck, I don't like em at all
--XS Big Dot, I see the utility for fast/defense, but I find them ugly and "dumbed down"
I wouldn't call any of them deal-breakers, but I definitely have my preferences.
Ivan the Butcher
Member
My wife's Glock 19 has XS Big Dot. She tries to shoot it like a target gun. I tell her draw the gun put the dot on the man's heart and pull the trigger twice. She messes around and shoots 10 shots slowfire into about 5 inches at 10 yards and complains! I pick the gun up find the target and fire an X, She then informs me that: She hates when I do that! Oh,Well!
Ivan
Ivan
ContinentalOp
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Not a fan of 3 white dots. The problem is that the dots are all the same size, but because of how we perceive them when aiming the rear dots look bigger and end up distracting from the front sight.
My Beretta 92FS was set up several years ago with 3-dot night sights, but the rear sights were dim yellow while the front sight was bright green, so the front sight stood out.
As I got more into target-focused shooting, I went to plain black sights. Painted the front and rear sights on my 642 black, and when my 92s sights went dead I went over them with a black Sharpie.
Then I got a Beretta PX4 Compact. I changed the sights to Ameriglo's Compact Carry night sights, which were plain black rear and fluorescent orange front with tritium (essentially the same as Ameriglo's Hackathorn night sights). I rather like them, though I think I'd like just a tad more daylight with either a narrower front sight or a wider rear notch. I'm still not convinced night sights are absolutely essential, but I like them. In fact, I ended up painting the front sights on my 92 and 642 fluorescent orange to keep my sight pictures consistent, even without the tritium.
So my preference is for either plain black sights or plain black rear sights with a colored/tritium front sight. I think that keeps distraction to a minimum while still being able to focus on the front sight when able/necessary.
Just my opinion based on my experience. Everybody's eyes/visual acuity are different, so YMMV.
My Beretta 92FS was set up several years ago with 3-dot night sights, but the rear sights were dim yellow while the front sight was bright green, so the front sight stood out.
As I got more into target-focused shooting, I went to plain black sights. Painted the front and rear sights on my 642 black, and when my 92s sights went dead I went over them with a black Sharpie.
Then I got a Beretta PX4 Compact. I changed the sights to Ameriglo's Compact Carry night sights, which were plain black rear and fluorescent orange front with tritium (essentially the same as Ameriglo's Hackathorn night sights). I rather like them, though I think I'd like just a tad more daylight with either a narrower front sight or a wider rear notch. I'm still not convinced night sights are absolutely essential, but I like them. In fact, I ended up painting the front sights on my 92 and 642 fluorescent orange to keep my sight pictures consistent, even without the tritium.
So my preference is for either plain black sights or plain black rear sights with a colored/tritium front sight. I think that keeps distraction to a minimum while still being able to focus on the front sight when able/necessary.
Just my opinion based on my experience. Everybody's eyes/visual acuity are different, so YMMV.
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I'm like some others here and it might be an age thing !! Give me a gold bead front , black sights even or basic night sights . NO brite color rings or fiber optic . I try to dig out the white dots color or paint the rear dots black and use some Testers 1144 Metallic brite gold paint to add a gold "bead " on the front sight . Works for target shooting or hunting or just a more controlled group . For defensive shooting I want nothing distracting but do prefer more light between the front and rear sight but few handguns come that way . I train useing a Flash Sight Picture shooting style out to 15 + yards then pay slightly more attention to sights beyond that .
If you think night sights are needed then you also NEED a hand held flash light so you can be sure of your target , at that point night sights don't matter !!
If you think night sights are needed then you also NEED a hand held flash light so you can be sure of your target , at that point night sights don't matter !!
Rastoff
US Veteran
Simple solution here...
I install 3 dot tritium night sights on my concealed carry pistols and then cover them with a Sharpie. In daylight it's a plain old black on black sight picture. In the dark, the glow shows through the thin layer of ink and you have 3 dot night sights.
Best of both worlds.
V0OBWxZS16
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I also dislike three-dot sights. The problem, as ContinentalOp touched on, is that all three dots are made the same size, usually the same color, and the same distance from the top of the sight blade despite the front sight being farther away from your eyes. This results in the front sight being smaller, dimmer, and less eye-catching than the rear sight. In addition, I find it tempting to line up the centers of the dots vertically which results in the front sight being low in the notch and shots hitting low.
If three-dot sights were designed compensate for the greater distance of the front sight from your eye they might be decent.
I also had one pistol where the front tritium started dying out first. That pistol rapidly became impossible to aim in the dark. Trijicon sells front sights only and it is now better (new front/old rears) than it was in the first place.
If three-dot sights were designed compensate for the greater distance of the front sight from your eye they might be decent.
I also had one pistol where the front tritium started dying out first. That pistol rapidly became impossible to aim in the dark. Trijicon sells front sights only and it is now better (new front/old rears) than it was in the first place.
As far as experiments go, I tried severa. My old 908, before the one I now wear, had meprolights. I blacked out the rear and left the front a-glow. I also had a long barrelled Woodsman that had a gold dot on the front sight, thanks to a previous owner. An elderly uncle, who had been something of a pistolero between the wars, removed the front blade on his Colt SAA and installed a large brass shotgun bead; he certainly could hit what he wanted. I was quite happy with those arrangements. Of course, I was much younger in those days.
Okie21
Member
Am I alone? I prefer 3 dot sights. I do put bright green nail polish on all my front sights, though. It's a cheap way for me to easily pick up that front sight with my eyes as I draw and present my pistol.
Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk
Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk
bigggbbruce
Member
Funny.. all the ones I have or have had are different sizes..
Look closer..
I still don't like them and paint them over..
fredj338
Member
I am also not a fan of rear dots. I like a front FO for competition with black rear. For my carry guns, I like the Heini straight 8 cot on a dot tritium or just a tritium front.
Bayou52
Member
For me, in outdoor sunlight, all three dots disappear...
Bayou52
Bayou52
Biggfoot44
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My gripe is when I align the sights conventionally, the dots aren't horizontal line, and vice versa .
I don't necessarily mind colors, red ramps, etc , it's the three dots specifically I hate . Usual cure is black marker on rear, red fingernail polish on front sight .
I don't necessarily mind colors, red ramps, etc , it's the three dots specifically I hate . Usual cure is black marker on rear, red fingernail polish on front sight .
I have blacked out all the optical accessories, dots and fibre optic inserts, on all my personal pistols.
I still get told at qualification to line up the dots, put the front dot on the targets chest and pull the trigger with my issue G17. If I do the shots all go high as the dots are below the top,of the front sight.
The best advice for shooting with dots I ever heard came from Warren at Protocall Design, use the dots to get a quick sight picture then shift focus to the front sight for accuracy.
I have been using an aperature rear sight on my Kimber 9mm 1911 which I use for steel challenge shooting. It is quick and easy to pick up but still needs to be "aimed" with the front sight positioned correctly in the vertical plane from 15 meters out.
I am still mulling over fitting one to my .45's.
I still get told at qualification to line up the dots, put the front dot on the targets chest and pull the trigger with my issue G17. If I do the shots all go high as the dots are below the top,of the front sight.
The best advice for shooting with dots I ever heard came from Warren at Protocall Design, use the dots to get a quick sight picture then shift focus to the front sight for accuracy.
I have been using an aperature rear sight on my Kimber 9mm 1911 which I use for steel challenge shooting. It is quick and easy to pick up but still needs to be "aimed" with the front sight positioned correctly in the vertical plane from 15 meters out.
I am still mulling over fitting one to my .45's.
kthom
Member
I like black rear sights, so I use a sharpie to blacken the dots on the rear, or black paint. I like a green front sight so most of mine are painted green, except for one or two that came with a white circle around a tritium green dot.
Rastoff
US Veteran
I have been telling people this for years, but they don't seem to get it. The dots exist for one reason; rapid sight acquisition. They're only there to help pick up the sights. For actual sight alignment it's the top of the sights that gets aligned with equal light on either side of the front sight in the rear notch. At least this is how it is with S&W guns.
There is one company that gets it right, H&K. On their guns the front dot is larger. This makes all the dots appear the same size when lined up in the sight picture. Of course, when the dots are lined up on their guns, the tops of the sights are also lined up as well. It's the best of both worlds.
