"Night Sights" v. "Big Dot" v. Painting Sights

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Originally Posted by CigarStix

Great feedback, gang. Thanks.

After all I've seen regarding the Big Dots, everyone seems to swear by them for self defense.

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I feel the Big Dots are great for distances where sights aren't needed.

I have Tru Glo TFOs on most of my pistols, night sights on others that they don't make TFOs for. I've found that paints don't hold up well to use and especially cleaning. I use acrylic to make inserts instead. It's available at Brownells, but the same stuff is available at beauty supply stores. It's the same chemical used for fake fingernails and its durable and simple to use. You can color it easily too.

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Originally Posted by Simonsay

I feel the Big Dots are great for distances where sights aren't needed.

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And you are basing this "feeling" that you have on what?

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Originally Posted by wdbailey

And you are basing this "feeling" that you have on what?

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I shot a set of these for a while because they were on an IDPA gun that I traded for. At target focus distances, they aren't needed just like any other sight. At longer distances, where sights come into play, I found them measurably inferior with the timer running. For lack of a better term or description, they left me guessing quite a bit. I was just talking with a friend two weeks ago that had the same thoughts. If you have a solid index out to 7 or however many yards, you probably don't have much use for them, IMO.

Just like anything else, it's personal. If you think they work to your advantage, by all means use them and enjoy. Better yet, test it if you can. When I started shooting competitively, I thought a fiber optic front sight helped me and it probably did at the time. Now I don't like them, find them distracting and inconsistent depending on the conditions, and just shoot black. Just my $0.02

A gen'-uuu-wine gold post inserted into a square front pistol sight blade is better (in ALL light conditions) than most modern shooters realize. It was the "night sight" answer long before tritium & fiber optics became popular. SDM Fabricating in Medina, Ohio are, IMHO, the current top-dog supplier. I'm a BIG fan!

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Originally Posted by Jdunn217

In my opinion, night sights are the only way to go. Don't know why the front sight appears so small in the picture because it is bigger in person. But you get the idea of why fluorescent paint is inferior to them.


http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...c6b0c2b193.jpg

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The fallacy of night sights is you can see them even when you can't see the target, just as in your photo.

There's also a school of thought among the very "well-trained & knowledgable" (with whom I am only most casually acquainted) that tritium sights present an unacceptable risk of unintended detection. That's why you seldom see "night sights" installed on pistols intended for Special Operations (MEU/SOC, BUD/S, etc.). :scratchchin:

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Originally Posted by OldVet

The fallacy of night sights is you can see them even when you can't see the target, just as in your photo.

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That's because the picture was taken in a 3ft by 2ft closet to illustrate how bright they are. I can see pretty clearly in any room of my house at night from the moonlight coming through the windows.

Plain sights also show up "pretty clearly"...against moonlight. OldVet's point is that if you don't have enough light to make-out your target, being able to see your sights still isn't much of an advantage. Sure, you know how your muzzle is oriented...but only in a black, target-less void.

Ah I see, yeah I guess it just comes down to preference then. Even if you can still see regular sights I still find tritium sights a tad bit easier to focus in on in a low light type situation, especially if you've just woken up from a strange noise. Chalk it up to person preference though!

Carry what you are comfortable with and can shoot well.

Most of us are not operators and for some fancy sights are merely fashion accessories.

A Big white dot on the front of my pistol helps me get on target faster, the same with a red painted ramp on my revolvers. If glowing nights sights work best for you use them. If you want them because they look cool, that's okay too unless you can shoot better with something else

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Originally Posted by ghost tracker

There's also a school of thought among the very "well-trained & knowledgable" (with whom I am only most casually acquainted) that tritium sights present an unacceptable risk of unintended detection. That's why you seldom see "night sights" installed on pistols intended for Special Operations (MEU/SOC, BUD/S, etc.). :scratchchin:

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Actually I have wondered about before.

I have a set of tritium trijicon sights on my glock 23, they are not as bright as I would like and in some lighting and target situation, it is difficult to focus on the front post. So when I got my glock 19, I out a set of XS big dot sights on it and love them, all lighting and target colors are easy to focus on the front post. I would like to see the standard dot sights by xs, since out past 50 ft, my 5.5 inch targets disappear behind the sight.

Overall, the XS big dots are great and I have no issues with accuracy, just learn how to press the trigger

I prefer the XS standard dot size.

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Originally Posted by kelcarry

I must disagree with you bz if we are just talking about use of the firearm for home defense, at least as far as the parameters I have set for myself in defending my wife and I in our home. I know my house in the dark--it is not pitch black dark as if I am in a cave--there is some ambient light from nightlights, outside street lights, etc etc. The BG does not know my house. It is an advantage that I have. I light up my house with a light I am losing that advantage. In my case I will not leave my locked bedroom to "clear" the house. Only my wife and I and everything in other parts of house are insured and replaceable--I am insured and not replaceable and I am not about to find out how good the BG may be with whatever "equipment" he has brought along with him. He tries to enter my locked bedroom it will be the last cogent thought of his life. Even if I were to find it necessary to "clear" the house, the light is a two way street. You feel it is necessary to find the BG, I feel it makes it easy for the BG to find me. I should say, however, that for outdoor scenarios or large area scenarios where I am as "lost" as the BG, I can agree, to some extent, that lighting is a good idea. It still, however, gives the BG a target. Guess we will disagree--just sayin.

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I'm not saying there isn't an in-between lighting condition where night sights will allow you to aim on a human form without a light. That said, personally I want to see what I'm shooting at pretty clearly, esp. if they are identifying themselves as police, etc.

Also, I find it more difficult to see when I first wake up in the middle of the night. Perhaps not as much of an issue for the younger folks. :-)

And of course low light incidents can happen anywhere and anytime. The inside of a building can get very dark very fast.

-john