front night site only

[DirksterG30]

My Springfield 1911 came with green night sights front and back - the brightness between the two is about the same, and it works OK for me. I prefer tritium in front and rear sights.

I am interested in having a different color in back to help me focus on the front sight - I believe the sights are Ameriglo Operators. The rear sights are also a little dimmer than the front.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[older gunner]

In a tactical shooting course I took, we were taught to focus on the front sight only for rapid defensive shooting. We were shooting two to four shot strings at multiple targets from 7 to 21 feet. Some scenarios required lateral movement, kneeling behind barriers, rapid reload, etc. This method worked well for me. It's not target shooting, but you can score COM hits this way. Sometimes not all will hit. I remember one string involved four targets with fast as you can lateral movement and two shots each. On the second target I only hit once, but it was a good hit. With this kind of activity and pressure to get it done quickly, front sight aquisition works well.

[rfurtkamp]

Any one with night sites game to try covering the rear dots with some electrical tape and giving us a report no how you think it would work for you?
Mike

Don't have to - the front sight on my newest 226 is still warm and the rear was never tapped and the dots are painted on.

If I could get a sight picture, it'd be ambient light,not the front sight illuminating things.

If they were that bright, you'd illuminate the entire top of the slide *and* your face.

[gunthorp]

When you practice point shooting, the sights don't matter, especially from retention (gun at hip,) thrust (gun outstretched at belt level, centered, while slightly crouched,) and shilouette (gun at neck level, low light, using the whole gun as an aiming device.) If you have the luxury of time and the confidence that you'll control your focus, you'll need the front dot and rear dots or bar to get the fastest flash sight alignment. All the better if they glow in the dark. But Seattle PD noticed a disturbing corona effect at night coming from tritiums in humidity or fog. Still, I carry them. Logically, a night encounter will be at extremely close range where point shooting, without sight acquisition, will be used. Positive identification of a more distant target and what's behind it at night won't be easy. In the daytime, painted white dots suffice.

[Tangle]

Isn't this kinda like asking if we need a rear sight on our gun? If we believe the rear sight is important in good light, why do we think it is less important in poor lighting conditions?

I can do anything with front and rear night sights that I can do with a front night sight only. But, the reverse is not true. The front-night-sight-only presumes a tight range and a large COM target. What if niether is true? Then we need to see our sights.

I believe both front and rear night sights will solve far more scenarios than the front sight only. If you normally shoot with the front and rear sights, what happens when it's dark, not up tight and big, and suddenly you can't see your rear sight?

[gunthorp]

Exactly, tangle. It only takes a fraction of a second to acquire both sights in good light. We should use the rear sight if time allows. In the Tom Cruise video, he point shot BG1 with one hand, but aimed with both hands on BG2, because he was already in position. But how dark is too dark to see the type of sights you have? How much time do you need to try to find both sights vs how much time do you have. What will happen to our focus and cone of vision under stress? At night, the eyes may not have the input strength the brain will give to the ears.

With situational awareness, threat identification and target acquisition are almost simultaneous, in the ideal case. I think front and rear night sights will be an advantage given the time and sensory control to employ them both. I'd still like the front to be as bright and big as possible. Any thoughts on when to turn the laser on?

[P95Carry]

Any thoughts on when to turn the laser on?

Chipping in - do you mean per CT grips etc? They will be on by default as long as main switch is in the ''on'' position, as the gun grip will activate the pressure switch. Thus if batteries good and light less than bright sun - the laser will show.

[gunthorp]

Normally I keep the gimmicks out of the bag of tricks...anything with batteries, etc. Interviews with Iraq servicemen, however, on leave, point out their dependence on AA battery stuff on the M4. They appreciate batteries, KA-Bar knives, shurefire lights, and socks more than grandma's chocolate chip goodies in their care pkgs. I'll use CT laser grips on my 1911 for training, but as you said, Chris, you can't see them in daylight, and they can be a dead giveaway at night if there is a hint of fog or smoke in the air. Normally, the switch will be off. When the maser switch is on, the pressure pad will activate them. In a showdown, I'm sure my grip pressure will activate the light whether I want or not. At extremely close range, I don't need the distraction. At long range (I've seen them on the trees across 1/2 mile lake) I'll be looking for cover or escape.

Trust your training, not your tools.

[Tubby45]

Someone on another board has the XS Big Dot front and an Ameriglo Operator rear. I am going to do something similar and just stick with the Glock rear (non nite) sight and get an XS Big Dot.

They stated it is still very quick with the front site and they can still aim and group well at and past 15 yards.

[srfl]

The first time I heard of having just a tritium insert in the front sight and not the rear was in e-mail exchanges with one of the gunsmiths at Cylinder & Slide....he suggested I get this done on my Browning HP Mark II....I still haven't decided to do it or not.

[Zach S]

I prefer a night site up front with a plain black rear, but OTOH I hate three-dot sights.

It works well for me. It may not for you.

[AirForceShooter]

if we're talking close there are 2 things you want to see.

your front sight and the COM of your target. If you can see both you're good. Forget about everything else.

AFS

[RSSZ]

I have "experamented" with 1911's and ghost ring rear and nothing up front. Several years ago I had a "operator"tell me that some of them were using the ghost ring systems. (Front and rear.)I tried them and they were great for my applications. I fired almost 600rds.using rear only and it was effective. The thing that is the most important is to shoot the exact same way everytime to start with.Wrist,arm,torso,head,these have to be the same shot to shot for accuracy. With more practice you will find that the body does not have to be positioned the same everytime. For CCW applications(mine),with 7yds. normal and 15yds. considered long-very long,this system worked for me. One of my 1911's is still set up this way. With ghost ring rear only with tritium dots at 9 and 3 o'clock. If you want quick,this is quick.---------