Do you really, really, truly need Night Sights?

[Cody]

Or could you live without them? I am a couple of weeks away from ordering a P220 or P220c and it will be used mostly for a house gun, occasional carry gun. The gun will be in my night stand with a Streamlight TL-3 packed with rechargeable lithiums. With all that being said I would think that with the light disorientating the would be attacker this would be the way to go. Some would probably argue that the light gives the perp. a target. This may be true but I would be holding the light away from my body thinking that I would not make myself an accurate target. Besides, since I know the floor plan like the back of my hand I would not turn on the light until the last minute.

Of course if the perp. could get by my 120# Rhodesian Ridgeback, more power to him, I will be waiting.

I guess what I am getting at is I am pretty sure the Sig comes with a “Post” for it’s front sight? I believe the night sights come with dots front and back and I have read that sometimes this could be a confusing thing for some folks who like me are used to the more traditional “Post” or “Blade” as some folks would call them.

Dave

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Duisburg]

no, no one really needs them but i think that there is an application for them on CCWs for there might be an instance where you need to shoot in dark places.

[Redneck Repairs]

IMHO night sights are like a microwave .. If you never had ... you never need , but once you got you have to have . Some of my pistols have them , some dont , the pistol that i use for home defense , or carry when i go out at night will have them . Night sights 3 dot are only confusing if you have to " fish around " for the front sight , if the pistol fits you its not an issue , and if your insecure get contrasting colors for the front and back , or go to something like the xd big dot sights where there is not a 3 dot pattern .

[f8lranger4x4]

I like night sights. I feel more comfortable with them and I wan't ever advantage over my attacker. Most of my guns have night sights including factory sights on my sig 239

[retsupt99]

If you're talking 'home SD' gun, then I would get them. I have Trij's or Meps on all my 9mm's or .45's.

In a parking lot at 10 feet, you won't even need sights!

With 60 year old eyes in dim light they help. At night, at home, I can focus on a 'dark' target with precision...Bye, Bye, BG...OMO

Yep, flashlights help, shottie's help, but I like my .45 to creep around the coverd areas...

Yes, I would get the night sights...

[Rustynuts]

Just the opposite! I feel HD guns need a light or better, a laser/light combo. You need to identify what you're shooting at (unless you live alone and never have visitors!). CCW'ing they might have their place in dusk/low light conditions. But I'm not CCW'ing with a TLR-2 hanging off my gun!

I like the principle of Truglo TFO's with the bright FO in good light, but the pair I have are very dim for low light use. Not nearly as bright as the Mepros I have on my Kimber.

[bmcgilvray]

I've never felt the need to equip my handguns with night sights.

[Thumper]

Prolly not... but I sure do like 'em! Have 'em on every pistol I own.

[tabraha]

I don't own any yet... but the ability to sight the gun in the dark seems like a good idea for going out at night and shooting at critters in the yard. (I've tried holding a rifle and a maglite and it just doesn't get it for me). I'm mounting a weaponlight on my HD shotgun but nightsights for the sidearm I carry when things go bump around the house seems like good insurance.

So necessary no but to me it's like insurance. I may decide they'd be nice to have at some point; at that point I hope they are installed on the gun!!!

[SIXTO]

Do you really need night sights? No. But as others have said, they are nice to have.


Reading your question and some of the replies, I think there is some confusion in what night sights are and are not. They wont help you see in the dark at all. They will help you index a little faster if your dependant on visual ques.

Flashlights and night sights are two different critters for two different tasks. One does not replace the other. In fact, if you do use a weapon mounted light, or use a tactical light your need for night sights is greater due to back lighting issues.

[kentuckycarry]

Got em, luv em. Even in low light it's alot quicker to line up the sights. Does'nt have to be pitch dark. They don't replace a good flashlight.

[frankmako]

issue duty gun got them, backup wheel gun does not. all of my glocks got them (they came with them), other guns that i have don't. the question is,,, do they work??? can you see them at night when it hits the fan???? well all i can say, yes you can see them at night,, when you are practicing with them..... but when it hit the fan one night i did not see the three green dots. my training took over, and i did point shooting. to me when it goes bad you will not have time to line up the sights, you will point shoot.

[1gunsnowbird]

Night sights, eh? I recall some late (and dark) nights in the Army when the last thing I wanted on my 1911 was any light that might give my position away. I am firmly convinced that any night time defense situation will be decided by instinct shooting and not taking the time to line up some green or yellow or white dots with a target you can't even see.

On the other hand, if you are in a situation where you aren't sure of where your enemy might be, the last thing I want is to provide any light whatsoever that can be linked to me.

Call me crazy, but I've gotten them on guns where I didn't have a choice and the first thing I did was sell those sights and go back to standard Glock sights.

Night vision is a difficult thing to assess, but firing a weapon at someone in the dark better be a 100% accurate reaction for a number of reasons, and night sights probably won't help in that assessment period.

I think it's more important to practice shooting in low light situations, even black, and learn from your instinctive feel for the gun (which better be your main carry weapon anyway, because every time you change guns, you lose an edge, IMHO).

[Ohio Rusty]

Yes ... you could probably live without them. I'm getting the little glow dot night sights for my Kettec P3AT. AGAIN, I could live without them, but in reality, all the trash, evil ones, predators and other scumbags that roam your city are mostly roaming at night when they feel safe and you are off guard because you can't see them.
Most shooting discussions say that shot placement is the key, and surgical shot placement at night requires a way to see where your bullet is going to go ...either a tactical flashlight to light up the dirtbag criminals aiming spot, or nightsights .......
Now ...it's not Can you ..... but WILL you live ...without them?
Ohio Rusty ><>
Psalms 27:1-3/91:9-11 (AMP)

[Rustynuts]

In fact, if you do use a weapon mounted light, or use a tactical light your need for night sights is greater due to back lighting issues.

My TFO's totally wash out whenever I pop a flashlight on. They become no better than iron sights at that point due to backlighting.