Talk to me about night sights.

[Beentown71]

Looking to install my first set of night sights. Need some guidance on what you like and why. Are the higher cost ones worth it and why? That sort of thing.

Have owned many firearms and carried for almost 10 years now. Had an incident where night sights could have been handy.

Thanks in advance all.

Going on a Glock 26 probably.

[diggler1833]

I put Trijicon HD on my G17. Well worth the money as you can see little dots now with the lights out.

I also run TruGlo TFOs on my M&P pistols. Typically with a lot of manufactuers to chose from, you get what you pay for. Trijicons have a bit of a track record for lasting longer. They also cost more.

The difference is "night and day", you will wonder why you didn't do it before.

[4thPoint]

TruGlo TFO's on my S&P M&P as well.



Good illumination from the fiber in daytime, and from the tritium at night. I like the newer models that allow one-handed belt/ledge cocking in an emergency more than the earlier wedge shaped sights.

[medic15al]

I second the Trijicon HDs in orange, as well as the TFOs. I prefer the yellow rear to the green front in the TFOs for contrast.

[Siggy-06]

Some people say that night sights are a gimmick. Has something to do with most handgun altercations and self defense distances. Basically with the adrenaline flowing and a possible attacker only several feet away, possibly running towards you, you're not gonna have a whole lot of time to aim real well. Night sights or no night sights, its more up to the shooter and their training. Now clearing a dark house or yard, night sights would be very advantageous. I have a pair of trijicons on my glock 23 and that's it. I also do a lot of single action fast draw training, it helps to learn how to point/aim naturally.

P.S. carry a flashlight, even if its a streamlight nano on your keychain. If you're gonna be in the dark(possibly dangerous areas) a flashlight is better than 3 lil glowing dots. And always identify your target.

[Pond, James Pond]

I have had night sights on both my old G19 and my new SP-01. I like them. Do they make me a better shot? No idea: no grounds for comparison, but I'd rather have them than not.

As for recommendations: I once tried and shot a G26 better than my own G19. The 26 has Heinle "straight-8" night sights. Very easy system to apply, IMO.

[jmr40]

I like the idea of having them on my gun. I don't have a huge preference, the factory Glock sights are fine with me.

I guess they still do it, but 5-6 years ago I took 6 Glock pistols belonging to me, friends, and family straight to the headquarters in Smyrna. I live about 1 1/2 hours away. Left the guns with them while I visited some local gunshops and ate lunch. I came back 3 hours later and they installed night sights on all of them, disassembled and replaced any worn parts, test fired, and cleaned all 6 guns for $60 each.

They are not perfect, but don't hurt and can help in dim light. For really dark situations you still need a flashlight. I was slow to accept the idea, but the small lights attached to the gun are a good idea too in my opinion. Nothing wrong with lasers either. They are all just tools in the toolbox and if used right can help.

[TraumaRN]

A definite benefit in very low light being able to see your front sight

[bwhited]

I do not understand why night sights are so beneficial.
If it is dark enough to need glowing sights then what can you shoot at? Remember if you can not identify a threat you have no reason to be shooting at it.
A flashlight is much more important.
The biggest advantage with night sights is that it is easy to see where the firearm is. Of course, this means any bad guy can see the glowing also if the have the right angle on them.

[1stmar]

It's not that black and white. Night sights are valuable in low light conditions where I can identify a threat but additional sight clarity is beneficial. There are more then one way to identify a threat, if I am in my house I can tell from the frame if it's one of my family members and if not I can ask before I shoot. Either way seeing the sights is beneficial.

[Onward Allusion]

I have either night sights, laser, light or all three on my SD guns. A front big dot night sight will allow you to acquire your target quickly. If you have a chance to practice outside at a range at dusk, try it out. Draw, acquire target using only the front sight, & shoot. Lasers are good for shooting from a retention position. Let's you practice point shooting as well.

[Snyper]

I do not understand why night sights are so beneficial.
If it is dark enough to need glowing sights then what can you shoot at? Remember if you can not identify a threat you have no reason to be shooting at it.

A flashlight is much more important.

The biggest advantage with night sights is that it is easy to see where the firearm is. Of course, this means any bad guy can see the glowing also if the have the right angle on them.

There are lots of conditions where you can see the target, but the sights can't be see well enough to get good alignment.

If the bad guy can see them, TURN AROUND

A flashlight will make a nice target, and should only be used as a last resort, and it still won't make your sights easier to see

[Beentown71]

Thanks all. I generally carry a Streamlight. Was trying to decide between the Trijicons and TruGlo TFO's.

[pete2]

Had trijicon sights, I could see them in the dark but it had to be very dark, too dark to see the target. I wouldn't pay extra for them. As for a flashlight, held on my left shoulder I can see the sights and the target, great fun but I'm never gonna light myself up with a flashlight. Learn to hit what you can see, gimmicks like night sights and lasers are best left alone.

My 2 cents.

[Beentown71]

Don't plan on shooting objects I can't see but I did have an incident with a four legged villain at just after dusk. I could see the threat but not my sights. Flashlight was in my console.

I am thankful for the point shooting practice and the natural ability I was given.

[JeffK]

I'm not sure glowing sights are all that useful for low-light situations, especially compared with a light and a laser, but one issue with tritium is that it's radioactive (that's what makes it glow) and therefore decays over time. Half life is 12 years but the glow is noticeably faded long before that, and at 15 years the tritium sights on my P226 are pretty much useless in the dark. Never mind the problem with old eyes if you have 'em - increasingly hard to focus on gun sights in the dark, and what I see now are faintly glowing overlapping blurry blobs.

[diggler1833]

If the "bad guy" can see your night sights glowing, you have a lot more than a lighting problem at that point.

Holding a flashlight right next to your head provides a pretty good aiming point too for the "bad guy".

Flashlights in general are good for momentary use...unless you like giving everyone in the area your exact location. They also ruin whatever night vision you might have. I do agree however to their use for PID, so you don't shoot a loved one by accident.

My M&P's utilize the TruGlo TFO for the front sight only, and the original non-lit M&P rear sights. This gives me a pretty good indicator that I am on target when I am presenting quickly. The big orange dot of the Trijicons functions the same way.

I like the Streamlight TLR-1 for a mounted weapon light, but there are a ton of options. All of my HD pistols will have a light and night sights.

[Beentown71]

Just ordered my new carry flashlight so I have one to keep in the console. Hopefully I don't loose this one...

Think I am going to go with the TFO's.

[Nathan]

IME, TFO's are bigger than their dovtail can support meaning a decent impact can move them.

[jimbob86]

The biggest advantage with night sights is that it is easy to see where the firearm is. Of course, this means any bad guy can see the glowing also if the have the right angle on them.

If the bad guy can see them, TURN AROUND

+1: If the bad guy can see your night sights, you have bigger problems than you know......

Lasers, OTH, can be seen from the front, and if there is dust or smoke (powder smoke, maybe?) in the air, would draw a line right to you, would they not?

[Spats McGee]

I have the Glock factory night sights, and I'm perfectly happy with them. (Spats says, knowing he hasn't tried the other sights of which the OP speaks.)

[Skans]

I like them when they work. I don't like them when they wear out. They are expensive to replace and require some degree of skill to replace them properly. Most guns will well outlast their night sights. I have a Glock 17 and the factory night sights are pretty much dead by now. And, night sights are the one thing you don't want to replace with used ones.

[Sharkbite]

I like them when they work. I don't like them when they wear out. They are expensive to replace and require some degree of skill to replace them properly. Most guns will well outlast their night sights. I have a Glock 17 and the factory night sights are pretty much dead by now. And, night sights are the one thing you don't want to replace with used ones.

$100 every 5-7 years doesnt seem that significant. What is that, 4 boxes of ammo?

There are lots of situations where its too dark to see the sights but still light enough to ID a threat. Even in the daytime...unlighted interiors of buildings.

I agree a GOOD quality flashlight is essential kit. But so are night sights IMHO

[diggler1833]

^ Completely agree.

[Cheapshooter]

Holding a flashlight right next to your head provides a pretty good aiming point too for the "bad guy"

Maybe, with a 60's era Eveready. Ever look into the beam of a modern flashlight like a streetlight, or other modern ultrabright flashlights. Being able to shoot accurately wouldn't be the BG's problem. Being able to see at all for several minutes would be!