Ok, this is a serious question. Tritium night sights are big business. Multiple companies make them for just about any pistol you can think of, and if they don't there are gunsmiths who can machine your gun to accept them. My armed career started in 1982, and ended in 2013. In that entire time I was never issued anything with self illuminating sights. We had weapon lights, night vision, and laser aiming devices, but no night sights.

Through trial and error I've happened upon fiber optics. If there is any available light these things light up like a red dot sight. Couple this with a weapon light and I really can't wrap my head around the need for self illuminating pistol sights. So my question is, what do they actually do, and for the LEO's and other armed professionals do you find them useful in your profession?

They let me know where my gun is on the desk in the dark?




In my short 20 years so far of LE, I've never had a need for them. I shoot out entire qualification course by point shooting it.

The purpose of self-luminous lamps on sights is to allow the shooter to see them when ambient light isn’t enough. Without night sights under low light conditions, it’s like having no sights at all, and accuracy suffers. A lot. And especially beyond extremely close distances.

Every year I conduct low light shooting qualifications for my agency and night sights are essential to pass. Although it’s conducted in the wintertime and with an oversized steel target, engagement distances simulate shooting at a normal silhouette from 6 to 15 yards. Without night sights shooters are lucky to get consistent hits even at the closest range, and at 15 yards (simulated), many shooters do extremely poorly.

Night sights are so effective that many officers prefer to use them alone rather than attempting to illuminate their target with a flashlight or weapon-mounted light (unless they can’t see the target at all without supplemental illumination).

Does every shooter need to use handgun sights for acceptable accuracy beyond very short distances? No, but most do. (I will let Bruce Gray discuss point shooting if he wants to. )

I was never in any nighttime gunfights, but did use pistols with night sights for carry, training and qualification for many years. Years ago, I'd initially, and incorrectly, assumed that it would have to be pitch black for night sights to be of any benefit. Wrong! I found the sights to be effective as natural light began to gray and dim at dusk, till dawn, and during building searches,etc. Night sights did help me to perform well in all kinds of low light training scenarios,and low light and night time qualification,etc.....ymmv

I have some on a couple of my pistols only because that is what they came with. I don't care for them or especially need them. I do like the different color sights/night sights with the big orange/red dot around the tritium vials,(I can't remember who makes them now), but they seem useful anytime.

I look at night sights (pun intended) as they're not necessary but damn nice to have when you need them. One of my OIS occurred during daylight hours and one at midnight. You never know when it'll hit the fan.

There's no rule that you must put them on your gun(s). Later in my career, I got permission from the armory to install night sights on my issued P220. They told me that cost was a factor in not purchasing issued weapons with night sights.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Night sights are so effective that many officers prefer to use them alone rather than attempting to illuminate their target with a flashlight or weapon-mounted light (unless they can’t see the target at all without supplemental illumination).

My personal opinion is if there isn't enough light to actually identify a target, I shouldn't be taking the shot. Now granted I've never been in the situation of having to take a night shot with any sights, so my question is based on how much do they really help? I ask because the last time I did low light training they had us cover or sights with tape. The targets were the B16 target set at five yards. I used the top left corner of the slide as an aiming point and this is the 30 round target I shot.

Count me among the crowd who doesn’t see a purpose for night sights. If there’s enough light for me to see the target, I can see my sights.

The only time i can’t see my sights is if it’s super dark. In that case I need a light anyways. Once the light is on, I can see my sights again.

You’re literally shooting into the dark if you need night sights. Perhaps I just don’t understand the scenario they are to be used in? I don’t know, but I’ve never found a scenario where I could see my target but not my sights.

So serious question, if you are in a dark warehouse to where you are in the dark, and the suspect you are looking for is in the light, he's armed with a rifle, and just killed two police officers, should you-

A) Step out into the light, while simultaneously sounding like Dom Deluise making an appearance as Captain Chaos, aligning your sights in the light and shooting said bad guy who just killed two cops.

Or

B) From in the dark at 15 yards, align the 3 vials and execute a smooth press while giving them verbal commands to drop the gun. (From a position that is STILL concealed due to darkness)

That scenario won't happen to you? Cool, you should stop carrying a gun then. You are the luckiest person on the face of the Earth to KNOW the exact conditions of your next (or first) fight. I do not, and anyone who doesn't think that I will not milk any and every advantage I can get to my fullest opportunity is a fool. Square range thinking like this is what kills, as does complacency. If my opponent is even back lit, the advantage of darkness is mine. A good low light class (read Surefire Academy) will do wonders for the crowd that thinks that night sights have no purpose. Or you can just get eat alive by SIMS while you are there. Completely your choice.

Square range thinking does kill. It's no different that those who defiantly have beliefs that are based upon averages. I submit that averages is how you want to roll, cool, again....no need for you to carry a gun at all. The law of averages says you'll likely never need it as an armed citizen or a police officer. Statistically very few officers actually ever use their gun in defense, or defense of another. Armed citizens are less than that.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
So serious question, if you are in a dark warehouse to where you are in the dark, and the suspect you are looking for is in the light, he's armed with a rifle, and just killed two police officers, should you-

A) Step out into the light, while simultaneously sounding like Dom Deluise making an appearance as Captain Chaos, aligning your sights in the light and shooting said bad guy who just killed two cops.

Or

B) From in the dark at 15 yards, align the 3 vials and execute a smooth press while giving them verbal commands to drop the gun. (From a position that is STILL concealed due to darkness)

That scenario won't happen to you? Cool, you should stop carrying a gun then. You are the luckiest person on the face of the Earth to KNOW the exact conditions of your next (or first) fight. I do not, and anyone who doesn't think that I will not milk any and every advantage I can get to my fullest opportunity is a fool. Square range thinking like this is what kills, as does complacency. If my opponent is even back lit, the advantage of darkness is mine. A good low light class (read Surefire Academy) will do wonders for the crowd that thinks that night sights have no purpose. Or you can just get eat alive by SIMS while you are there. Completely your choice.

Every time I've had to opportunity to sight against a target that's even lightly lit or back lit my iron sights have performed as intended. While I've found tritium sights useful, I haven't found them more useful than irons. What I did find more useful than anything else was fiber optics. I'm not being critical of other people's choices, I'm just looking for opinions and information on this subject.

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
Count me among the crowd who doesn’t see a purpose for night sights. If there’s enough light for me to see the target, I can see my sights.

The only time i can’t see my sights is if it’s super dark. In that case I need a light anyways. Once the light is on, I can see my sights again.

You’re literally shooting into the dark if you need night sights. Perhaps I just don’t understand the scenario they are to be used in? I don’t know, but I’ve never found a scenario where I could see my target but not my sights.

Have you ever shot at darker clothed targets in low light? You may be able to see the person, but that doesn't mean there is enough contrast between their dark clothing and your dark sights to see them...

Like jljones said, I'm sure it all works out OK on the range.

I'm a big advocate of practicing point shooting as well, at least in the 5yd and under range for any situation where for whatever reason you can't get on the sights (or it wouldn't be prudent to fully extend the gun out there).

Personally on a carry gun, I want at least a tritium front sight, that is pretty inexpensive. I take a Sharpie to any tritium rears anyway, I don't want them to glow nearly as bright as the front, but they do glow through the marker so you can still line up that 15yd warehouse shot.

I like night sights a lot, and consider them a necessary addition to my weapon. They should be called “low light” sights though.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
So serious question, if you are in a dark warehouse to where you are in the dark, and the suspect you are looking for is in the light, he's armed with a rifle, and just killed two police officers, should you-

A) Step out into the light, while simultaneously sounding like Dom Deluise making an appearance as Captain Chaos, aligning your sights in the light and shooting said bad guy who just killed two cops.

Or

B) From in the dark at 15 yards, align the 3 vials and execute a smooth press while giving them verbal commands to drop the gun. (From a position that is STILL concealed due to darkness)

C) The suspect is in the light. I can stay in the dark and use plain black iron sights for aiming.

quote:

Originally posted by henryarnaud:

C) The suspect is in the light. I can stay in the dark and use plain black iron sights for aiming.

Not if they have dark clothing...

Night sights are a basic must in a defensive pistol. Even if not used for actual sight alignment in low light, they are an immediate aid to properly orienting gun to target.
My main whine with pistol manufacturers:
Night sights are often not standard from the factory.

Makes shooting coyotes in low light easier.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:
They should be called “low light” sights though.

This. I was a night sight detractor for many years. For me, the cost didn't justify the benefit. However, after purchasing a few P320's - which more or less came standard with SIGLITES - my aging eyes began to appreciate them in low light situations. While I no longer have the P320's, my remaining P-Series pistols have all been fitted with Trijicon HD's.

You guys are over or perhaps under thinking this. Jljones said it very succinctly. If your gun is a weapon that you might use in real life against bad guys it’s a no brainer. Seriously. If you perceive you might use it for self defense and you opt for fiber optics or contrast you are making a mistake. Period.

jljones could come up with a dozen more scenarios because he’s put more thought into training than I put into anything. If only one scenario is valid in your mind then it is cheap insurance. There only has to be one situation where you can’t shoot accurately because you can’t align your sights and night sights would have been worth it.

Don’t overthink this. Night sights on real use firearms is the only call.

If you want more what ifs I’m sure someone can oblige but chalk this one up to settled science. Lol

I rank night sights at just a smidge below "Absolutely Essential", purely because given the choice between either a flashlight OR night sights, I'll take the light.

But I'd certainly rather have both. And luckily, we typically don't have to choose between one or the other. All my fighting guns have both night sights and lights.

Weapon mounted lights are much preferred, but at a minimum, I'd recommend getting night sights plus a decent handheld light, and train on using that light in conjunction with the handgun.

Same goes for long guns too. All defensive long guns should mount both a light and some sort of illuminated aiming mechanism, like a red dot.

They are essential for me, 100%. I buy a pistol and my preferred NS at the same time. Shooting once at dusk, many many years ago, proved their worth in spades. I carry a light at night but lights can break, defective battery, get broken in a fist fight rolling on the ground, whatever. I’m going to take every tactical advantage I can in defense of my life. The newer styles of NS, like HD’s with a green, yellow, orange circles painted around the front sight, also greatly help me in DAY shooting, especially against various backgrounds. They provide a nice contrast against steel targets too. So for me they offer three things:

1. Higher visibility in the day with the painted front sight
2. Better visibility in low light
3. Better visibility when lit with a flash light.

They also help “me” with other things. I’m running 2 platforms at the same time for the first time ever. I have the same brand, color, etc, of NS across all my semi-auto pistols. So they help me transition between them as the controls are different. I can’t think of any reason to not have them. Recently shot at a friend’s private range, that has more steel than Hickok, and those yellow sights sped up my shooting significantly. My transitions were very fast for my skill set.