I am a new shooter so I haven’t developed any specific preferences for sights. This will be for a Glock 17 for a HD setup. I’m in Canada so no CCW considerations. I want to get night sights. From what I’ve read, U-notch rear is good and dot on dot configuration is better than 3 dot for tritium. I have also read a lot of people like brightly colored front sights for fast FS acquisition such as the Trijicon HDs and Ameriglos. I was thinking of getting a painted FS w/ tritium and a 1-dot rear tritium with a U-notch. The only thing is that Trijicon HDs are 3 dot, Ameriglo I dots have a square notched rear and the LAV rear sights seem to be too narrow for a painted FS which tend to be thicker such as Trijicon HDs. Any sights that are available out there that I haven’t considered? Also, I like the concept of the Truglo TFOs but they don’t seem to get rave reviews across the board and some have reported on FOs falling off. Just thinking that another option might be a Truglo TFO FS and a one dot tritium rear sight w/ a U-notch such as the LAV rear sight. Not sure if they match up in terms of height and width though.
Also, any feedback on the set-up that I’m leaning towards would be appreciated - luminescent painted FS w/ tritium (Trijicon/Ameriglo), one dot rear tritium w/ u notch. I could just pick the Wilson Combat LAV front and rear sights and call it a day but what’s holding me back is the lack of the painted front sight. Are painted FS really all that jazz? Also, I read 10-8’s write up on picking sights and they don’t recommend anything thicker than 0.125 for front sights. The Trijicon HDs are thicker than this so this adds to my confusion as to the best set up. LAV did recommend Trijicon HDs though. I don’t have lots of cash and don’t have the luxury of trying to do trial and error so I’d like to get the best set up right off the bat, if possible, at least in theory.
I use the Ameriglo pro-glo front and pro-op rears. I think they sell them as the spartan tactical combo now. They are basically the HD but a square notch rear and the rear isn’t serrated. I like them for what I do. All I use my pistol for is CCW. So I pretty much never shoot it past 10-15 yards. The fiber/tritium combo is quick to pick up and the rear notch is wide enough to make acquisition fast. Not going to make you feel like a rockstar shooting bullesyes at 25 yards though.
I really can’t say enough about Ameriglo. I have them on (3) Glocks and (2) M&P’s, specifically the Hackathorn and ICE models. You can get U notch (pro-I dot’s) and two different hi-vis fronts. If you like the square you can get the CAP sights.
Not that there is anything wrong with Trijicon but I find them a little pricey and not nearly as many configurations to suit me. Here’s a set I just put on my M&P full size, my aging eyes appreciate the fast pick up front;
As a comparison here’s a set of Heinie’s (front dot only) on my XDm. Very clean, very precise and very expensive. Sights are like holsters, you have to try them to get a feel for what works for you and what you like. 10-8 also makes nice offerings but I prefer then on 1911 style guns only.
I don’t have lots of cash and don’t have the luxury of trying to do trial and error so I’d like to get the best set up right off the bat, if possible, at least in theory.
Sights are a highly personal issue. About one-third of shooters who use night sights prefer two vertical dots, about half prefer three horizontal dots, and the rest prefer a plain black rear with one tritium lamp up front. The best bet is to shoot several types of sights and decide for yourself. I find that that I need to shoot a couple of thousand rounds with each type of sight to really understand what I do and don’t like about it.
In my experience, notch shape is less important than the size, color, and dot layout for low-light performance, though it seems to matter in daylight.
After about 10k rounds spent fiddling with sights, I’ve become a HUGE fan of the colored front sight post. I will add that which color matters a lot. Orange tends to glow so much in bright light that it develops a halo, so I prefer red. I paint my own sights—a $5.00 bottle of Testor’s model paint is enough for hundreds of front sights.
I can’t comment on TruGlo sights, as I’ve only fired a handful of rounds through them. They’re bright as hell on the range in daylight and very fast, though…
Sight width is another highly individual issue, especially when it comes to the difference between the width of the notch and the width of the post. I’ve shot small groups with wide front sights and big groups with narrow front sights. You can do good work with either if you practice.
If I were to choose one set of off-the-shelf sights, I’d go with Trijicon HDs.
some sight options:
3-dot trit = Trijicon HD
1-dot trit = Ameriglo Hackathorn
front fiber black rear = Dawson Precisions or TTI
all black = Ameriglo Dueck Defense sights
the type is your preference, I like the 1-dot trit or fiber front black rear
I have to second the suggestion on the Dawson precision sights. Went with an all black rear Charger with a .145 notch and a from .125 FO front on a G35. I am happy with their quality.
I had a longer reply but iOS8 STB so…I’ve found dot configuration trumps rear notch shape. I have U notch on Glocks (Warrens) and square on my VP9 (Heinie). I prefer the two dot configuration and paint my own front sights with white then orange Testors paint.
After taking a few low light courses my opinion and perspectives on sights have changed. Shooting hundreds/thousands of rounds in low light is more important than walking through my house once or twice at night with a dry gun. Hint: in the low light classes I didn’t see the paint on the front sight, didn’t miss it either. That’s why I pay for tritium.
I’ve found the best/fastest for me to be a U notch with no rear dots. Next best is the 3 dots with no outline on the rears. I have never liked the 2 dot setup. I find it much slower to line up one on top of the other instead of 3 in a row.
Remember though… The lining up of 3 horizontal or 2 vertical tritium tubes is usually done in low light or no light conditions. That said, anytime a person is shooting in those conditions it’s an exceptionally good idea to have a white light in use. When the light comes on all dots disappear and you’re using a black outline. It’s not common to be in a situation where you are taking a shot at someone using the tritium and no light to ID them. It can happen. When I lived alone and nobody had a key, I could legally and morally feel safe using deadly force on any person who entered my home in the middle of the night. No ID was necessary. But the use of tritium sights by themselves is more rare than many like to admit. I am still willing to pay for the comfort of knowing they are there. But I don’t carry a gun without a weapon light on it unless it’s a BUG. And I always have a handheld light on me.
I have had the opportunity to take many classes and train in low light conditions and concur that a light is pretty much mandatory. ID is everything, even if you do live alone. I wouldn’t feel comfortable trying to articulate shooting blind, but that’s a different topic.
With the availability of good lights at good prices there really isn’t any excuse not to have one on a HD gun. Personally I run front tritium only on just about all my guns but at the minimum I run a light (if I have a rail). In fact if the gun isn’t going to be CCW’d then a light would be a better choice than sights if budget is a concern. Again I know this is off topic but for the price of one set of Trijicon HD’s you could get a good set of Ameriglo sights and a M3 light.
Oh, I didn’t know the pro-I dots were U notch. I am trying to sort out all their options to get a grasp of all their offerings. A lot of them are discontinued/out of stock too. I really think their website layout could be a lot better.
My recommendation is to go to the range or an IPSC match and ask people to see their sights and find what YOU like.
Sights are very personal.
My favorite so far is a .125 fiber front Dawson with a .125 adjustable black rear. I like a tight sight picture, and only a dot on the front. I like adjustable to zero the sights. Non-adjustable makes no sense to me.
Yes, I understand. Regarding 3 dot vs 2 dot tritums, I might just have to try it before I can discover which set up works better for me. I was leaning towards 2 dot based on recommendations by famous instructors such as LAV and the concern that you can misalign 3 dot tritiums, although this is mitigated with different colored front vs rears. I understand the part about using the white light and the tritiums disappearing but I just want to have them “just in case” just like you.
Interesting…from my readings, it seems that I read more of a preference for 2 dot tritiums. With the U-notch, my consideration is day time shooting, and the tritiums for low/no light. I will ignore the tritium dots in daytime. I already have a basic post and square notch on my 1911 so I want to try a U notch and painted FS (with tritium).
Yes, ID is important to me. Not only because I live in Canada and our laws and judicial system is different, I want to make sure that the person is actually presenting a threat before shooting. I live in a pretty good neighborhood, there’s a chance that if someone is in my house, it could just be a drunk guy that stumbled into the wrong house not meaning any harm. I do intend on putting a light as well as Crimson Trace laser grips. I don’t have much experience, but I don’t want to forgo the night sight just because a white light will wash out the sights. Even with CT laser grips, I still want to have Tritium. I just want the gun set up so it’s ready for anything and everything, no matter how slim the chance is that it’s use (night sights) will be utilized on it’s own.
Problem is that we don’t have many ranges here (I live in Canada). The 2 indoor ranges in the city don’t have any night sights on their rental pistols, most people that go to shoot are newbs, most people I encounter in the outdoor range that I’m a member of shoot only bolt action hunting type rifles and IPSC matches are far and few in between, are out of town and the only IPSC group the other indoor range in my city requires an expensive membership to their range and a Black Badge certification to join. It really sucks here for tactical/SD/HD oriented type of firearm ownership or shooting. Availability for training is far and few in between and it’s hard to know if the instructors are worth what they’re charging. I’ve never heard of any low-light classes here at all.
