Night site recommendations?

[areacode201 4]

Looking to pick up night sites for my handguns.  This is a totally new experience for me.  What brands do you all like?  What is "the best?"  How much should I be looking to spend on the best quality?

 

Thanks for the feedback and information.

[bhunted 887]

Only really 2 major companies for Tritium unless you want cheap glow in the dark light activated stuff. Trijicons are top notch, a tad expensive. Price ranges 100-140...

Meprolight is their competitor... Little cheaper, under 100 if you look hard. Both are great. Trijicons have been my favs, but they are getting hard to get where Mepros seem to always be in stock. They both have models For a wide range of pistols, long guns and shotgun. Just a matter of what you need/want.

 

 

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[High Exposure 5,664]

Sight preferences are very subjective based on use, experience and dogma.

 

I like Ameriglo Pro-Operator and Spartan sights. They use Trijicon tritium vials in their sights. I have found them to be very high quality, decently priced, and an all around good company to deal with.

 

The Pro-Operator series has a wider than normal rear notch and a norrower than normal front sight. This makes them a little less precise but faster to get a "good enough" sight picture. They also use an "outlined" front tritium vial and "bare" rear tritium vials. This makes the front "dot" appear larger and a little faster to pick up.

 

The Spartan sights use a Pro-Operator rear sight with the wider notch and small vials and the front sight is a little wider than the Pro-Operator giving a little more precision over speed, BUT the froth sight vial is surrounded by a big neon orange or green circle that your eye picks up much faster (subjectively) than a plain vial/dot. I recently bought 2 sets of these and am really liking them. With a little looking you can find this set for under $100.00

 

Keep in mind "night sights" are not for shooting in the dark per-se. If it is too dark to see your sights it is too dark to positively ID your target as a threat. The glow of the sights are useful for a rough sight alignment in periods of "twilight" type darkness or front-lit encounters where there is enough light to see you target well enough to ID but there is not enough light to really get a good sight picture. They really are of limited use, but when you need them you need them.

 

Depending on your intended use for this pistol/sight combo you may be better off taking the money set aside for the sights and buying a quality white light (hand held or WML) and attending low-light training.

[bhunted 887]

They sound almost like the Trijicon HD sights...

 

 

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[bhunted 887]

Those Ameriglos seem to be for only Glocks HE? - never mind... Found others.

Very limited for other models best I can tell.

 

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[High Exposure 5,664]

Shoot, you know what? They must very well be for Glocks only... Having only Glocks I never looked for them for any other guns. Never crossed my mind that they wouldn't make them for other guns...

 

Not knowing what the OP is shooting, but guessing a Beretta , my recommendation may be worthless.

 

ETA: yup, just checked. Can't find any Ameriglo sights for any Beretta pistols. Mea Culpa.

Edited September 8, 2013 by High Exposure

[bhunted 887]

There prices seem comparable but they re pretty behind in covering lot of bases.There are HK USP, some Sigs, etc... But common models are just not there. Comparable to price would b the Mepros.... They cover Berettas...Hey OP.... Give us a hint!

 

Shoot, you know what? They must very well be for Glocks only... Having only Glocks I never looked for them for any other guns. Never crossed my mind that they wouldn't make them for other guns...Not knowing what the OP is shooting, but guessing a Beretta , my recommendation may be worthless.ETA: yup, just checked. Can't find any Ameriglo sights for any Beretta pistols. Mea Culpa.

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[areacode201 4]

Thanks for the input.

 

Right now I have a Beretta 92A1... I have a permit in hand right now which will be going to a Glock 19 whenever I get around to going out and buying one.  I was reading that Glock factory sights are a bargain if you send your slide to them for the install.

[bhunted 887]

Possibly if you don't mind waiting. Only takes someone usually around ten minutes to remove old and install unless there are circumstances. Up to you.

 

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Right now I have a Beretta 92A1... I have a permit in hand right now which will be going to a Glock 19 whenever I get around to going out and buying one. I was reading that Glock factory sights are a bargain if you send your slide to them for the install.

 

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[Blake 50]

I recently put on TruGlo TFO sights on an MP9c and an XD45.  They don't make them for every gun but I know they do for Glock, XD, SW, and Kimbers.  I shot my buddies Glock that had them and I was very impressed.  Picked up my M&P from TJ's the other day after installation and these glow brighter than my Sig night sights and a set of Heinie Straight Eight's I have on an HK.  

 

I duno who makes the tritium they use or if they are as good a quality as the Trijicon sights but they are damn bright and seem very sturdy.  

[Scrap 4]

When I bought my Glock 23 in Jan 2010 I was new to firearm buying and started attacking information as best I could, digesting and assimilating as much as I could as quick as I could.  I quickly zero'ed in on the LWD 40-9 conversion barrel and night sights as must must have for my Glock.  I did the LWD 40-9 right away and took a week or two researching night sights.

 

Everyone on Glock Talk that was half way cool or wanna-be SWAT/DELTA was all about the Ameriglo...Operator and especially Pro Operator ... they were all the rage.  After careful consideration I went with Trijicon night sights green and yellow.  I am absolutely enthralled with them and could not be happier nor envision using the gun without.

 

 

As mentioned, Trijicon makes the tritium tubes for many other producers.  So I trust their product.  They also product the finest combat optics in the world.  The ACOG is in a class of its own, other than the exact knockoff copies like the Browe and such there is no competitors.  Their other products are not necessarily the finest of their class but they are possibly the finest COMBAT optics in their class.. the AccuPoint rifle scopes and the Reflex red dot-style sights are literally tanks and dual illuminated.  They make optics for war fighters straight up... and their night sights are no exceptions.

 

 

 

I cannot tell you how many times I have dropped my Glock and the sights are all good.  I Also particuarly wanted these Trijicons because they have white circles around the colored-tritium-tubes.  (The Pro Operators do not for example.)  People said a small amount of gun cleaning solvent or a drop of Hoppe's #9 will take the "paint" right off.  They are not perfect but they're still there and I am the sloppiest cleaner there is and I did not even know for the first year, I soaked them plenty of times before I knew.  These babies are awesome.  I also understand yellow is not as bright as green (and orange is not at all bright, the least light-giving and least lasting there is) ... so if you want maximum light you go green all around... BUT The contrast of the green and yellow is amazing.  I am confident I can line up my sights in total darkness when I practice at night..if the situation arises they will be a huge factor in the defense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I want to point out I would feel happy with other night sights like Ameriglo and might even try Meprolight on this gun in the near future, just for a fresher look and to keep the things top notch.  BUT I am most happy with the Trijicon and feel like I got the last pennys worth I spent on these.

[bhunted 887]

I had Trijicons put on my HK USP Compact 45 back in the early 80s... I think they say 20 years or so. These are going on 30+ years and still fine. Same with my ACOG... Tritium past it's life expectancy and still cranking.

[Barms 98]

There's YouTube videos that compare brightness of different manufacturers. It's very cool.

[High Exposure 5,664]

I actually take a sharpie and black out the rear tritium vials to make the dimmer. If it is too bright it is distracting and makes picking up the front sight more difficult than it has to be. Looking past a light source to see another light source is difficult in low light situation.

 

The Spartan and Pro-Operator sights I have are yellow rear, green front. I do like that option.

 

I also prefer to not have the white outline on the rear tritium vials. They are a distraction if you are using your sights properly. The "dots" on your sights are not supposed to be lined up when acquiring sight alignment or a sight picture. The dots, tritium or not, are there to provide a rough sight alignment in low light/no light conditions prior to settling on your final sight picture as you press the trigger. Proper sight alignment/sight picture should be based on the sharp outline of the front sight centered and level in the rear sight notch. You should not be shooting at anything in true darkness or in lighting conditions where you can not positively ID your target as a threat. If you have enough light to ID, then you have enough light to acquire a proper sight picture without using the dots.

 

I had standard Trijicon night sights on my issued duty gun. On a timer, the Spartan and Pro-Operators are significantly faster and more accurate in my experience. They were also priced lower than the Trijicons. They got swapped out with a quickness.

 

I am no wanna-be SWAT/Delta. I actually use the guns I have the Ameriglo sight on to do work and look for badguys. I have been using them (starting with set of orignal Operator Night Sights) since 2005. I chose them based on the recommendations of some really hard shooters who I had become friends with and whose guidance I trusted greatly, not because of any forum or because "it was what the cool kids had". Bottom line, the Spartans and Operator series sights flat work and are an excellent value to boot.

[bhunted 887]

Check your PM...

 

I actually take a sharpie and black out the rear tritium vials to make the dimmer. If it is too bright it is distracting and makes picking up the front sight more difficult than it has to be. Looking past a light source to see another light source is difficult in low light situation.

The Spartan and Pro-Operator sights I have are yellow rear, green front. I do like that option.

I also prefer to not have the white outline on the rear tritium vials. They are a distraction if you are using your sights properly. The "dots" on your sights are not supposed to be lined up when acquiring sight alignment or a sight picture. The dots, tritium or not, are there to provide a rough sight alignment in low light/no light conditions prior to settling on your final sight picture as you press the trigger. Proper sight alignment/sight picture should be based on the sharp outline of the front sight centered and level in the rear sight notch. You should not be shooting at anything in true darkness or in lighting conditions where you can not positively ID your target as a threat. If you have enough light to ID, then you have enough light to acquire a proper sight picture without using the dots.

I had standard Trijicon night sights on my issued duty gun. On a timer, the Spartan and Pro-Operators are significantly faster and more accurate in my experience. They were also priced lower than the Trijicons. They got swapped out with a quickness.

I am no wanna-be SWAT/Delta. I actually use the guns I have the Ameriglo sight on to do work and look for badguys. I have been using them (starting with set of orignal Operator Night Sights) since 2005. I chose them based on the recommendations of some really hard shooters who I had become friends with and whose guidance I trusted greatly, not because of any forum or because "it was what the cool kids had". Bottom line, the Spartans and Operator series sights flat work and are an excellent value to boot.

[Mach16lt 0]

I highly recommend XS Big Dot sights. I've gone through a 2 day pistol class and some USPSA and they're great.

 

They're a bit different than a post & notch system... May take a little getting used to. But I think they're really the best for any defensive situation... Day or night