AR15 sights and handgun sights

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Sentryau2

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So I'm having trouble shooting in low light conditions with my current set up. (Standard fixed front sight post and magpul bus) I've got two items picked out a mepro sight or HIVIZ fiber optic front sight. Im not sure how tritium night sights would work on a rifle. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002...C_UL100_SR100,86_&refRID=1TCB5QQZEW7T49X16C79
http://www.amazon.com/HIVIZ-Interchangeable-Fiber-Optic-Sight/dp/B001AQRUCO
I really like the green but I was wondering how well these would work? If anyone has any experience with them. My problem is locating the front sight post and seeing it in the shadows along with the target being blocked. I do NOT want to just paint it.
Does tritium work well on a handgun for pure darkness, or are fiber optics better? How about low light conditions.
I was going to get multiple of whatever product I select. A large diameter dot and a very small dot. I already don't like how innacurate the front sight post makes me but I'm worried if I go smaller locating it will be harder.
 
Not legal for hunting and I don't want to rely on technology. I have a large forested area I shoot in. Multiple targets, obstructions, quick moving and varying light situations. I have a bad astigmatism and when my equipment fights with me it makes for a bad day and poor training with little fun. I shoot 50/50 with glasses and without during the day at a shooting range I do equally well either way. At my place tho I might as well not bother taking a shot at anything past 50yards (10inch target) or 25yards (5inch target) if its a cloudy day or alot of shadows and I'm not wearing eyeglasses. 100$ in optics is cheaper than 3000$ worth of LASIK.
With a good scope I don't bother with glasses but a scope doesn't make for fast shooting. I'm not any kind of operator, I'm not a competition shooter but I this is a hobby I truly love.
 
Tritium is a luminous gas: it produces light and it's kept in a little glass vial that constitutes your front sight. In total darkness you'll be able to see it, however aligning it with your rear sight (it not being illuminated by tritium or other source) would be very difficult if not impossible. There are tritium rear sight options available.

I might add that a red-dot sight may be a good option. Instead of purchasing multiple front sight posts and what have you, a single, quality red-dot will provide you with arguably faster shooting on close targets and not strain your eyes with aligning a post and ring. Aimpoint makes the PRO but it is an investment. If you're not looking for a sight to handle heavy moisture or a significant beating then the Primary Arms Advanced red-dot or Holosun options are a great choice. All three will run for a very, very long time without being shut off, so you have the gun ready to go immediately.
 
Fiber optics need light to function, Tritium does not. Tritium front sights are generally larger and obscure a larger area than a mil spec post. A good red dot or low magnification Tritium optic would likely be the hot ticket.
 
You shouldn't even consider glow sights for shooting in total darkness.

Because if it's that dark, you can't ID what you are shooting.

Buy a good flashlight.

You will find the stock sights are lit up in Starline black profile when the target is illuminated and identified as shoot or don't shoot.

rc
 
Tritium does not glow. It emits Beta Radiation which causes phosphors in the tube it is in to glow.

The original Military system for the AR 15 M16A1 had a front sight that was the same size as a standard post. Some rifles were equipped with an enlarged rear sight appature much like on the A2 series rifles and some had very small tritium powered lights on those.

The did not stand up to handling as well as the Army would have liked and leaked, causing radioactive hot spots in unit Arms Rooms, especially on the rifle racks near where the front sight was when the rifle were locked away.

For several years the property book officer was responsible for locating , marking, and reporting such hot spots.

Personally I think the Army over reacted, but the US military seems to either not respond to a problem at all or go over board trying to fix it with nothing in between.

A tritium powered red dot scope might be do able, though with todays tech a battery powered unit would serve as well on the AR. As for the ruggedness of todays redot scopes and such.......how many service rifles and carbines do you see with just iron sights these days?

I believe at least two companies make handgun sights that are both tritium powered for night time use and like Williams fire sights with the light gathering rods for day use.

-kBob
 
id go fiber optic, as others have said tritium tubes are generally larger anyway.. but figure this between low light and no light (fiber optics vs tritium) if theres not enough light to see your fiber optic post, is there enough light to even see your target? where fiber optics leave off and tritium picks up is generally lighting conditions that are so low you wont be able to reliably see what youre shooting at besides close handgun distances
 
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