Defensive/Competition Pistol Sight Style. What's Your Favorite?

Hartkopf

Hartkopf

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Texas
For quick draw and shoot, quick acquisition, I've just used stock Glock sights for years but recently I'm considering sights which allow me to pick up on just the front sight better. I want to see the front sight quicker and easier but the stock Glock rear sight is a fairly narrow groove. I'm thinking about a big fat U groove for the rear sight and white dot for the front.

What's your favorite style and color combination of pistol sights for quick acquisition.
 
Lately, Ive been switching over to Ameriglo three dots with an orange ring on the front dot on my Glocks. The orange dot really grabs your eye and the front and rear sights are sized to give you a bit more light on the sides which makes it a lot easier to quickly get a good sight picture.

GL-241 | AMERIGLO.com

Your default description here
ameriglo.com ameriglo.com
 
Not a pistol shooter but on my revolvers I am switching to a gold bead on the foresight and a good notch on my rear sight.

It started with this bead, on a cut down Model 1917,

IMG_1025.jpeg

This is my latest, on a cut down Model 25-2,

IMG_0137.jpeg

I am slowly converting all my 4” revolvers to this type of sight.

Kevin
 
My only Glock has a red fiber optic Hiviz with the black portion painted white by me. I first tried the green, but the Hiviz green I tried looks like a washed out yellow to my eyes and isn't as easy for me to see as the red. https://www.hivizsights.com/product/gl2009/

The rear is a standard Glock steel replacement with the white "U" in it. At one time it was blacked out with a Sharpie, but I cleaned it back off. It’s a stained blue U now, call it a dimmed U.

On another non-Glock pistol I have an XS DXT2 Big Dot set. https://xssights.com/products/dxt2-big-dot-night-sights-fits-glock.html

Before these options, I had the typical tritium sights with white ring around the tritium vial (or white dots, white lines, etc.), but my eyes can't pick them up quickly anymore. I need big sights on defense guns, or red dots, or lasers, or . . . But I have to get by with white or orange paint on defense guns with fixed sights.
 
Last edited:
Hartkopf said:
For quick draw and shoot, quick acquisition, I've just used stock Glock sights for years but recently I'm considering sights which allow me to pick up on just the front sight better. I want to see the front sight quicker and easier but the stock Glock rear sight is a fairly narrow groove. I'm thinking about a big fat U groove for the rear sight and white dot for the front.

What's your favorite style and color combination of pistol sights for quick acquisition.
Click to expand...
K.I.S.S..... Simple blacked out rear and fiber front.
 
Hartkopf said:
a big fat U groove for the rear sight
Click to expand...
A wide rear sight notch allows more day light to be seen on both sides of the front sight. This does not improve accuracy in my testing.

Tried on Ruger MK1 5.5" barrel for ISU rapid fire in the 1970s. 5 shots in 4 seconds. 22lr. Recoiless.

My Feinwerkbau M65 177 air pistols rear sight gap was adjustable, by winding the spindle in front of the rear sight blade.
Here again, to wide, was less accurate.

Cant have both, defensive & competition. Imo.

May be different for you?

​

 
I kind of like day-glo but also plain black sights. Brass beads no longer "get er' done" for me in our very bright sunlight. The top of the sight just disappears. Yellow or orange paint does the same.
 
243winxb said:
Cant have both, defensive & competition. Imo.


​

Click to expand...
I tend to agree, depending on what type of competition. Shooting bullseye you want something accurate, like a narrow notch that the post exactly fills, and you have time to get the sight picture just right. For something like IDPA, you would rather have something quick to point, almost instinctive shooting. I just go with what the gun came with and adapt to it through practice.
 
I have volunteered at the annual Glock match for several years now. I pay attention to what everyone is using. The two most popular competition sights I saw were either a red fiber optic by Dawson Precision or fiber optic front, plain rear by Ameriglo. Here is their link. The sights are under their “specialty” category. I really liked those ones personally.

Link:

GFB-103 | AMERIGLO.com

Your default description here
ameriglo.com ameriglo.com
 
I've gone through just about everything: all black, red insert/white outline, 3-dots, 2-dots, dot over bar (both horizontal and vertical), express sights (XS), ghost ring, triangles, gutters panels, and dot in the goal post (Glock).

After giving them all a fair chance (6mos), I've come the the realization that the fastest combination really is a fiber optic front (wouldn't object to a night sight front dot) combined with an all black rear. I prefer a green fiber front about .10" wide paired with a .140" rear U-notch, for defensive purposes and Action Pistol games.

This combination is quick to pickup (nothing on the rear leaf to distract your eye), open enough to allow light into the rear notch to center the front blade, and accurate enough to make good hits at 50 yards
 
I like black rear sight and high visibility front best. Fiber already mentioned is great. So are these:

www.brownells.com

HACKATHORN NIGHT SIGHT SETS FOR GLOCK® | Brownells

Features: Ameriglo Hackathorn Sights feature a green tritium insert surrounded by an orange outline on the front sight, paired with a matte black rear sight Front Tritium insert is manufactured by Trijicon and installed by Ameriglo Steel sights ar...
www.brownells.com www.brownells.com

www.opticsplanet.com

Wilson Combat Vickers Elite Glock Sight Set Up to $7.04 Off w/ Free Shipping — 8 models

Shop Wilson Combat Vickers Elite Glock Sight Set | Up to $7.04 Off Be The First To Review Wilson Combat Vickers Elite Glock Sight Set + Free Shipping over $49.
www.opticsplanet.com www.opticsplanet.com
 
Daylight defensive? Nighttime defensive? What kind of competition?

I’ve got a Dawson fiber and black rear on my Tanfoglio Witness Limited, and I’ve spent a good amount of money trying to make all my other guns replicate that. For my serious defensive guns (the ones I actually carry) it’s a Tritium front sight. I don’t care as much about the rear sight for defensive guns, but even for USPSA (fast acquisition is important), the super-wide rear sight is not a winner. I compete in daylight only so far.
 
Have they done anything to the fiber optic sights to make them more robust and not break as easily? Ive only had those types of sights on a couple of guns, and they didnt hold up very well. I definitely wouldnt want them on anything I was counting on for anything serious.

I like the tritium three dots as they give you usable and reasonably precise sights in all light, even without a traditional sight picture. You actually get a fast, usable sight picture, just using the dots too, with both horizontal and vertical alignment.
 
trackskippy said:
Have they done anything to the fiber optic sights to make them more robust and not break as easily? Ive only had those types of sights on a couple of guns, and they didnt hold up very well. I definitely wouldnt want them on anything I was counting on for anything serious.

I like the tritium three dots as they give you usable and reasonably precise sights in all light, even without a traditional sight picture. You actually get a fast, usable sight picture, just using the dots too, with both horizontal and vertical alignment.
Click to expand...

Some Fiber optic is much better than others. I have the “fragile” type on target guns. For defense guns, I do like the molded in HiViz, but I’ve not torture tested them.
 
9mmepiphany said:
After giving them all a fair chance (6mos), I've come the the realization that the fastest combination really is a fiber optic front (wouldn't object to a night sight front dot) combined with an all black rear. I prefer a green fiber front about .10" wide paired with a .140" rear U-notch, for defensive purposes and Action Pistol games.
Click to expand...


Agreed. I run a Henie ledge rear with Dawson FO on a lot of mine.
 
chicharrones said:
How does that fiber optic sight gather light if it's covered by metal? Maybe I went to the wrong web page . . .
Click to expand...
I suspect it is from the front and back. Perhaps it isn't as bright as those that are completely open on the top, though I have seen comments from folks that black Sharpie the top of their fiber optic rods to reduce brightness.
 
9mmepiphany said:
I've gone through just about everything: all black, red insert/white outline, 3-dots, 2-dots, dot over bar (both horizontal and vertical), express sights (XS), ghost ring, triangles, gutters panels, and dot in the goal post (Glock).

After giving them all a fair chance (6mos), I've come the the realization that the fastest combination really is a fiber optic front (wouldn't object to a night sight front dot) combined with an all black rear. I prefer a green fiber front about .10" wide paired with a .140" rear U-notch, for defensive purposes and Action Pistol games.

This combination is quick to pickup (nothing on the rear leaf to distract your eye), open enough to allow light into the rear notch to center the front blade, and accurate enough to make good hits at 50 yards
Click to expand...
I’m in agreement here …. so much so I’m in the market to change sights on my G22.3 to this setup. Currently looking for a set.
 
For a strictly defensive carry piece, I really like the original Sig P365 sights: Green surround on a tritium dot front, and double dots on the rear. At defensive distances, out to 15 yds for me, this combination will allow fast acquisition for controlled pairs to the thorax but still have the precision for playing card sized groups (ocular cavity shots) out to 15 yds. This particular type of front does seem much sturdier than the S&W M63 front mentioned below.

The green dot on the Sig really pops out in any daylight condition for my use....a good defensive, quick reaction sight IMHO.

But for a dual use gun, (defensive as well as woods walking etc.), the fiber front is just not as accurate as a plain white or black front post. Groups jsut about double in size for me, when using the fiber types.

Lastly, I have a S&W M63 with a 3" bbl. that would be a great woods companion but for that damnable front fiber optic (Who, I ask, needs a quick reaction defensive sight on a .22?) .... it just doesn't have the precision in my use....and too, it appears somewhat flimsy, with thin steel tubing material enclosing the front and rear portions of the fiber strand. That said, I haven't damaged either the Sig nor this S&W fiber optic front in several years of carry, and have banged both a cpl of times enough to worry about damage.

YMMv, Rod
 
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