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

[Mizar]

For a cheap a** sights upgrade on a Glock you can just install the plastic OEM rear sight backwards - i.e. white outline facing to the front and widen the notch to your liking with a fine Swiss file under a minute.

 

[Nuke8401]

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

Same here,
Warren sights from Dawson Precision.
Wide gap, the eye is very good at centering the front sight and for distance you can see around the front blade to see the target if you are holding over. Such as a IDPA/USPSA target at 100 yds.
I’ve been using them since about 2004 in IDPA.
Trijicon started making “HD XR Night sights” (wide gap) which I have on my carry guns.
HD XR
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Building on the features of the popular HD™ Night Sights, the Trijicon HD XR™ Night Sights are for the next level of advanced target identification and engagement at increased distances, ideal for police and competitive shooters.

A thinner front sight post allows the shooter to have a larger field of view which further enhances the ability to identify targets, expedite engagements and see hits on target at longer distances. Local and federal law enforcement and pistol shooters that need the advantage of a more precise engagement in any light can count on the Trijicon HD XR™ Night Sights.
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[Hartkopf]

For a cheap a** sights upgrade on a Glock you can just install the plastic OEM rear sight backwards - i.e. white outline facing to the front and widen the notch to your liking with a fine Swiss file under a minute.

I was considering modifying the stock rear sight because I am definitely a cheap a**. But I found these on sale. So far they’re an improvement for me.


They are TruGlo tritium X for under $50.

 

[EMC45]

I have Ameriglos on my G42 and G48. The Agent on the 48 and the Hackathorns on the 42.

 

[zeke]

Am not a competition shooter, but like the stock Glock style sights for up close. Was late to Glocks, and call their stock sights "old man sights". However use the stock sights in another manner at closer distances, where the big whites come in very handy. Instead of concentrating on the front sight, am looking at target over top the sights whities. Surprising the accuracy/speed combination can be with some practice on general silhouettes (without small target area to concentrate on). Also have some revolvers adapted to wider gaps between front and rear sights, and used in similar manner.

 

[.38 Special]

After having tried most of the available variations - white outlines, colored inserts, various glow-in-the-dark things - I like a matte black blade and ramp with serrations. These are done to perfection on the S&W Model 41, as well as on the old Aristocrat PPC ribs, Hamilton Bowen's "Rough Country" sights for Rugers, and several others. For me, they are easily the best for target work in any sort of light. For slowfire precision I will take a relatively narrow notch, and when things begin to favor speed in lieu of accuracy, I like the notch to open up. Not only do I find such sights more accurate, I find them faster: anything that complicates the sight picture makes me think too much, and thus slows me down.

The one downside is that the things are utterly useless in the dark. Frankly, I don't shoot any sights very well in the dark and so don't have a strong opinion on equipment for such work. I probably have had best results with an auto-adjusting dot, but frankly, I do just about as well with point shooting, in truly dark conditions.

 

[lawboy]

i have three dot or two dot night sights on just about all my iron-sighted defensive handguns, post front, square notch rear.
However, I am starting to think plain black sights might be preferable. I seem to see the outside edges of the plain black sights more crisply in all light conditions than I do the sights with tritium inserts.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I seem to see the outside edges of the plain black sights more crisply in all light conditions than I do the sights with tritium inserts.

That's because your subconscious is trying to "read" the rear dots...they are distraction your eyes

I have an interesting's custom rear sight setup on an old SIG 220. The custom made rear sight has a recessed blade flanked by buttresses to prevent snagging. Under the rear notch is a horizontal night-sight bar. Aiming is by centering the front dot over the bar...and hence in the rear notch

 

[someguy2800]

3 dot green tritium with white outline on all 3

 

[trackskippy]

That's because your subconscious is trying to "read" the rear dots...they are distraction your eyes

I have an interesting's custom rear sight setup on an old SIG 220. The custom made rear sight has a recessed blade flanked by buttresses to prevent snagging. Under the rear notch is a horizontal night-sight bar. Aiming is by centering the front dot over the bar...and hence in the rear notch

My conscious/subconscious sees the rear dots as part of "the" sight picture, and I dont find them to be a distraction at all. The dots "are" my sight picture from about 10 yards and in, and dont see, or start to go to a traditional sight picture until Im further out.

In the past, Ive tried the dot on dot "Figure 8" type sights, and a few others, and they all tend to be more distracting to me, because my brain wants to try and resolve the "gap" between them, looking for that alignment that cant really be solved or at least quickly confirmed, where the three dots give you both vertical and horizontal conformation, pretty much instantly, and without thought.

 

[StrykerByte.45]

I like fiber optic sights because I can see them with my peripheral when shooting from retention or as I draw the gun up get get a sight picture I begin sight alignment almost immediately. Once I got my sights up I use the posts rather than the dots. Light between the posts is actually easier for me to align than the dots. I'm target focused. So might sight picture is peripheral.

 

[StrykerByte.45]

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.

Truglo have more cover around them to protect them. Picture on the previous comment above. They are steel and nitride coated and won't scratch or damage. However, the fiber optics won't pick up as much light as the ones that are less covered. I used to have a high-vis that had more exposure and like a wrap around type of covering but I wouldn't say that it was very well covered.

 

[Riomouse911]

On defensive autos, the Tru Glo fiber optic sights are great. Almost all of my Glocks wear those or tritium dots.

On defensive revolvers I like a FO sight, like the Colt Cobra, or a bright orange-painted ramp like these older S&W Models 64 and 65.

Target guns get a Patridge blade and a black adjustable rear.



But a few of my autos came with a FO front and a black blade/adjustable rear.




Now I am also working with red dot sights on handguns. On AR rifles I have used them with good success for ages, so now I am trying them out on slide-cut semi-auto handguns, too.



Stay safe.

 

[StrykerByte.45]

 

[dweis]

To be clear I am writing about defensive not target sights. Please keep that in mind ass you read my expresssed opinion. The word “defensive” is misleading, In a self defense encounter as you come under threat or fire you actually switch from defense to offense the moment you dare your gun unless you draw it to cover your retreat. So i am speaking about any situation in which you are not retreating. But instead standing your ground.

In most cases any civilian encounter with an armed assailant will be at close quarters. To me that means being face-to-face and up to about 20 feet. In QCB that under20 feet distance dictates that speed is more critical than accuracy. If you take the time to align sights against an armed enemy, you will likely be the victim. So to me sights are a luxury for using when there is distance and time. Otherwise i am putting my front sight on target, quickly leveling the gun, and shooting. I sat this because i learned it the hard way in Nam. Having time to aim in CQB is a luxury. So for me plainirin sights are fine in QCB.