possum
Member
I have had my eye on Ken Hackathorn sights to add to one of my Glocks for sometime now. I acquired a set recently and had them installed on my G17 Gen 4.
In short
They are outstanding. I figured I would post up my thoughts to aid anyone who may be on the fence about them. First and foremost, if you do not know who Ken Hackathorn is, we have an issue. Joking, but not really. The first thing that popped out at me about these sights was that they had a single tritium lamp in the front and a very bright orange ring around that lamp. I also liked the fact that the rear had a 90 degree face (one handed manipulations) and was blacked out.
This set up allows you to be able to focus on the front sight under multiple lighting conditions. The orange ring is bright, very bright, you can not help but see it. While the tritium lamp burns nice and clear like it should.
I have come to be a huge fan of blacked out rear sights. Adding dots, or dashes, or anything else to the rear sight makes for a cluttered sight picture in my opinion. I have used three dot Trijicons for years, as well as other types of sights with various marks so one can align their sights. However, I do not use the dots on sights to align my sights. I focus on the front sight and ensure that I have equal light, equal height in regards to the rear sight and disregard the dots or other reference points.
The only time that I have lined up the dots to take a shot is when I was shooting in extreme darkness and was not using a flashlight. When using a flashlight, the front and rear are back lit and often times the tritium is washed out anyway. So only having one dot and a bright one at that to focus on is more in line with what I have come to like in pistol sights.
Best of Both Worlds:
If you could imagine a set of XS big dot sights and a set of standard notch and post being combined; that is essentially what you get with the Hackathorn sights. I used XS sights for years and though they are good at certain things. However, they are not best (for me) at being able to make precision shots. I will say that XS sights are outstanding and they are a great choice for defense and pretty much cover all the bases in the context of the realities of most defensive shooting.
However, with the Hackathorn sights you get the advantage of a large dot on the front and still have the ability to use the sights in the traditional notch and post fashion for more precision. The Hackathorn sights are fast and accurate sights.
I had several theories going into my last range session which was yesterday. This was my first trip to the range since the sights had been installed. I shot a total of 300rds through the G17 Gen 4 and Hackathorn sight combo.
Results:
1) At 7yds, I was consistently able to present the gun and use only the orange ring on the sights to get accurate hits stacked one on top of the other in a head target. Not an IPDA or IPSC head, but the head of an SEB target. The SEB is an FBI Q with a 6" chest and pelvic box, and a small upside down triangle in the head (CNS). All rounds landed into the triangle, and the hits were attained very fast.
2) I conducted the LAV 1/2 test and scored a 100/100 and got the fastest times that I have previously. I used only the front dot as a reference point.
3) I then knew the sights were going to be acceptable at 0-21 feet so I wanted to see what else they were capable of. I also wanted to see what they could do if used in the traditional manner. I went to the 10yd line and conducted the LAV test, I shot the fastest LAV test that I have previously and scored a 98/100. My best previously was 97/100 and about 3/4 of a second slower. 10yds is the outer limits of most defensive encounters. However, I train for the worst so I wanted to keep going.
4) I then stepped back to 15yds and was easily able to keep all rounds into the black rings on the B-8 targets. Shooting from 25yds and beyond will come later, I still had something else I wanted to test out with the rest of the ammo I had on hand.
5) Shooting on the move: I essentially used the orange ring on the front sight like a red dot sight on a carbine. From 10-3yds and 3-10yds, I was able to use the orange ring and press the trigger and shots landed in the high center chest areas of the SEB targets. Shooting on the move accurately with these sights are easy and much like using XS big dot sights.
Conclusion:
1) I am going to run the sights a lot over the next few months. If they continue to impress me the way that they did today; I will be adding them to any gun that I own for defensive purposes.
2) If you have aging eyes, these sights would help you a lot. If you have a handgun for defense; these sights would be a great asset to you.
3) Some people have stated that the orange ring forces your eye to the center of the front sight rather than the tip, I could see how this could happen. However, at the distances usually associated with defensive encounters (and then some), accurate hits can be made fast and easily. You might have to focus a little more to get that front sight tip while shooting at distance but you are going to have to focus more anyway to get the hits that you need to get at those ranges. I feel that the orange ring does not hinder you at all in the context of the real world and defensive scenarios. In gun games they may not be the best choice. Unless of course you are like me and use in competition what you carry everyday.
In short
They are outstanding. I figured I would post up my thoughts to aid anyone who may be on the fence about them. First and foremost, if you do not know who Ken Hackathorn is, we have an issue. Joking, but not really. The first thing that popped out at me about these sights was that they had a single tritium lamp in the front and a very bright orange ring around that lamp. I also liked the fact that the rear had a 90 degree face (one handed manipulations) and was blacked out.
This set up allows you to be able to focus on the front sight under multiple lighting conditions. The orange ring is bright, very bright, you can not help but see it. While the tritium lamp burns nice and clear like it should.
I have come to be a huge fan of blacked out rear sights. Adding dots, or dashes, or anything else to the rear sight makes for a cluttered sight picture in my opinion. I have used three dot Trijicons for years, as well as other types of sights with various marks so one can align their sights. However, I do not use the dots on sights to align my sights. I focus on the front sight and ensure that I have equal light, equal height in regards to the rear sight and disregard the dots or other reference points.
The only time that I have lined up the dots to take a shot is when I was shooting in extreme darkness and was not using a flashlight. When using a flashlight, the front and rear are back lit and often times the tritium is washed out anyway. So only having one dot and a bright one at that to focus on is more in line with what I have come to like in pistol sights.
Best of Both Worlds:
If you could imagine a set of XS big dot sights and a set of standard notch and post being combined; that is essentially what you get with the Hackathorn sights. I used XS sights for years and though they are good at certain things. However, they are not best (for me) at being able to make precision shots. I will say that XS sights are outstanding and they are a great choice for defense and pretty much cover all the bases in the context of the realities of most defensive shooting.
However, with the Hackathorn sights you get the advantage of a large dot on the front and still have the ability to use the sights in the traditional notch and post fashion for more precision. The Hackathorn sights are fast and accurate sights.
I had several theories going into my last range session which was yesterday. This was my first trip to the range since the sights had been installed. I shot a total of 300rds through the G17 Gen 4 and Hackathorn sight combo.
Results:
1) At 7yds, I was consistently able to present the gun and use only the orange ring on the sights to get accurate hits stacked one on top of the other in a head target. Not an IPDA or IPSC head, but the head of an SEB target. The SEB is an FBI Q with a 6" chest and pelvic box, and a small upside down triangle in the head (CNS). All rounds landed into the triangle, and the hits were attained very fast.
2) I conducted the LAV 1/2 test and scored a 100/100 and got the fastest times that I have previously. I used only the front dot as a reference point.
3) I then knew the sights were going to be acceptable at 0-21 feet so I wanted to see what else they were capable of. I also wanted to see what they could do if used in the traditional manner. I went to the 10yd line and conducted the LAV test, I shot the fastest LAV test that I have previously and scored a 98/100. My best previously was 97/100 and about 3/4 of a second slower. 10yds is the outer limits of most defensive encounters. However, I train for the worst so I wanted to keep going.
4) I then stepped back to 15yds and was easily able to keep all rounds into the black rings on the B-8 targets. Shooting from 25yds and beyond will come later, I still had something else I wanted to test out with the rest of the ammo I had on hand.
5) Shooting on the move: I essentially used the orange ring on the front sight like a red dot sight on a carbine. From 10-3yds and 3-10yds, I was able to use the orange ring and press the trigger and shots landed in the high center chest areas of the SEB targets. Shooting on the move accurately with these sights are easy and much like using XS big dot sights.
Conclusion:
1) I am going to run the sights a lot over the next few months. If they continue to impress me the way that they did today; I will be adding them to any gun that I own for defensive purposes.
2) If you have aging eyes, these sights would help you a lot. If you have a handgun for defense; these sights would be a great asset to you.
3) Some people have stated that the orange ring forces your eye to the center of the front sight rather than the tip, I could see how this could happen. However, at the distances usually associated with defensive encounters (and then some), accurate hits can be made fast and easily. You might have to focus a little more to get that front sight tip while shooting at distance but you are going to have to focus more anyway to get the hits that you need to get at those ranges. I feel that the orange ring does not hinder you at all in the context of the real world and defensive scenarios. In gun games they may not be the best choice. Unless of course you are like me and use in competition what you carry everyday.
