Same color night sights, am I missing something

[Onty]

Just stumbled on these night sights, they are advertised as a set https://www.ebay.com/itm/TSA-GLOW-IN-THE-DARK-NIGHT-SIGHTS-FOR-GLOCK-42-43-43X-48-/274498309247 :

View attachment 998750

Am I missing something here, shouldn't front sight be a different color than rear one?

 

[CajunBass]

I don't have much experience with night sights, but the two I've had were all three the same color.

 

[Pat Riot]

Some sights are different colors. Some are the same. I have Tru-Glo TFX fiber optic night sights on my Glock 45 and I had them on my Glock 26. At first I was concerned about them being the same color but once I installed them and tested them I like them just fine.

Here are two pictures of them in dark settings.

Almost completely dark:


Pitch black - no light


The photos have a little blur. It’s hard to get focus on an iPhone in the dark.

 

[shoobe01]

I say yes the OP is right. Most people don't put that much thought into it, so end up with three identical vials. That also means the rear sights are WAY brighter than the front. Yes, it causes issues.

The simplest answer is dimness control. I simply sharpie over the rears. Not my idea, but it works. They get so dim the front is easy to acquire to pointshoot, then if you have a good target so want to aim more, you can find the rears to line it all up with no particular issue. Similarly, after I had my S&W 59xx for 15 years or so, I replaced JUST the front, and removed the sharpie from the rear. Good brightness difference preserved, and I got to be a cheapskate also!

Different colors is another good idea, BUT don't think of colors as light bulb colors. Look also at how efficient the phosphors are. Red for example is very dim, so not a good front. Here's a chart of relative brightnesses:

Now you see why they are usually green!

 

[Pat Riot]

@shoobe01 makes a good point. Thanks for that chart, by the way.

When I bought my sights they had another set of sights with a green front and yellow rear. I thought at the time that green and yellow weren’t far enough apart on the color spectrum and just decided to get the TFX sights because they were also fiber optic. The yellow / green were not.
Had I seen shoobe01’s color chart before buying I may have bought the other sights.

I am happy with my choice though.

Also, I have a S&W 327 Night Guard with a front night sight. I stands out nicely in the dark but with no other light source, like a flashlight, it is very hard to determine if the sights are lined up. I have not shot it in the dark but I am sure the glowing front sight would aid in point shooting.
I also have a S&W model 60 Pro that had a front night sight blade. It had a tritium sight that was .125” wide. The tritium vial was .050” in diameter. Way too dim and very hard to find in the dark. S&W changed the sight for me when I complained about it when I was sending it back for other warranty issues. The new sight made no difference. It was to dim to be used effectively.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

All of mine are the same color by sets.

Todd.

 

[DukeConnor]

I only install a night sight on the front. Not sure why i prefer that but it works well for me. just sort of press the gun forward.

 

[chicharrones]

Just stumbled on these night sights, they are advertised as a set https://www.ebay.com/itm/TSA-GLOW-IN-THE-DARK-NIGHT-SIGHTS-FOR-GLOCK-42-43-43X-48-/274498309247 :

View attachment 998750

Am I missing something here, shouldn't front sight be a different color than rear one?

Those look like the kind you have to charge with a flashlight before use, and therefore only last minutes instead of years like tritium.

In that case, one could barely hit the rear sights with the flashlight, yet fully charge the front sight with the same flashlight.

 

[chicharrones]

Also, I have a S&W 327 Night Guard with a front night sight. I stands out nicely in the dark but with no other light source, like a flashlight, it is very hard to determine if the sights are lined up. I have not shot it in the dark but I am sure the glowing front sight would aid in point shooting.
I also have a S&W model 60 Pro that had a front night sight blade. It had a tritium sight that was .125” wide. The tritium vial was .050” in diameter. Way too dim and very hard to find in the dark. S&W changed the sight for me when I complained about it when I was sending it back for other warranty issues. The new sight made no difference. It was to dim to be used effectively.

Yep, my eyes can't pick up the little tritium glow like I could when I had younger eyes. I really need a red dot or laser for near dark conditions now.

 

[Anchorite]

Some interesting posts. I’m curious as to these new holo-sights I see on pistols now …. Just can’t figure out how one cc’s them!

 

[Anchorite]

@shoobe01 makes a good point. Thanks for that chart, by the way.

When I bought my sights they had another set of sights with a green front and yellow rear. I thought at the time that green and yellow weren’t far enough apart on the color spectrum and just decided to get the TFX sights because they were also fiber optic. The yellow / green were not.
Had I seen shoobe01’s color chart before buying I may have bought the other sights.

I am happy with my choice though.

Also, I have a S&W 327 Night Guard with a front night sight. I stands out nicely in the dark but with no other light source, like a flashlight, it is very hard to determine if the sights are lined up. I have not shot it in the dark but I am sure the glowing front sight would aid in point shooting.
I also have a S&W model 60 Pro that had a front night sight blade. It had a tritium sight that was .125” wide. The tritium vial was .050” in diameter. Way too dim and very hard to find in the dark. S&W changed the sight for me when I complained about it when I was sending it back for other warranty issues. The new sight made no difference. It was to dim to be used effectively.

I’ve got 2 pistols with red front sights and I like the contrast with rear dots. Helps me pick the front sight up very quickly. YMMV.

 

[shoobe01]

Not sure there's much value in phosphorescent (glow in the dark or GITD) sights because you have to charge them and who plans their gunfights I will say good charges on general good GITD materials will last hours, not minutes, but you do have to charge them. And your flashlight won't do that.

Now, what's confusing is that it used to. GITD materials absorb light to change the charge state of some molecules which then emit light slowly over time. Weird part is they absorb only UV light. In fact, only appx 365 nm UV light. So, they work great in sunlight, pretty well for incandescent white light bulbs (which are horribly inefficient, emit all sorts of other radiation) and really, really poorly from white light LEDs.

So if you do still use cateyes or have some glow in the dark think for anything at all (even you just may have to evacuate from a high rise with glowing markers on the staircases) get yourself a UV keychain light to charge the stuff up. 1 second with very very dim UV will beat 30 seconds with a modern LED 1000 lumen light. Really.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Not sure there's much value in phosphorescent (glow in the dark or GITD) sights because you have to charge them and who plans their gunfights I will say good charges on general good GITD materials will last hours, not minutes, but you do have to charge them. And your flashlight won't do that.

I figure that in that case, it's more about transitioning from light to dark or low light - already drawn. The carry-over from limited exposure is usually quite striking to me.

Todd.

 

[Riomouse911]

While there is no harm in having different color sight vials/tubes, I’ve been packing all-green night sights on duty and off duty guns for 30 years now (instructing for more than a decade) and off hand I can’t recall anyone ever saying one-color sights are an issue either on the range or after a shooting.

But, I will say that a different color sight may help someone brand new to shooting find the front sight a bit faster in total or near-total darkness. A single tritium dot serves much the same purpose. A different color can also be a benefit to teach a brand-newbie front-sight focus, which is sometimes tough to do with a limited range time or short ammo supply.

I find glowing sights a tactical necessity on a duty or defensive gun. The best thing about a set of glowing sights is all three lit dots draw attention to the sights as the gun comes up into view when light is dim, so there is a real value to having them on a defensive gun. With experience a shooter realizes during practice that the front sight is doing most of the moving while aiming, so I believe that even in rapidly unfolding situations the brain picks it up and realizes it’s the front sight no matter the color.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with mixing colors. To do or not, IMHO, is a personal choice.

Stay safe.

 

[stanley_white]

Hit the two rear dots with a black sharpie and it will dull their glow and make the front sight stand out more.

-Stan

 

[DR505]

My Wilson CQB came with green front dot and yellow rear dots. My Novak sights on my Commander are a green dot over a green bar. The bar is just under the rear sight notch and exactly the same width...my favorite setup so far. I will see if I can photo....

 

[Anchorite]

While there is no harm in having different color sight vials/tubes, I’ve been packing all-green night sights on duty and off duty guns for 30 years now (instructing for more than a decade) and off hand I can’t recall anyone ever saying one-color sights are an issue either on the range or after a shooting.

But, I will say that a different color sight may help someone brand new to shooting find the front sight a bit faster in total or near-total darkness. A single tritium dot serves much the same purpose. A different color can also be a benefit to teach a brand-newbie front-sight focus, which is sometimes tough to do with a limited range time or short ammo supply.

I find glowing sights a tactical necessity on a duty or defensive gun. The best thing about a set of glowing sights is all three lit dots draw attention to the sights as the gun comes up into view when light is dim, so there is a real value to having them on a defensive gun. With experience a shooter realizes during practice that the front sight is doing most of the moving while aiming, so I believe that even in rapidly unfolding situations the brain picks it up and realizes it’s the front sight no matter the color.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with mixing colors. To do or not, IMHO, is a personal choice.

Stay safe.

Three dots allow precise shooting when it gets darker … you can align horizontally/ vertically with 3-dots, something you cannot do as well with 2-dots.

Some of my shooting buddies love the 3-dot Mepros that are green/orange. And while with the 3-dot setup the dots are (or should be) similar in size, the different-colored front sight seems to draw the brain/sight that ever-so-quicker, or so we tell ourselves.

Good topic stuff. Thanks for the posts!

 

[DR505]

Best I could do with my iPhone, but you get the picture...

 

[EMC45]

I have Trijicons on my G36. There are the same color front and rear.

 

[chicharrones]

Not sure there's much value in phosphorescent (glow in the dark or GITD) sights because you have to charge them and who plans their gunfights I will say good charges on general good GITD materials will last hours, not minutes, but you do have to charge them. And your flashlight won't do that.

Now, what's confusing is that it used to. GITD materials absorb light to change the charge state of some molecules which then emit light slowly over time. Weird part is they absorb only UV light. In fact, only appx 365 nm UV light. So, they work great in sunlight, pretty well for incandescent white light bulbs (which are horribly inefficient, emit all sorts of other radiation) and really, really poorly from white light LEDs.

So if you do still use cateyes or have some glow in the dark think for anything at all (even you just may have to evacuate from a high rise with glowing markers on the staircases) get yourself a UV keychain light to charge the stuff up. 1 second with very very dim UV will beat 30 seconds with a modern LED 1000 lumen light. Really.

Good info on the UV light making for better charging of glow in the dark material. I never considered that before, which would explain why some of my watches glow extra bright after being exposed to sunlight.

But I carry concealed, so getting UV onto carry gun sights is never going to happen for me.

However, it does make me think of the possibility of buying a 115 VAC plug in UV lamp and setting a home defense pistol next to it for all time charging at night. That might be the answer for those that have a harder time seeing little tritium vials in middle age, like myself.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Am I missing something here, shouldn't front sight be a different color than rear one?

When night sights were first introduced, all three dots were the same color and intensity. The offerings of different color front and rear dots are a fairly recent development (10-15 years?)

 

[9mmepiphany]

Three dots allow precise shooting when it gets darker … you can align horizontally/ vertically with 3-dots, something you cannot do as well with 2-dots.

In practical usage, that simply isn't true. It might be true with someone who hasn't even shot with night sights previously or hasn't practiced with the sights on their pistols.

We did a lot of testing when night sights first came on the market and found that aligning (floating) the two dots atop each other was just as accurate and much faster. A bit more accurate was a front dot and a rear horizontal bar under the rear notch...easier to center in the rear notch. The popularity of the 3-dot configuration is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how sights are aligned when used at speed.

 

[jmr40]

Traditionally they have always been the same color. Recently some manufacturers have started making some with the front a different color than the rear. IMO it is a solution in search of a problem.

I no longer use night sights anyway. A weapons mounted light costs less, works better and the batteries are easy to replace. Night sights have a life of 8-12 years and are much more expensive to replace.

 

[DR505]

Traditionally they have always been the same color. Recently some manufacturers have started making some with the front a different color than the rear. IMO it is a solution in search of a problem.

I no longer use night sights anyway. A weapons mounted light costs less, works better and the batteries are easy to replace. Night sights have a life of 8-12 years and are much more expensive to replace.

My 2004 build Wilson CQB has two different colors, so some manufacturers have been doing this for a while.

Every issue duty weapon I have used came with night sights. A weapon mounted light is quite impractical for some situations. A light won’t make sense on a Glock 27 in an ankle holster, but night sights do.

 

[crestoncowboy]

I have a Glock 27 with a different color front. Tfo set i think. I have several guns with factory sig/ Glock/ HK etc and trijicon sights that are the same color. I have no preference really. Same color works fine.