View Full Version : .125 high vis front sight choices
I have decided that the Trijicon HD front is too wide for me. I am really happy with them otherwise. Can anybody recommend a high vis front sight in orange that measures .125? Does the orange TCAP exist? I can't find one to buy online. If somebody would make the equivalent of HD's with a .125 front sight, I would be all over it. Is Langdon's front sight project still in the works?
Heinie straight 8's with orange painted front sight. The tritium is so recessed that the paint doesn't touch it. I cleaned with rubbing alcohol then hit it with a white paint pen with felt tip a couple times then used model paint (neon orange) with these micro foamish? Brushes that were next to the paint at the model store. Easy as could be and just as bright as HD's.
Heinie straight 8's with orange painted front sight...
I have considered that option. The main thing holding me back is I would like 3 dots instead of 2. Heinie doesn't do a 3 dot version, do they?
HopetonBrown
03-29-2016, 10:35 PM
TCAP from Ameriglo.
TCAP from Ameriglo.
If you can show me a link to buy an orange TCAP, I will order one. As far as I can tell, they are only available in lime green which isn't going to work for me.
HopetonBrown
03-29-2016, 10:59 PM
If you can show me a link to buy an orange TCAP, I will order one. As far as I can tell, they are only available in lime green which isn't going to work for me.
GL-626, presumably from Ameriglo.
GL-626, presumably from Ameriglo.
Ameriglo.com says they are out of stock. Amazon and Optics Planet don't have listings for that model number. They just have the lime green.
HopetonBrown
03-29-2016, 11:19 PM
Perhaps you could phone Ameriglo in the morning to enquire when it would be in stock.
I have considered that option. The main thing holding me back is I would like 3 dots instead of 2. Heinie doesn't do a 3 dot version, do they?
http://www.heinie.com/3190p-q-heinies-glock-slantpro-qwik-3-d-night-sight-set/
EricM
03-30-2016, 08:17 AM
Dawson's tritium front sights (https://dawsonprecision.com/glock-tritium-front-sights-1/) are .125" wide, available in a variety of heights, and the white ring is recessed, not underneath the lens. While I have not tried it myself, I would think it would be possible to tint the ring with a marker or even fill it with paint if you had a way to apply it precisely.
The orange TCAP exists. I know because it has been on my G17 for months(?) now. I've posted about it a few other places here. I forget the exact model number, could find it tonight if necessary, but you can just call them and they'll set you up. That's what I did.
The orange TCAP exists. I know because it has been on my G17 for months(?) now. I've posted about it a few other places here. I forget the exact model number, could find it tonight if necessary, but you can just call them and they'll set you up. That's what I did.
How do you like it?
Heinie straight 8's with orange painted front sight. The tritium is so recessed that the paint doesn't touch it. I cleaned with rubbing alcohol then hit it with a white paint pen with felt tip a couple times then used model paint (neon orange) with these micro foamish? Brushes that were next to the paint at the model store. Easy as could be and just as bright as HD's.
http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp81/hook_setter/EEE4462C-BF99-4D3B-B7D8-463B6D5A432E_zpsjjw8gsnl.jpg (http://s400.photobucket.com/user/hook_setter/media/EEE4462C-BF99-4D3B-B7D8-463B6D5A432E_zpsjjw8gsnl.jpg.html)
^^Seriously...single coat of flat white to prime, then two light coats of whatever fluorescent paint you prefer. On a serrated front, you can apply paint with a toothpick, stuff'll "bleed" across the serrations and self-level somewhat. Non-serrated, brushes definitely work better for even coats, though I've used toothpicks on those, too.
Blammo, hi-vis sight.
You can elect to paint top to bottom, or just enough of it to draw your eye. If you use a sight with a trit vial surrounded by a white outline, and don't like that outline, paint it, just be a little more careful so that you don't paint your trit vial.
We talking Glock? Get the 2-dot rear of your choice, bench and shoot for groups with your existing front, do the math (see Dawson Precision for front sight height calculator: https://dawsonprecision.com/sight-calculator/)
...and get the appropriate-height 10-8 or Heinie trit front. Each offers 3 heights.
Luke, thanks for posting that picture. That is really helpful.
No problem. When I get home I'll take a picture of the small brushes I use.
How do you like it?
It is very nice. It pairs up very well with ameriglo's .150" notch rears. The orange paint is of very good quality and holds up well over time, much better than the Birchwood Casey paint marker I was using before.
The orange is bright enough to really glow in good lighting (e.g. outdoors). In shadows indoors when aiming against light targets, I don't mentally process it and instead think of my sights as all black. I'm fine with that. It does however provide useful contrast against dark targets in many lighting conditions.
Here are my issues with it, most of which have no good solution on the market without customization:
I think I really want something thinner than .125". That thickness seems to be just beyond what I want for readily hitting the smallest targets that I care about (1" squares at 7 yards). In COTS tritium, we can't do better.
The tritium vial is very small. Smaller than I think it absolutely needs to be. I'd need to see a classic Operator front to compare, but I think the tritium vial might be smaller than that. I think it is smaller than necessary for .125" within NRG regs, and if so I speculate it is so that they could fit a substantial square of paint around it. However, talking with some others, it sounds like COTS .125" tritium sights do have significantly smaller vials, so maybe it is as big as it can be and I'm just imagining things. The main issue is that if you pair it up with any tritium rear, there is going to be a big difference in perceived dot size. I don't think any of the rears use the same size vial.
On the above point, I question how useful this sort of tritium is. I once experimented with a yellow TCAP front and Pro Operator rear in the sort of lighting conditions where tritium is supposed to excel: dim and mixed lighting conditions where all black sights are hard to acquire yet the target is still identifiable. I found that, under speed and stress, the tritium vials were almost invisible, even when I could see them clearly before and after the drill. I got very thrown off by drawing to what looked like all black sights. I think it is a mixture of their dimness and their size...and we're talking fresh vials. They really don't jump out except in very dark situations (think your room at night with the lights all off).
If you pair it with a Pro Operator rear, the three tritium vials will not line up when the sights are aligned (equal height). The front vial will sit higher. This is also complicated by the relative difference in vial size. With the orange TCAP, I have been running it with a plain black rear. I bought a classic Operator rear to try, but I have not gotten around to it and I fully expect it will have the same problem. In fact, based on what I've heard, I believe all Ameriglo sights have this problem, even the matched sets. This is not a problem with the TCAP. It is a problem with the rears that could be easily fixed. I don't understand why they don't fix it. I've asked Rick about it and didn't get a clear answer. I wonder if it is intentional so that lining up the dots will cause a more "drive the dot" hold at closer ranges or something (the sort of real situations you'd actually use tritium in?). I don't know, but it bugs me.
On my personal G17, my zero is somewhere between top edge and drive the dot. Basically where you'd expect a small fiber to sit. I sometimes wonder if I'd be able to much better utilize the speed of the TCAP square notch pairing if it were drive-the-dot (so that I could focus on centering the square in the square, instead of trying to align the top edge). Sometimes, target depending, I use it that way anyway. The yellow TCAP on my G19 is drive-the-dot. For slow, precision fire, I'm glad it's not drive-the-dot, and I'd actually prefer it to be even closer to the edge. I guess what I have is a good compromise.
I still have some uncertainty over whether a dot/circle outline is the way to go versus the sight-filling square outline of the TCAP. I believe both have their merits. All things considered, I think the square is the way to go for me, but I haven't spent enough time with enough dot outline fronts to be sure. The equivalent dot outline would be the "Thin" ProGlo front in orange (if they make that, they definitely do in yellow/green). I have no negative experiences I've noticed with the square, but I just say it to cover all bases.
All this considered, in the interest of further personal experimentation, and in the interest of current personal training goals/priorities, I am planning on switching to Dawson Chargers fiber/black for a while instead of trying the classic Operator rear. There's a significant probability I'll come back to the TCAP some day. As far as hi vis tritium fronts go, it is probably the best non-custom one available today. I'd want to try an orange Thin ProGlo before saying that definitively, but I strongly suspect I'd still prefer the TCAP.
Mr_White
03-30-2016, 03:26 PM
I once experimented with a yellow TCAP front and Pro Operator rear in the sort of lighting conditions where tritium is supposed to excel: dim and mixed lighting conditions where all black sights are hard to acquire yet the target is still identifiable. I found that, under speed and stress, the tritium vials were almost invisible, even when I could see them clearly before and after the drill. I got very thrown off by drawing to what looked like all black sights. I think it is a mixture of their dimness and their size...and we're talking fresh vials. They really don't jump out except in very dark situations (think your room at night with the lights all off).
I tried the same thing with the yellow TCAP and a classic Operator rear (yellow tritium) and I had the same problems you are describing.
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The Ameriglo Operator front sight is .125" wide and it's really easy to repaint the white ring another color (or white again, after it gets dingy.) Different colors are shown in my picture, but I used some florescent red/orange Testor's model paint to make the ring around the tritium a very rich, bright red/orange color. I never really got into them that much, but I called them "mini-Hacks" because it was basically just like the Ameriglo Hackathorn front, but at .125" wide.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4076/4860823206_237cdd562e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/8pwZoE)Green Chartreuse Lure & Jig Finish on Ameriglo Operator front sight (https://flic.kr/p/8pwZoE) by OrigamiAK (https://www.flickr.com/photos/52790396@N08/), on Flickr
I tried the same thing with the yellow TCAP and a classic Operator rear (yellow tritium) and I had the same problems you are describing.
---
The Ameriglo Operator front sight is .125" wide and it's really easy to repaint the white ring another color (or white again, after it gets dingy.) Different colors are shown in my picture, but I used some florescent red/orange Testor's model paint to make the ring around the tritium a very rich, bright red/orange color. I never really got into them that much, but I called them "mini-Hacks" because it was basically just like the Ameriglo Hackathorn front, but at .125" wide.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4076/4860823206_237cdd562e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/8pwZoE)Green Chartreuse Lure & Jig Finish on Ameriglo Operator front sight (https://flic.kr/p/8pwZoE) by OrigamiAK (https://www.flickr.com/photos/52790396@N08/), on Flickr
Mr_White, can you compare the vial size between your Operator front (.125", circle outline) and TCAP front?
Mr_White
03-30-2016, 04:02 PM
Mr_White, can you compare the vial size between your Operator front (.125", circle outline) and TCAP front?
Not very well. The tritium vial on the Operator front is larger than the vial on the TCAP front (which is pretty duh), but I don't have either one handy nor do I have calipers to measure them. Sorry I can't really say much more than that. I had the same problem as you though, with the TCAP front's small vial being nearly invisible unless I put it in truly DARK conditions, and even then it was less visible than the (yellow) tritium on the Operator rear. It was really hard for me to see in dim/low/mixed light.
Not very well. The tritium vial on the Operator front is larger than the vial on the TCAP front (which is pretty duh), but I don't have either one handy nor do I have calipers to measure them. Sorry I can't really say much more than that. I had the same problem as you though, with the TCAP front's small vial being nearly invisible unless I put it in truly DARK conditions, and even then it was less visible than the (yellow) tritium on the Operator rear. It was really hard for me to see in dim/low/mixed light.
Excellent that's all I was looking for. So both sights are .125" wide but the Operator has a bigger vial? That's what I expected......kinda silly IMO.
Mr_White
03-31-2016, 11:36 AM
Excellent that's all I was looking for. So both sights are .125" wide but the Operator has a bigger vial? That's what I expected......kinda silly IMO.
I think they are both basically ~0.125" wide. I've seen the number 0.125" applied to the Operator front width, and 0.125", 0.123", and 0.120" all applied to the TCAP width, and I don't have any calipers. But they look pretty much the same width to me. Despite the advertised smaller tritium vial on the TCAP, I was still surprised it was overpowered by the Operator rear, which I think also has smaller tritium vials (I think that's right, or am I inventing that? I forget now), and they are yellow tritium which has a much paler glow than green. Still was out of whack with the TCAP vial to my eyes, surprisingly.
I think they are both basically ~0.125" wide. I've seen the number 0.125" applied to the Operator front width, and 0.125", 0.123", and 0.120" all applied to the TCAP width, and I don't have any calipers. But they look pretty much the same width to me. Despite the advertised smaller tritium vial on the TCAP, I was still surprised it was overpowered by the Operator rear, which I think also has smaller tritium vials (I think that's right, or am I inventing that? I forget now), and they are yellow tritium which has a much paler glow than green. Still was out of whack with the TCAP vial to my eyes, surprisingly.
Got it. Everything you're saying matches my expectations and experience too.
ldunnmobile
08-01-2016, 12:51 PM
Resurrecting this. Any new options or is painting a .125 front the way to go? I've been running the standard CAP front with yellow operator rears and just really want a thinner front sight.
OnionsAndDragons
08-02-2016, 01:54 AM
I think painting a .125 sight is just dandy. It's likely the best option if you want a specific sight picture-POA/POI.
I mostly just wanted to put it up here since Gabe couldn't: both TCAP fronts I have mic out to 0.122" so it may be that to eke out that last bit of material, they had to drop the vial size.
I will agree with the above sentiments that if you want 3-dots, the TCAP isn't ideal. If you like a black or single dot rear it is a great sight.
Sasage
08-02-2016, 08:42 PM
I had a defoor front that I ended up putting a couple coats white with one if the oranges available from hobby lobby
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psalms144.1
08-03-2016, 09:38 AM
I've also been underwhelmed with the "see-ability" of the TCAP sights I've tried. The smaller "dot" makes it significantly harder to pick up in dim light, and, IMHO, it only works well with CAP-style or plain black rear sights.
I'm 51, been wearing distance glasses for a couple of years now, but I find I have no problem engaging discreet targets at 25 yards (like 3x5s) with "standard" sights. For instance, my G19 wears a yellow CAP front, my VP9 has mepros, my HK45c has factory "luminovas." All are workable, for my eyes. Last summer at Quantico I was able to routinely ring an 8" plate at 100 yards using a Gen4 G17 with Trijicon HDs - but that admittedly took a couple of "sighting in" shots to get dialed in, and covered the entire target once I found my aiming point...
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