Is the high visibility front sight worth how wide they are?

[NorthernHeat]

I am about to purchase some new sights for my duty G17

I have been using Ameriglo "Spartan Tactical" (AKA "Chucks") on my backup G19 and love the high visibility front sight but am having trouble with how wide it is, especially with precise (head shots) shots at around 15 yards because the front sight pretty much covers the majority of the area I am aiming at.

Do yall think it is worth fighting through this problem because of the other positives of these and similar sights or would another 3 dot option like the 3 dot Warren Tactical sights, with a thinner front sight but still having a Green front and Yellow rears, be a better option?

[SamuelBLong]

I had been using HD's exclusively on my duty guns, but like you, I ran into issues when it came time to be really precise at distance. I tried working through it, and didn't come to a good resolution.

Going back to the warrens, but this time in a 3 dot arrangement, seems to be working much better. I miss the sheer speed of just throwing the orange blob up on the target, but the visual feedback of the thinner sight makes me much more sure of scoring the hit on those critical shots.


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[GJM]

By using the top edge of the front sight, the big blob doesn't negatively effect my accuracy/precision at distances inside 50 yards. Today, I shot my 320C with HD sights at 75 and 100 yards. At 75, I went 4/7 on an 8 inch steel. At 100, the front sight sure seemed big compared to the IPSC cardboard target, but in a 7 shot string I had 3 A's, 3 C's and a D. But for the group impacting low, I would have done even better.

Are you using the orange ring or the top of the front sight?

[NorthernHeat]

By using the top edge of the front sight, the big blob doesn't negatively effect my accuracy/precision at distances inside 50 yards. Today, I shot my 320C with HD sights at 75 and 100 yards. At 75, I went 4/7 on an 8 inch steel. At 100, the front sight sure seemed big compared to the IPSC cardboard target, but in a 7 shot string I had 3 A's, 3 C's and a D. But for the group impacting low, I would have done even better.

Are you using the orange ring or the top of the front sight?

I am usually (and should be using I think) the top of the front sight but I think at speed and for the 2 to the body and 1 to the head strings of fire, I find myself using the orange ring (out of instinct) which is where I notice that it takes up almost the entire head "hit zone"...

[GJM]

I am usually (and should be using I think) the top of the front sight but I think at speed and for the 2 to the body and 1 to the head strings of fire, I find myself using the orange ring (out of instinct) which is where I notice that it takes up almost the entire head "hit zone"...

Maybe mess around shooting some groups at 25 and 50 using the top edge of the front sight, and reserve the orange dot as your go fast/fiber optic equivalent?

[NorthernHeat]

Maybe mess around shooting some groups at 25 and 50 using the top edge of the front sight, and reserve the orange dot as your go fast/fiber optic equivalent?

Yea, I think head shots from about 15 yards and out is when I started seeing the problem, so going those farther distances out (like you recommended) will allow me to focus on using the top edge of the sight.

[1986s4]

I have some Trij HDs on my carry SIG 225 which work fine for the kind of pistol it is but for head shots at distance my Colt .38 Super has a Dawson FO front and a 10-8 NM rear. My middle age eyes really like this set up.

[CCT125US]

My experience is similar to GJM's. I had no problem with an acceptable group. It just wasn't where I wanted it.... I have always used the top edge for precise shots, and IIRC the HDs printed several inches low at 25yds. They were too tall for my liking and the bore line didn't seem to correspond to my line of sight. In other words the offset was too much for how I aim. I also visually had a hard time keeping the orange ball in the proper place. The rear sight provides a deep trough, I wanted to bury the ball at the bottom of it, and that is not where it needs to be. This led to vertical stringing at speed. So for me, they presented POI issues at distance, and vertical stringing close up.

[LSP552]

The key to using high-vis front sight, IMO, is visual patience. Within the last 6 months, I've put them on all of my carry Glocks. I definitely had a learning curve because the initial response is to treat them like an Aimpoint and just shoot the dot. Works OK up close, not OK for any real distance. Once you start treating them like regular pistol sights, you can take advantage of the increased visibility without suffering any real disadvantage on a carry gun.

Your eyes also play a big role in the process. I'll be 60 in a few months with deteriorating vision. High-vis front sights have significantly increased my ability to see a usable sight picture. They may not be the best choice for small targets at distance, but they allow plenty of precision once you get use to them. As GJM said, the top of the blade for precision, the dot for speed. Learning to see what you need to make the shot presented just takes a bit of reprogramming coming from a less visible (or smaller) front sight.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ibility-sights

[JHC]

Yea, I think head shots from about 15 yards and out is when I started seeing the problem, so going those farther distances out (like you recommended) will allow me to focus on using the top edge of the sight.

If you use the method GJM described 15 yd head shots fast should not be a problem. I've shot many clean 10-8 Headbox standards clean under 5 sec with HDs. That is draw to 5 shots in the headbox. Sights must be well regulated for windage to use the center of a wide post.