Fiber Optic verse Tritium sights

[Sterling Archer]

I completed a review of each and their usefulness in varying situations.

https://gunpowdermeditation.com/2017...ritium-review/

I'd be interested in feedback on the article and my conclusions.

[Gio]

I think your article does a good job summarizing the various options, although I disagree with your final conclusions. I just posted this in a different thread on this board:

Do not rely on a flashlight to enable you to see your sights clearly to shoot. I have been in plenty of low light situations where I could easily see well enough to identify a target, even 15-20+ yds away, but don't have enough light to effectively use sights without tritium.

Besides just the simple mechanical failure of flashlights, often deploying them under stress when you're trying to draw and shoot quickly ends up not working out, whether it's a weapon mounted light or a hand held light. I routinely run low light/night fire training for law enforcement and other gov agencies. Under just the simple stress of a timer, I've seen flashlights get dropped, weapon lights fire one round and the switch inadvertently hit and shut off, activation switches on weapon lights missed on the draw, in addition to lights dying for random reasons.

You say that it's irresponsible to fire rounds into darkness, but I find myself in real situations all the time as a plain clothes LEO where there is plenty of light to identify threats, even at a distance without a flashlight, but not enough light to see black or fiber sights.

With the availability of high vis tritium sights like those mentioned in your article, I see very little reason to use a fiber optic sight on a self defense pistol. For the record, all my USPSA guns have fiber front/black rear sights on them.

[Sterling Archer]

Gio, Thank you for your perspective.

Besides just the simple mechanical failure of flashlights, often deploying them under stress when you're trying to draw and shoot quickly ends up not working out, whether it's a weapon mounted light or a hand held light. I routinely run low light/night fire training for law enforcement and other gov agencies. Under just the simple stress of a timer, I've seen flashlights get dropped, weapon lights fire one round and the switch inadvertently hit and shut off, activation switches on weapon lights missed on the draw, in addition to lights dying for random reasons.

This nearly all sounds like training issues. I wouldn't consider it a relevant in the sense of debating which sight to use. Whatever they use they need to practice to get proficient with using a light, just like with shooting in general.

[Gio]

Gio, Thank you for your perspective.



This nearly all sounds like training issues. I wouldn't consider it a relevant in the sense of debating which sight to use. Whatever they use they need to practice to get proficient with using a light, just like with shooting in general.

In your video it took you 5 seconds from the start beep to draw, activate your light, and put one round on target. I would wager that you can move a bit faster than that without a light. If you do that same scenario, but with a sim gun against a role player shooting back at you with a sim gun, are you likely to get your gun and light out and take 5 seconds to get shots off? Most of the people I work with or have trained will be drawing and putting rounds on target asap, light be damned. They may be able to fight to cover where they can think about using a light at that point.

The only light activation that is fast enough is a grip pressure switch, but even that has some significant limitations in other scenarios, such as doing slow clears of a structure and having to rely on "milking" your grip to get to the light to go off and on.

[Sterling Archer]

In your video it took you 5 seconds from the start beep to draw, activate your light, and put one round on target. I would wager that you can move a bit faster than that without a light. If you do that same scenario, but with a sim gun against a role player shooting back at you with a sim gun, are you likely to get your gun and light out and take 5 seconds to get shots off? Most of the people I work with or have trained will be drawing and putting rounds on target asap, light be damned. They may be able to fight to cover where they can think about using a light at that point.

We were shooting strictly for accuracy in that video, there was no time limit. That was also in total darkness, I'd love to see your guys get any hits at that distance without even being able to see their target.

[Gio]

We were shooting strictly for accuracy in that video, there was no time limit. That was also in total darkness, I'd love to see your guys get any hits at that distance without even being able to see their target.

I can see your target in the video before any lights are turned on, and videos are usually darker than reality. Regardless though, as I posted earlier, there are a ton of common low light situations where there is enough ambient light due to flood lights, porch lights, vehicle head lights, etc where a target or threat is very visible, but if you are standing in a shadow those non tritium sights don't work.

[breakingtime91]

I think it is important we clarify what seeing is. I can see outlines of people at night. That doesn't mean I can identify them, their intentions, or what's in their hands. I may see an object in shadow that screams "gun" but it's a phone. I don't think the issue is if you can shoot accurately without a light but can you be absolutely certain of what your shooting.

[LSP552]

I think it is important we clarify what seeing is. I can see outlines of people at night. That doesn't mean I can identify them, their intentions, or what's in their hands. I may see an object in shadow that screams "gun" but it's a phone. I don't think the issue is if you can shoot accurately without a light but can you be absolutely certain of what your shooting.

One thing often overlooked in these discussions is shooting once the threat has been identified. If I'm being shot at, that's all the ID I need. I can envision plenty of situations where I can shoot and would prefer not to turn on a light. Just food for thought.

[breakingtime91]

One thing often overlooked in these discussions is shooting once the threat has been identified. If I'm being shot at, that's all the ID I need. I can envision plenty of situations where I can shoot and would prefer not to turn on a light. Just food for thought.

We agree on that. I'm just not sold on gun out and instantly shooting. That means your already behind the power curve and like you said, getting shot at clarifies the intention of the bad guy.

I think there is a flip side to the not turning on a white light though. Used in the right manner, white light can be very disorientating and effective as a fighting tool. Same with night sights. Just more than one way to skin a cat and as a civilian, I think it is incredibly important to maintain ID of bad guy and his capability to still fight (maybe he drops gun while I continue to shoot because I don't have a light to see). May be easy for a police officer to explain that away but as a civilian I would be worried if doing anything remotely wrong (perceived as being wrong to the public)

[LSP552]

I think there is a flip side to the not turning on a white light though. Used in the right manner, white light can be very disorientating and effective as a fighting tool. Same with night sights. Just more than one way to skin a cat and as a civilian, I think it is incredibly important to maintain ID of bad guy and his capability to still fight (maybe he drops gun while I continue to shoot because I don't have a light to see). May be easy for a police officer to explain that away but as a civilian I would be worried if doing anything remotely wrong (perceived as being wrong to the public)

Options are not a bad thing and having more than one tool in the bag is smart. That's why I don't use fiber on my carry guns or my bedside gun.