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Thread: What does a sight radius increase do?

  1. #1
    Member feudist's Avatar
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    What does a sight radius increase do?

    Specifically the difference between a Glock 19 and a 34, assume the same sights for each.

    This for a police patrol duty weapon. Current setup is a Gen4 19 with the orange Trijicon HDs. I am considering the Dawson fiber optic front(.100-.110).

    Is there a practical increase in precision? Or is this P.I.I.?

    BTW, I have 56 year old eyes and my new glasses let me see my front sight very clearly, for the first time in several years.

    Not looking for an excuse to buy a new gun, I've been buying ammo and shooting instead.

  2. #2
    I definitely find more sight radius helpful in USPSA shooting, although that is in a game designed to magnify very small differences in performance. From an open carry holster, the greater butt length of a 17/34 is a definite advantage for me, but I have large hands.

  3. #3
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    Larger sight radius magnified errors, making them more detectable and aid in increasing accuracy. Just like anything, there’s a point of diminishing returns which will vary by person.


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  4. #4
    Member feudist's Avatar
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    At extended ranges or tight short range shots do you see a difference that the approximately 20% increase buys you? I'm trying not to overthink this(perhaps failing) but no one shoots a short

    gun when they're shooting for accuracy.

  5. #5
    In the Gen 5 thread, a few pages back, I shot the 19X and G5/34 back to back on Gabe’s test, and found the 34 significantly easier to shoot the test with. That is a pretty close range test, and differences would magnify as the targets get smaller or further. I see the main advantage of the 19 to be an easier to conceal size, but that should not be a consideration open carry. A G5/17 with BOLD sights would be very appealing for the use you describe.
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by feudist View Post
    At extended ranges or tight short range shots do you see a difference that the approximately 20% increase buys you? I'm trying not to overthink this(perhaps failing) but no one shoots a short

    gun when they're shooting for accuracy.
    I notice definately notice the difference between a P226 and P239 (sorry, but it's my only comparible setup). When I had a G34 there wasn't much effort to hitting steel pigs at 300 yards with 124 +p HST ammo - fire a round to figure the drop and that was it.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by feudist View Post
    Specifically the difference between a Glock 19 and a 34, assume the same sights for each.
    A longer sight radius has finer alignment with the target, but it's slower to align the front and rear sights with each other. A shorter sight radius is faster to align the front and rear sights, but alignment with the target is coarser.

    The sight radius of a Glock 19 is 6.02 inches. If your front sight is misaligned with the rear sight by .013 inches and the target is at 25 yards, point of aim will be off by 2 inches.

    The sight radius of a Glock 34 is 7.52 inches. If your front sight is misaligned with the rear sight by .013 inches and the target is at 25 yards, point of aim will be off by 1.6 inches.



    Let's look at it in another way-

    Your Glock 19 is shooting 2 inches to the left at 25 yards. You would need to adjust the rear sight .013 inches to the right.

    Your Glock 34 is shooting 2 inches to the left at 25 yards. You would need to adjust the rear sight .017 inches to the right.

    As you can see, with the same deviation, the longer the sight radius, the smaller the change in point of impact. Only you can decide if you want finer alignment with the target, or faster alignment of the front & rear sights.
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  8. #8
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by feudist View Post
    BTW, I have 56 year old eyes and my new glasses let me see my front sight very clearly, for the first time in several years.
    Congrats on that, seemingly a small thing for younger shooters with good eyes but a diminishing commodity with old age. Enjoy it while you can!

    The disadvantages of a longer handgun are obvious - heavier, not as easy (or comfortable) to conceal and in a struggle, offer more real estate for an assailant to grab hold of. I also find the longer the sight radius, the greater the perceived sight misalignment and unsteadiness of hold. With my recently-acquired 5-inch Walther PPQ (sight radius 7-1/8 inches) the slightest movement is amplified and for me can create a bit of a negative feedback loop trying to get a perfect alignment. With my Walther PPS (sight radius 5-3/8 inches) any misalignment or unsteadiness is not nearly as apparent and I tended to get an "aimed shot" off faster. I had the PPS for six years before getting the PPQ so I've had to "re-wire" somewhat to accept a less-perfect sight picture to avoid delaying the trigger pull and equally acceptable shot placement.

    All of that said, as expected I have found the longer sight radius an overall advantage. The longer sight radius enables significantly better precision, especially using any kind of support to steady the hold. I also find that I can track sight alignment easier during up-close-and-fast shooting with a longer sight radius. With the PPQ packed in a JMCK IWB #3 holster, I find minimal concealment/comfort difference vs. carrying the PPS;



    With the 5-inch PPQ came this unexpected advantage - with the longer sight radius obviously comes a longer (and heavier) slide that uses a lighter recoil spring. I find the longer slide of the 5-inch PPQ much easier to manipulate. With the PPS it's strictly the over-the-top slingshot method gripping the rear of the slide due to limited area up front and the heavier recoil spring needed for the lower reciprocating mass. In comparison slide manipulations with the PPQ are a joy, easily done with a pinch of the front of the slide (where it tapers down at the last inch of barrel) from underneath with the support hand thumb and index finger. Seems like such a minor thing but it's an advantage I have come to appreciate. Overall, I find I'm faster and smoother running the 5-inch PPQ vs. any other pistol I've owned, the longer slide IMO contributing significantly to it.

    So along with the capability of more precise sight alignment (and longer range precision) of a longer sight radius comes these other (perhaps unexpected) benefits.

  9. #9
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    Not mention yet, but a longer sight radius increases the perceived light bars on standard sights. This can be a definite advantage when using stock sights with a wide front and narrow rear notch.

  10. #10
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    One thing that more precise sight alignment means is less aiming error when making adjustments. Hence, one reason why many have difficulty shooting 2 inch snub revolvers accurately as opposed to longer barrel revolvers.

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