One sight to rule them all?

[jetfire]

I think if there's one thing that's started more arguments, it's pistol sights. There's so much individual input on sights, and everyone has different opinions.

For example, on competition guns I like to run blacked out sights. Black front, black rear for IDPA/USPSA. I'll also run fiber front with a black rear for Steel Challenge or occasionally in USPSA.

Lately, I've been shooting a lot with 3-dot sight, and you know? I kind of like them. My big issue usually isn't with dots, but with how much light comes in around the front post.

[rsa-otc]

About the only thing that everyone seems to agree on when it comes to pistol sights is that the ones coming from the factory on most service/base line pistols are not up to snuff.

I think pistol sights are an individual preference, with a lot depending on the age of the shooters eyes and quality of their eyesight.

Like you I always liked basic black front and rears. Recently I've come to like plain black rear sights and a bold orange front sight. I recently tried a red FO front sight on my 686 and couldn't come to like it.

[Savage Hands]

In general I look for sights to have about a plain squared .140 rear and tritium .125 front and I've had success with the Warren Tactical Sevigny Carry sights for Glocks, Heinie Ledge sights and the Ameriglo Pro-Glo sights (which may seem to be wider than .125) for my M&P's. I know others like the U notches of the 10-8 and Warrens but they don't work for me for whatever reason.

[jar]

I'm currently using the stock fiber front / black rear on my M&P 9Pro competition blaster. I'm currently shopping for new sights after handling a friend's with Dawson fiber front / Warren Tactical rear set up for a wider notch.

My M&P compact carry gun has the stock 3-dot sights. I'll start shopping after I run the new sights on the gamer gun for a while. I'm thinking a truglow TFO front with plain black rear.

[gtmtnbiker98]

No sight is perfect and I don't have a range/competition/duty/carry setup, I use the same style of firearm (HK) with stock night sights installed for all purposes. For me, it's hard to gain maximum proficiency when you have a different sight picture for a particular application. It's much easier to become proficient on one platform for all occasions.

[ToddG]

I agree with gtmt. The biggest danger is that folks put most of their effort into their game/competition kit because they're being judged on their performance with that gear every month or even every week. So the majority of their effort is put into maximizing their performance with the easiest-to-use sights, and little effort is put into dealing with the actual sight picture they'll have in front of their faces at a moment of unplanned, unexpected, extreme stress.

[jetfire]

I am guilty of that; I spend most of my time practicing with my competition guns which have blacked out sights or fiber fronts and not with my carry gear. Part of the new webseries, Down Zero TV that I'm working on is going to focus on shooting guns with actual carry night sights on them with no modifications.

[KeeFus]

While different than my duty weapon, my personal weapons (save the 442) have night sights (Heinie Straight 8's) although im sure that if a high stress situation occurs sight picture will most likely go out the window.

Here is the video from the Detroit Precinct shooting from a couple months ago. Not much aiming with sights going on. Having been in an ambush situation myself I can say from first hand experience that my sights were the last thing on my mind. Not saying that training for that situation with whichever sights you want doesn't serve a purpose but when that "oh shit" moment occurs (especially when you do not expect it) the fight or flight mindset takes over.

[BWT]

I found the limited experience I had with Warren Tactical 2-dot night sights enough to convince me I wanted to switch to 2-dots over 3-dots.

I did like the shape, and frankly, my eye did find the front sight blade much faster in those sights for whatever reason, they say it's because of the rounded corners but I couldn't tell you, that your eyes focus selectively on the sharp edges of the front sight.

I know I sometimes struggle to see my front sight blade, even though when I practice presenting the gun my sights are lined up, and my front sight is painted orange.

It still takes time to comprehend what I'm seeing.

I can tell you with the Warrens, I didn't have that problem.

I'm going to try some different sights here in about a week when visiting my father, I'll have access to 3-dot green front and yellow rear (both models with painted Front Sight and unpainted Front Sight), 2-dot Warren green front white out line, subdued yellow rear, no outline, Ameriglo Front and Plain rear, and a Fiber-Optic front and adjustable flat black rear on various handguns (M&P's, Glock's, 1911's, Browning Buckmark, XD's, etc.). I'd say that's a pretty good sample.

I used to think there were absolute truths about certain things, I found that evaporated, about guns and what sights, methods of carry or what not, that would never change.

It also depends on the individual and their preference.

But I'd agree with Todd and the others, find what you think works best, and ideally throw it on everything, and if you don't like it, change it, on everything.

It needs to be consistent, I find with... everything that you can only appreciate change in a system, when you have a consistency that you're trying to improve. Whether it be bowling, golfing, shooting, whatever, anything that requires a technique or form to do. You need a baseline, and it'd be best to get them all to be consistent.

Because otherwise, if there's constantly changing variables, you can't really gauge improvement or successes. It also makes me laugh that people think they may try something different once (and literally not one outing, but like, for example, grip angle, for one shot "Oh it doesn't feel right" and change back to what they're doing before and be just as dissatisfied), and it didn't improve immediately their results, so they keep doing what they're doing. Give it a fair chance, if you're going to try something, give it an fair opportunity to compare it against what you were doing before. (I was talking today to my brother about grip angle, and I wasn't correcting him, we were just observing what we did differently)

All of the handguns I own have the same exact grip angle or extremely close to it.

I want to handle some Heinie Straight 8's, but... I don't know anyone in the area with them, so, we'll see.

But I do like the simplicity of the 2-dots.

[gtmtnbiker98]

I am guilty of that; I spend most of my time practicing with my competition guns which have blacked out sights or fiber fronts and not with my carry gear. Part of the new webseries, Down Zero TV that I'm working on is going to focus on shooting guns with actual carry night sights on them with no modifications.

Add to that an actual carry setup and you'd be well on your way.