Sights of last resort, handgun edition

[RevolverRob]

Folks, I’m past the exploratory stages with an eye doc, and into specialized contacts—without which, there are no sights, period. Think more like: I may have bought my last car. I mean, I do drive cars until they die, so I’m not saying I’m there yet, but if I get significantly worse in the coming years, the bus might become an option.

So, it’s sounding like there are more XS fans thsn laser fans so far. And red dot fans. And at least one Falchion fan.

Have you played with the non-electric, dual-illum, RMR? It's not my favorite option due to dot washout when transitioning from dark-to-light environments. But in concert with a laser, this could be a very effective setup.

The other one is the JPoint/Shield with the Circle-Dot reticle setup? Too bloomy?

[Dave J]

As far as the lasers go, green is dramatically more usable in daylight than red. If it was to be my primary sighting system, I’d definitely pay the premium for green.

Just a thought, if you can’t find a set of green CT’s to try, maybe your local office supply store would let you try out a green laser pointer in the store. That would give you some idea of how well it works for your eyes.

[BN]

I use these on some of my Glocks. I got them from Dawson. They are Warren sights. You can get the front sight .140" wide and the big white dot is nearly the size of the Big Dot but you have a square top and a real rear notch not that stupid thing you get on the Big Dots.

What platform are you going to use. Some platforms don't have many choices.

I've put CT laser grips on my J-Frames. One of them had a Big Dot but I can never remember how deep into the rear notch to put the front sight.

edit: My bedside Glock 17 has Ameriglo tritium sights plus CT Laser Grips. Best of both worlds.

[Mas]

The pyramidal, vividly-colored Advantage Tactical sights are only about $100 from: https://advantagetactical.com/.

There's going to be at least a couple hundred rounds in the learning curve, but they deliver both speed and accuracy and they're the best "geezer sights" for the visually challenged that I've found yet.

Am scheduled for surgery on both eyes next month, and have set out a G17 with Advantage Tacticals and a G19 MOS with RMR. Whichever works better in post-op testing will probably be my carry gun during the recuperation period. Maybe after the cataract surgery I'll see a red dot instead of a big-ass starburst when I look through the latter; if not, I have had good luck with the Advantage Tactical in the past.

[Totem Polar]

The pyramidal, vividly-colored Advantage Tactical sights are only about $100 from: https://advantagetactical.com/.

There's going to be at least a couple hundred rounds in the learning curve, but they deliver both speed and accuracy and they're the best "geezer sights" for the visually challenged that I've found yet.

I appreciate the input, Maestro, thanks for the response.

Be pretty damn easy to try these out, so I think I might just do that. Good luck with the cataract pull.

[LSP552]

I’d try Trij HDs or Ameriglo ProGlos over the Big Dots. IME, they work much better. They keep the speed up close and give up nothing at distance.

[JHC]

So, the deal is this. My eyes are at the point where it’s getting really hard to deal with pistol sights. Red dots are off the table because of bloom and ghosting. I’m looking at selling a gun or two, and using the funds to set up some redundant options (I’m not short on redundant guns in at least 3 categories) with either XS big dots, or going CT laser. For those of you who have preceeded me in age and deficiency, the two main questions: XS, or laser? And, if the CT gets the nod, is green worth the upcharge, in your direct experience?

I appreciate the input in advance.

After a few years of working with XS Big Dots I went hard to Trijicon HDs. Have you had a chance to try them? IMO they do all XS BD's do but better with greater potential for precision for most shooters.

[Gater]

I'm stumbling down the same path, but for the moment my Warrens (and holding the menu at arms length...) are still working for me. When denial is truly unsustainable, I'll probably try the route of the bigger front dot Warren @Bill Nesbitt mentioned. Here's a link to a comparison photo of the standard .125 with the larger .140:

https://cpwsa.com/572-large_default/...-for-glock.jpg

Warren Tactical is running a sale for the holidays through 24 DEC...20% off and free shipping with code Holiday20. Here's a link to the large dot front...I don't see the larger (.165) notch rear sight listed, but might be worth an email if you are interested. I'm not sure how the .140 front would play with the standard .150 rear.

https://warrentactical.com/product/g...t-front-sight/

[BN]

I'm stumbling down the same path, but for the moment my Warrens (and holding the menu at arms length...) are still working for me. When denial is truly unsustainable, I'll probably try the route of the bigger front dot Warren @Bill Nesbitt mentioned. Here's a link to a comparison photo of the standard .125 with the larger .140:

https://cpwsa.com/572-large_default/...-for-glock.jpg

Warren Tactical is running a sale for the holidays through 24 DEC...20% off and free shipping with code Holiday20. Here's a link to the large dot front...I don't see the larger (.165) notch rear sight listed, but might be worth an email if you are interested. I'm not sure how the .140 front would play with the standard .150 rear.

https://warrentactical.com/product/g...t-front-sight/

My Warren rear sights are .150" and work well with the .140 wide front sights. Still plenty of light around the front. I usually use the .245 tall front sight and it hits behind the dot. Pretty fast.

[RevolverRob]

The pyramidal, vividly-colored Advantage Tactical sights are only about $100 from: https://advantagetactical.com/.

There's going to be at least a couple hundred rounds in the learning curve, but they deliver both speed and accuracy and they're the best "geezer sights" for the visually challenged that I've found yet.

Am scheduled for surgery on both eyes next month, and have set out a G17 with Advantage Tacticals and a G19 MOS with RMR. Whichever works better in post-op testing will probably be my carry gun during the recuperation period. Maybe after the cataract surgery I'll see a red dot instead of a big-ass starburst when I look through the latter; if not, I have had good luck with the Advantage Tactical in the past.

I appreciate the input, Maestro, thanks for the response.

Be pretty damn easy to try these out, so I think I might just do that. Good luck with the cataract pull.

FYI the Advantage Tactical folks will tell you that their front sights are pretty tall and may not clear all holsters. I was thinking about them on my Kimber and emailed them to get a front sight height measurement. They were very polite and prompt in responding and gave me precisely what I needed. Unfortunately, they're too tall to clear the front sight channel of my Red Nichols' holster and I'm more attached to the holster than I was in trying the sights. If you've got a holster you want to use, you may email them and inquire to make sure the front sight will clear. Anything setup to clear suppressor sights will clear the ATPS with ease.

Have you gone to the drug store and bought a bunch of nail polish yet? I like to experiment with different colors and patterns on plain black sights to try to figure out what works best for me. If you're not Red-Green colorblind, the human eye perceives more shades of green than any other color. Yellow is surprisingly hard to pick up against a white background. Someone around here, I think, had a thread once on different front sights and colors at different times of day was that @GJM?