Why handguns have 3 dot sights? Isn't it easier to line up one dot rear with front?

[Mystery]

Why handguns have 3 dot sights?
Isn't it easier to line up one dot rear with front?

Why do we have to calculate the gap in between, make sure they are equal every time?
That's too much math, specially who doesn't like math.

Anyone compared 3 dot sights with 2 dot sights?

[Darth_Uno]

I prefer the Heinie Straight 8 setup (dot over dot). Actually my #1 choice is a black rear and fo front. So that's one dot.

But what some call clutter, others call feedback. So YMMV and I wouldn't say any one is better than the other...if it were, the gun forums would surely have heard by now.

[Dave T]

My preference is the bar-dot offered by several sight makers. Other than that, a high visibility front with a plain rear works better than 3 dots for me.

Dave

[Tod-13]

YMMV.

I do best with three dots to line up.
My wife does best with dot front and plain rear.

And we both like narrow notches, so the front sight fills the notch.

[Olim9]

You have to understand firearms manufacturers and designers are not shooters.
•grooves on the front of the trigger guard, as opposed to underneath them
•slippery grip texture on certain pistols like the PX4, slimline Glocks
•painted three dot sights instead of a blacked out rear and painted orange which would cost just about the same

Gun manufacturers prioritize making guns that look nice, it’s up to you as an individual to optimize it for fighting whether it be adding metal sights, texturing and so on. And to answer your question; yes, you are better off with using a high contrast front sight and black rear rather than having three high vis dots. I don’t know every high level competition shooter’s iron sight choice but I can guarantee you almost all of them aren’t running this type of fiber optic setup. It’s simply way too busy.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

When some human factor, perceptual experts actually run well done tests on sights, let me know. I haven't seen it. The closest is Karl Rehn on red dots. Unfortunately, the most journals and academic venues aren't friendly to firearms technical research. Knowing folks in the area, this is the case.

Perhaps, a military academy or a Federal agency could do this and publish it in a journal of repute. One company, who seems to have disappeared, consulted with a very well know cognitive psychologist on some triangular Glock sights. They were going to send a set and they disappeared.

There are very well known perceptual principles that could lay out configurations and they could be tested. I wonder if companies have such experts or actually hire them as consultants. It's kind of like human computer interaction, interfaces come out of programmers with their ideas of what users would like and use efficiently. Then the interface sucks. Used to teach a course on that.

[Alpha Sierra]

The best combination of irons that works for my eyes (significant myopia, presbyopia, and some astigmatism) is a black serrated rear, black serrated front with red (no go on green) fiber optic, with .010" to .012" gap between each side of the front sight and each side of the rear notch. And even with all that, precision is a struggle.

The best sight for my eyes is a RDS.

[M2CattleCo]

The two dot deal is a Von Stavenhagen arrangement that Sig picked up for some reason in 70s.

Some like it more than 3-dot.

I've never found it intuitive at all.

I like 3 dots better than two, one better than three, and none better than one.

A rearward angled smooth rear with a ramped serrated front is by far the best I've ever used but age doesn't allow anyone to use those forever.

[Sammy1]

I've used three dot NS for so long, other combinations are slower for me. It's just what I'm use to. I tried blacked out rear, I dot and different contrast front sight but they don't work as well for me as standard three dot.

[Robinson]

I can deal with 3-dot sights, but my preference is for a plain black rear (especially adjustable) and a painted front post sight. Plain black rear with either white dot front or fiber optic front is a close second, but I prefer to line up the top of the front post with the top of the rear sight. I don't get along well with "shoot the dot" sights (aka "combat sight picture") and tend to shoot them low.