night sights

[v-man]

For 10 years I have been pleased with Trijicon night sights on my Glock. I now want night sights for my S&W 1911 and Beretta PX4. I am impressed with the new Truglo TFO sights but they are not available for these 2 guns SO . . . Who can help me decide between Trijicon which I like or XS 24/7 that looks pretty interesting too. Any feedback, whether experience or opinion will be appreciated.

[kennisondan]

my guess is unless the two differ in available styles, size of dots, interchangeablity, or if one happens to have a longer half life and guarantee, then it is a toss up... I would look at the construction for durability as well, and go with the one that has the most features and is the configuration most familiar to me. I have thought about nite sites and would think that the three dot system could be more easily confused than a post in the rear and a dot in the front. it could get confusing with three dots out there in the blackness, but a vertical bar and a dot would be pretty repeatable and easy to work with....if I get one on my hunting pistol for poor lite that will be the ticket for me. If it is strictly darkness defense, I like a flashlite and or a laser on my defense weapon, the laser is the fastest and has a deterrent effect on the intended target, that should be considered.
returning to the nite sights, I would not want one that can be seen from the front and it could definitely give you away if a cuprit is behind you...
Just some considerations to ponder. bottom line for pure defense, it is 1. laser either under mounted or grip mounted; 2. a really brite light attached to the weapon that can pulse or stay on; or both..
the laser in the grip does not affect holstering and is not obvious and can pulse, or be constant on, and where it is hitting is where the bullet will go.. i have taught women safety first then use of the laser mounted to a weapon and the progress and learning curve were phenomenal and confidence was way up really quickly... that may help some..
good luck practice well and cut no corners with your protection of your own life..
dk

[Savage]

I have night sights on a few of my pistols, and have been happy with Meprolights, Trijicons, and PT sights. I don't consider night sights as a "Must Have" on any pistol. They are probably more useful on a HD weapon than in most other applications. As in any other circumstance I can think of at the moment, (Other than combat) the target must be identified before engaging anyway. The white light used for identification purposes provides plenty of light to see the sights, at least enough for a flash sight picture. I have never seen any night sights that were visable from the front. That has got to be a load of c@#p! Some of the persons I have talked to liked the bid dot express sights for quick close range shooting. Most, myself included find them difficult to obtain a percise sight picture much beyond point shooting range. FWIW, I don't care for any kind of dot sights! Of the night sights I currently have, the Meprolights are the brightest. If noting else, they make the bedside pistol easy to find in the dark! Haven't seen the Tru Glo's, but they sound good. If you want night sights, IMHO, the Meprolights would be hard to beat!
Savage

[coyotejoe]

I had a set of the AO big dot express sights on a Styer .40 and while they do appear to give a rather inexact sight picture I found that from bench rest I could hold a three inch group with that gun. If I were looking for night sights that would be my first choice.

[canon6]

I have both Trijicon on one of my pistols and XS on my 45. The 45 is extremely fast  hth  Doug

[kennisondan]

some of the shotgun sights that glow brightly are atube that passes out the front of the sight, and some sights you have to charge up to use... thought they may be visible from the front, some red dots might be i thought... just wondering..
how about the lasers, seems they would be the best .. along with the light, that is.
dk

[rockbilly]

For most of you youngsters, night sights may be the answer.  But for my old eyes, I have found the best solution for low light, or at night,  is installing a set of Crimson Trace grips.  You can find the red dot, and get on target much faster than with the best Trijicon sights.  And the ability to set the dot on a target without bringing the gun to a position where the sights are used, provides for a much better field of view,

Of course, if you can have both, that is the optimum.

[v-man]

Good feedback folks. I find the trijicons to be very good on my Glock but I would also like night sights on my PX4 and as most of you know I just gotta try something new. The XS 24/7big dot looks interesting and may be my choice since TruGlo TFO's are not available for my gun. As someone suggested this is just for home defence. I do have the M3 light on it and am tempted to go to the light/laser combination for this gun.
Is there anything better than a hobby/obsession that can be justified as a way to "keep the family safe"? I hope my wife never finds out how "safe" we are already since I'm bound to find something else I "need" to keep us safe.