Another good question buried in a thread.
Brian Bilby wrote a good piece on the subject for GUNRAG. Try http://gunrag.com/showarticle.php3?article=20
Past that having used both to a great extent here are my thoughts and a little story. The Heinie has a deeper notch for a fast sight picture. The sight plane is not confusing on a Heinie. It is on a Novak. There are almost twice as many visual planes on a Novak that your eye will focus on at some point. I DO understand that the rear sight is supposed to be a blur and the front sight is where the focus is SUPPOSED to be. Understanding how the eye works clearly makes the Heinie a better sight. The blade design of the original Heinie was a little rough on the body. (I carried on for 7 years almost every day so I can say that) The slant Pro version solves that problem I believe and keeps the crisp sight picture.
Now when I wasn't carrying a Heinie sight I had another gun with Novaks. I shot some amazing groups with that gun
But here is why I stopped using and later refused to install a Novak.
Some may have heard this story befor related by another pistolsmith. This is actually what happened. Wages of a misspent youth
My partner and I were leaving the jail lobby at O dark thirty one morning and I walked into the edge of the 1" thick glass door at the entry. I was sure I would break that door! The edge of that door hit the Novak sight on my Stainless series 80. No broken door. No harm, no foul. The next day when I finally got some rack time and the chance to take off my gun and noticed a HUGE divit in the Novak. I could have used it to sight the gun with! You couldn't fix it and the sight needed replacement.
From that lone experience I found out that Novak mills his sights out of very mild steel that is easily dinged. (because it is cheaper) Heinie's are a better grade of steel. I have dropped a set of Heinie's at LEAST a dozen times and have never had a ding on the sight that cold blue wouldn't cover.
That is why I will not install a Novak. I have lost a few gun commissions over that fact but I build what I know works not what is popular.
Brian Bilby wrote a good piece on the subject for GUNRAG. Try http://gunrag.com/showarticle.php3?article=20
Past that having used both to a great extent here are my thoughts and a little story. The Heinie has a deeper notch for a fast sight picture. The sight plane is not confusing on a Heinie. It is on a Novak. There are almost twice as many visual planes on a Novak that your eye will focus on at some point. I DO understand that the rear sight is supposed to be a blur and the front sight is where the focus is SUPPOSED to be. Understanding how the eye works clearly makes the Heinie a better sight. The blade design of the original Heinie was a little rough on the body. (I carried on for 7 years almost every day so I can say that) The slant Pro version solves that problem I believe and keeps the crisp sight picture.
Now when I wasn't carrying a Heinie sight I had another gun with Novaks. I shot some amazing groups with that gun
Some may have heard this story befor related by another pistolsmith. This is actually what happened. Wages of a misspent youth
My partner and I were leaving the jail lobby at O dark thirty one morning and I walked into the edge of the 1" thick glass door at the entry. I was sure I would break that door! The edge of that door hit the Novak sight on my Stainless series 80. No broken door. No harm, no foul. The next day when I finally got some rack time and the chance to take off my gun and noticed a HUGE divit in the Novak. I could have used it to sight the gun with! You couldn't fix it and the sight needed replacement.
From that lone experience I found out that Novak mills his sights out of very mild steel that is easily dinged. (because it is cheaper) Heinie's are a better grade of steel. I have dropped a set of Heinie's at LEAST a dozen times and have never had a ding on the sight that cold blue wouldn't cover.
That is why I will not install a Novak. I have lost a few gun commissions over that fact but I build what I know works not what is popular.