[Deafdog]

I wanted night sights ever since i sold my
Sig 220, which had them. Thought they were preaty cool, then started talking to a few
L.e.O, IN THE area and some ex- military
friends. One cop said he was on a night searching for the suspect and had to use his hand to hide the sights, another said i wouldnt have them on a night stand showing
where it is. That shootings are so close range that in a life n death situation you are going to point shoot, becauce if you have to grab your gun point and aim your dead. im not anti night sights, it does give you something to think about though, I know
my home and surroundings well enough that if needed they may have the surprise attack , but ive got the edge. and ill go to court feeling alot better, but its still a personal choose.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

You know, either you like them or not. There are all sorts of advantages to having them and some for not.

You might as well remove your regular sites, given what you were told, that most shootings were so close you would point shoot anyway? Same logic. You don't need sights.

Okay, why did the LEO searching for a suspect have to use his hand to hide his night sights? You mean to tell me he was searching for a suspect in the dark and was not using a flashlight? That sounds odd. Any idea how he was planning on finding this suspect, in the dark, with no flashlight, and how he was planning on knowing where he was shooting if the need came to shoot? I hope he rubber coated all the gear he was carrying because you can hear most cops in the dark just fine, things batting together, squeaky leather, them breathing under the weight of the gear and especially the ballistic vest. No doubt, it would be the night sights that gave him away, but not before a deaf suspect could hear him coming.

Sorry for the sarcasm, but one must weigh the advantages versus disadvantages. I am not a cop and I am not in the military. I do not activity hunt down bad people in the dark or serve to fight hostile forces who are trained and who may have night vision gear. For home defense and personal defense, I personally see night sights as an advantage. I definitely want to know where my gun is pointing should the situation allow me to see my sights. I don't think I have much to fear about someone discovering me because I have night sights. Let's face it, chances are if my gun is out, then they know I am there and they have heard me.

Have you ever gone outside with night sights to see just what range you can see the lamps? It really isn't far. I doubt the clandestine nature of the people claiming they would not have them would not be compromised in a realistic manner.

I don't know the circumstances under which the people you spoke with said that night sights would compromise their activities, but one thing I do know, just because they are LEOs or ex-military does not mean that they have thought through the entire equation. I have known a lot of cops who did not know much about firearms and military people who were tactically unsound.

 

[TRB]

I posted this once elsewhere, and it bears repeating:

There are too many ranges of light in which the light gap between the front sight and the rear notch can be washed out for you to not have some manner of dot or bar or contrasting color on your front sight.

There are too many ranges of dark that will allow you to see your target but not your sights for you not to have tritium.

Furthermore, maybe my eyes just suck arse, but I have lit up targets at night, in training, with a Surefire, and despite the nice halo of uber-white, I found my all-black sights on the gun I was using at the time were still a lot harder to pick up than I wold have liked.

TRB

 

[Dman]

The only way to see night sights is in the half arc behind the gun. If they are in front of the gun they will not see glow from the sights. We conducted an experiment on the range one night just to test this very thing. If a cop was using his hand to cover the sights, then his eyes are probably dialated from adrenaline and he is misjudging the brightness of the sights. The advantages of having them far outweigh the potential of someone seeing the sights. In a home defense situation, point shooting is a bad idea unless you there are no other friendlies in the house. If you have a kid or someone else in another room, then you better use your sights and everything else you can to make sure you hit your target.

 

[JMG]

There are all kinds of night sights with different degrees of brightness and different colors. I have been in law enforcement for 23 years and would not carry a weapon without night sights. I do not know of any other officer around here that does not have night sights on their duty weapon. Trust me it does help. (especially when you get older)I can not remember the last time I was searching a building and worried about someone seeing the sights. (They would have to be behind me, which would mean I was in trouble anyway)

 

[Billy Ray]

I would vote a "soft yes" on night sights. Do I like them? Sure. Do I think they're imperative? No. I have Trij sights on my Glock 19. I usually leave it sitting on my night stand, and I really like being able to grab it quickly--I know where the gun is by the sights.

I don't have night sights on my carry gun (SA Loaded). I would like them, but have other places to spend the $100+ first. I carry a flashlight with me and practice shooting in the dark with the aid of the light. I really doubt night sites would help, but they sure can't hurt.

As a buddy says, "they make you feel warm and fuzzy." "Warm and fuzzy" is just a nice feeling of happiness/re-assurance. So, if they make you feel warn and fuzzy, by all means, get them. If not, spend the money on ammo and practice with a flash light.

Billy Ray

[This message has been edited by Billy Ray (edited 05-10-2001).]