View Full Version : need sight help
I've read the search results, but all I get are opinions. I guess that's all I should expect, but in this case, it hasen't helped me much.
I brief - I need to select a new sight for my Glock. I have the stock sights, and I would like something better. I do wear bifocals. When I had a Kahr (PM9), I found the large front sight over the rear vertical bar was easy to pick up, and that gun was very accurage in my hands.
Whether it was an inhearantly accurate gun, or whether the sight system helped me achieve greater accuracy, I don't know. I only know the result - that PM9 was easy to hit with. I have since been looking for a sight system to place on my Glock that is similar to what was on that PM9.
The XS Big Dot seems to be the closest match, but most of what I read on this board is negative.
I've looked at the Ameriglo options, especially the CAP setup, and this seems like a viable option, but the rear sight is not luminous. I think I could buy the CAP front and a 3-dot rear, but i don't seem to do as well with a 3 dot system.
I've looked at 10-8's, Warrens and Heinies, but none of them seem to mimic the PM9 sights either.
Unfortunately, my shooting friends all have either trijicons, mepro's, or something similar - a 3 dot setup which I don't really like.
Right now, I'm vasilagting between an Ameriglo CAP option and the Big Dots. Any suggestions or advise?
I use Ameriglo iDot pros on my carry Glock G19. I've tried others, but I'm sold on these....
http://www.ameriglo.net/catalog/sights/pistol-sights/glock/night-sights/complete-sets/i-dot
From another guy that recently has been experiencing aging eye's take a look at the Ameriglo Hackathorn set. Green tritium front with large orange outline and plain black serrated rear sight. They have been working out really well for me, the orange outline front sight is fairly easy to pick up in the daylight.
mkmckinley
04-27-12, 11:15
I was going to recommend the same sights. Ameriglo's Pro-glo fronts worked well for me when I had glasses. They combine the best things about tritium and fiber optic sights.
I have the XD Big Dots on a G23 and like them for what they are, combat sights. If I had to put a set of sights on a pistol today, I would look at the 10-8, Warren Tactical, or similar style sights, Tridium or Fiber Optic front and black rear. I have blacked out the factory sights on my M&P 40 and find it to be faster, at least for me.
Regardless of what kind of sights you buy, you need to put the time into them to learn where they hit, it took awhile to become proficient with the Big Dots but I feel alot better about them than I did.
Sent from this... Using that...
You guys with non-luminous or blacked-out rear sights - doesn't that slow you down? One luminous point of light may be faster to pick up, but you have no frame of reference - especially in elevation.
I've spoken to several friends who have used Big Dots - only one liked them, but he liked them a lot.
The Ameriglo setup seems to be a well reviewed sight, but the CAP (which is the one I think I prefer), is so much like the Big Dot that I don't really know if there is any kind of fundemental difference.
The biggest issue for me is rapid sight pickup with my midle age eyesight. I also want something that is easier to use should I lose my glasses, or otherwise not have them available.
I will agree that the Ameriglo iDot pro with a front sight like the Hackathorn is the best way to go.
I have this set up on my Glock 21 and I passed the gun around at a pistol class I was attending and everyone that used it ended up buying the sights.
You guys with non-luminous or blacked-out rear sights - doesn't that slow you down? One luminous point of light may be faster to pick up, but you have no frame of reference - especially in elevation.
I've spoken to several friends who have used Big Dots - only one liked them, but he liked them a lot.
The Ameriglo setup seems to be a well reviewed sight, but the CAP (which is the one I think I prefer), is so much like the Big Dot that I don't really know if there is any kind of fundemental difference.
The biggest issue for me is rapid sight pickup with my midle age eyesight. I also want something that is easier to use should I lose my glasses, or otherwise not have them available.
For speed, in good light, the big orange dot is very easy to see quickly, in poor light or at night, I have green in front and yellow in the rear. I just put the green dot on top of the yellow and bang.
This set up, for me anyway, is the easiest, and fastest, night sights to see and line up. YVMV....
You guys with non-luminous or blacked-out rear sights - doesn't that slow you down? One luminous point of light may be faster to pick up, but you have no frame of reference - especially in elevation.
Haven't found that it slows me down, rather the opposite effect, I spend less time trying to center the front sight and align the dots, it is much faster for the human eye to align something vertically vs horizontally. I focus on the front dot and I align the rear sight subconsciously, this is why ghost ring and peep sights work.
As far as the darkness, unless you are in complete darkness there is generally enough pass though light to get a proper sight picture, if there's not you need a light.
Sent from this... Using that...
You guys with non-luminous or blacked-out rear sights - doesn't that slow you down? One luminous point of light may be faster to pick up, but you have no frame of reference - especially in elevation.
I've spoken to several friends who have used Big Dots - only one liked them, but he liked them a lot.
The Ameriglo setup seems to be a well reviewed sight, but the CAP (which is the one I think I prefer), is so much like the Big Dot that I don't really know if there is any kind of fundemental difference.
The biggest issue for me is rapid sight pickup with my midle age eyesight. I also want something that is easier to use should I lose my glasses, or otherwise not have them available.
My eyes aren't that great either. I tried this front sight from Ameriglo
GL-212-GR-C , its the green luminous circle with green tritium on the inside. This "thing" turned out to be too much for my eyes (ymmv). You can't miss it , hit it with a flashlight or any ambient light and its like the freaking sun. Probably approximates the Big Dot. I found I couldn't use it much past 15yrds due to the glow even in decent light even though dimensions are the same as the orange circle one. Maybe this with a pair of yellow operators would work for you.
With older eyes, or eyesight that's not the best, a narrower front sight will work better. It allows more vacant space on each side of the front sight, when it's centered, allowing for a quicker sight picture. Many choose one that's .100 in thickness, or even narrower.
If you are primarily shooting during sunlight, an all black rear sight is perfectly OK. Many people prefer a fiber optic insert, in their front sight, to aid in picking it up even faster. Before the fiber optics and glowing doodad sights came out, an all black front and rear setup, in daylight, was the going setup.
Guys were even known for turning around their Glock sights, to get rid of the white dot front, and white outline front, for daytime duty use, when they didn't want to buy new sights. Yep, a good percentage of cops have always been cheap. Swapping the sights like that did make for a great sight picture from the suspects perspective however!
sierra 223
04-27-12, 19:47
Im in my mid 40's right now and have been looking at better sights for my eyes. I can still see good at distance but blurry up close. I have Meprolight True Dots and they are ok but considering other options. One of the guys I work with has Trijicon HD's. They were pretty easy to see, might be a good sight for you. Another co worker just got a Gen 4 G 17 with factory sights. I havent looked at factory Glock sights in awhile, I was suprised how well they worked for my eyes. I know that they are not super rugged or very popular on forums but they looked pretty good for my up close blurry eyes.
The Trijicon HD front sight looks good. It's the 2-dot rear that gives me some concerns. When I had young 20-20 vision, 3-dot sights were great. I had Trijicon's on my G23 and never had any problems.
As I have gotten older, and need both near and far correction, I find the 3-dot to no longer be a fast sight picture. A large front sight placed over a single large rear reference (rather than placed between two small references) seems to work better.
The more I look at what has worked for me in the past vs what works now, I am begining to think the isue is less the front sight and more the rear sight.
The Heinie, 10-8, Warren, Trijicon, Mepro, even the Ameriglo's (including the CAP and the I-Dot) all have one thing in common - the front sight must be placed within the cutout on the rear sight.
Whether that rear cutout is plain, outlined in white (as on the stock Glock rear), or bordered with dots (most everything else), they all work the same way.
Not so the Big Dot or the Kahr rears. They have a shallow "V". I wonder if this is the feature that helps me with my sight picture - the ease of placing the dot over the "V" rather than within the "U".
Maybe it's late and I'm just tired, but I think I may have stumbled on to the feature I need to find. If I'm right, the only option out there is the Big Dot (or the standard Dot).
Bluedreaux
04-28-12, 08:52
I've used the XS Standard Dot for about 8 years on my Glock and love it. It is slower past 25 yards, but after practice I've found that I can make hits at 50 yards as quickly as other shooters with standard sights, because I practice. 25 yard head shots have never been a problem with them, which surprises most people who've never shot with them.
Up close, 15 yards and in, I'm much faster with the XS than 3 dot sights. And I'm usually decently quick with 3 dots. I've attended training with the XS and consistently won the final day man on man competitions. Not because I'm necessarily more accurate, by I get my hits faster.
I tried the Big Dot model and it was fast, but too big for me to make hits at extended range with.
Bottom line is, don't avoid what works for you because it doesn't work for everybody else. If the rear V sight gets hits for you that's what you need to use.
I have these trijicons on my M&P 45
http://i1110.photobucket.com/albums/h459/arikb79/Snapbucket/BB03B125-orig.jpg
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