View Full Version : Night sight
I had a tritium front sight installed on a Glock, when i try aiming I cant see the front sight in the dark.
Isnt the Tritiun suposed to glow, or at least be visable?:confused:
CDDM416
I have Heinie Straight 8 sights with Trijicon tritrium inserts on my T3. When I look on my nightstand every night I see the green dots very clearly in the dark. What type of night sights did you have installed?
They are 10-8, with tritium front. I cant see anything in the dark.
If you can't see it in low light or darkness then it must be defective. I would contact 10-8 and inform them of your situation. I recommend Trijicon inserts as they have sharp and bright dots.
If you can't see it in low light or darkness then it must be defective. I would contact 10-8 and inform them of your situation. I recommend Trijicon inserts as they have sharp and bright dots.
Thanks, Thats what i was thinking, I just wanted to make sure.
You should be able to see the tritium inserts glowing not just in total darkness but in many other low light conditions as well.
I have used Trijicon, MMC/PT, and Meprolight tritium inserts. Trijicon has been the most durable. Meprolight was the worst, dimming out within a few shooting sessions. P/T was middle of the road, starting out bright but dimming out after about 3 years of weekly shooting sessions.
tracker722
01-05-10, 13:50
You should be able to see the tritium inserts glowing not just in total darkness but in many other low light conditions as well.
I have used Trijicon, MMC/PT, and Meprolight tritium inserts. Trijicon has been the most durable. Meprolight was the worst, dimming out within a few shooting sessions. P/T was middle of the road, starting out bright but dimming out after about 3 years of weekly shooting sessions.
Strange...I have Meprolights that are going on 16 years now and are still just as bright, (or seemingly), as the Trijicons I am using now. Maybe the tritium was better in the good old days.:D
I also run 10-8s w/ trit. on the front & never have been the brightest compared to others but enough for me. Contact Hilton re. yours. & he'll stand behind it & get you squared away. Since you posted this here, be sure to post your outcome but I can comfortably predict you will be satisfied w/ his response.
ChicagoTex
01-05-10, 16:02
Strange...I have Meprolights that are going on 16 years now and are still just as bright, (or seemingly), as the Trijicons I am using now. Maybe the tritium was better in the good old days.
Meprolight uses bigger tritium lamps than Trijicon, if they look "as bright" as new Trijicons, they actually have diminished a tad (albeit less than I'd expect).
I've been told that assuming you bought a set of tritium sights soon after they were produced, they will be approximately half as bright in ~12 years. (the half life of tritium). I have a set that are coming up on 12 years and they're still looking good. I'd think it'd have to do with how much tritium is present and how old they are.
12 years is the half life of tritium, but recoil definitely takes its toll on the sights, causing the vials to leak. Front sights seem to be affected the most - probably because they move the most during recoil - and always seem to dim out before the rear sights. This has held true for me even when I used a green front (the natural color of tritium) with a yellow rear (any other color is achieved by filtering, therefore reducing the brightness).
I also run 10-8s w/ trit. on the front & never have been the brightest compared to others but enough for me. Contact Hilton re. yours. & he'll stand behind it & get you squared away. Since you posted this here, be sure to post your outcome but I can comfortably predict you will be satisfied w/ his response.
I posted in the general section, 10-8 was all ready to replace the sight, but turns out my gunsmith wanna-be screwed up.
I posted in the general section, 10-8 was all ready to replace the sight, but turns out my gunsmith wanna-be screwed up.
Yep, he used a punch and not a sight tool is my guess. That was what I was thinking all along reading this thread until I got to here.
I have used Trijicon and Meprolite and found the Meprolites to be brighter. The brightest night-sights I have seen are the OEM Meprolites on my SIG P226 Elite ST manufactured in Oct. 2009. They are BRIGHT!
The half-life of tritium doesn't mean that the sights will be half as bright in 12 years. Visual sensitivity to light is not that linear.
The sights don't dim due to "leaking gas," either. The amount of gas in a typical tritium capsule is so minute that a leak would kill the sight almost immediately. When recoil has affected a tritium capsule, it loses its ability to phosphoresce completely.
Brightness is also affected by the quality of the phosphorescing material, quality of the lens, etc.
I can't remember the last time I looked at a 10-8 front sight tritium capsule, but my recollection is that they use the smallest capsule available to keep the front sight narrow. Smaller capsule = less bright.
The half-life of tritium doesn't mean that the sights will be half as bright in 12 years. Visual sensitivity to light is not that linear.
The sights don't dim due to "leaking gas," either. The amount of gas in a typical tritium capsule is so minute that a leak would kill the sight almost immediately. When recoil has affected a tritium capsule, it loses its ability to phosphoresce completely.
Brightness is also affected by the quality of the phosphorescing material, quality of the lens, etc.
I can't remember the last time I looked at a 10-8 front sight tritium capsule, but my recollection is that they use the smallest capsule available to keep the front sight narrow. Smaller capsule = less bright.
Can you explain what you mean by "loses it's ability to phosphoresce completely"? Is the tritium gas itself shock-sensetive?
Also, you mention brightness is not linear, is it exponental, or what? i.e. in 12 years will I see "nothing", or barely be able to tell anything changed?
SWATcop556
01-09-10, 02:21
Todd is correct in that the 10-8 tritium vial is smaller than your average tritium dot, ie Trijicon. This is done because of the narrower front sight.
Sounds like your gunsmith owes you a new sight.
Can you explain what you mean by "loses it's ability to phosphoresce completely"? Is the tritium gas itself shock-sensetive?
No, the gas isn't affected by the shock. Apologies for being less than clear. What I meant is that if you get a capsule leak, the gas is all gone pretty much instantly. Result is zero glow.
Also, you mention brightness is not linear, is it exponental, or what? i.e. in 12 years will I see "nothing", or barely be able to tell anything changed?
It's complicated. (http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/color1.html#light)
The simple answer is that most companies warrant 10-12 years because by that time, many people consider the visible brightness unsuitable in near or total darkness. When you start to worry about more varied (and variable) lighting conditions, the sights can become less than ideal sooner than that.
It's actually a moot point for many serious shooters, as they tend to wear guns out, switch guns, or at least change sights at a rate greater than the half-life of H3. :cool:
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