View Full Version : Night sight question
As mentioned in a a previous post I have two Glock 19’s that I plan to install night sights on, either Heinie sights with a QWIK rear or a Warren /Sevigny set. Seems I have read or heard somewhere that one of these, maybe the Warren or Sevigny, has a white outline around the tritium vials? Is that true? If so do you know if it’s painted, plastic or something else?
Also, if you've used both I would be interested to know your thoughts on how they compare, which you preferred, etc.
Thanks.
I like the Heinie better. I prefer the larger rear sight. Both are nice, but I give the edge to Heinie. Its a very subjective "view".
Thanks. I agree, choice of sights can be a very subjective thing.
Do you have the Heine night sight, standard steel, etc? I was curious if the tritium vials have a ring around them, white or some other color?
I have the Warren Tactical Night Sights on my G19. There is a white line around the regular sized green dot front tritium vial, but on the rear you can only see the thin metal of the tritium vials around the small dim yellow rear dots in daylight.
I really like these sights. The G23 I used to have had factory night sights on it, and I like these much better.
I have the straight 8's and the "Edge", both NS. The Edge has a larger notch. The large notch version is my favorite.
Dragon Slayer
02-28-10, 17:14
I like the Tru Glo TFO's, I have them on all my Glocks. They are amazing both in daylight and the dark.
I have the LEDGE in Straight-Eight configuration on numerous Glock 19s. While I haven't used the Warren, I can say that there's a huge advantage in front sight clarity compared to Trijicon night sights...especially for my post 50 year old eyes.:rolleyes:
-Rainman
CaptainDooley
02-28-10, 18:34
To my eyes it looks like the white ring around the front tritium on my Warren Tacticals is painted on.
...especially for my post 50 year old eyes.:rolleyes:
Tell me about it. I turned 50 this month and for the past few years my eye's have really went downhill. I hope the wider rear notch and thinner front sight will help.
I have both, and prefer the Warrens. The Heinie Straight Eights are certainly good sights and very shootable, but I prefer the Warrens because of the rear sight notch, rear sight profile, and the fact that the front and rear tritium dots are different color.
The Dumb Gun Collector
02-28-10, 23:22
And take a look at the Warrens with the tritium front and plain black rear. I find that arrangement to be very fast.
I have also been looking at the Warren sights. What do most prefer, the 2 dot or 3 dot night sights ?
SWATcop556
03-01-10, 06:11
I prefer the Warren sights with a plain black rear and tritium front.
I like the Warren 2 dot NS combo...
My Warrens are three dot.
Dave Berryhill
03-01-10, 14:36
Trijicon can only put a white ring around the tritium lamp on smooth (unserrated) sights. Serrated sights like the Heinie rear can only get a plain tritium lamp.
The white outline or ring is actually paint that is applied to the sight after the lamp is glued into place and the paint would fill the serrations as well.
I'm not sure how other tritium manufacturers do theirs.
Thanks for the advice. I am still unsure. I may order one set and see how I like them, then go from there.
...I prefer the Warrens because ...the front and rear tritium dots are different color.
Why's that? Did you color code them so you don't forget which one is the front and which one is the rear sight? ;)
A number of reasons:
It's easier to make sure they're lined up properly (this is more an issue with 3-dot than 2-dot, admittedly).
The orange rear dot on the Warrens is dimmer, so the eyes are easily drawn to focus on the front dot while using the rear purely for alignment in the periphery.
When you get a mid-range focus (instead of a true hard front sight focus), two green dots can sometimes become a jumble of four green dots in your double-vision, making for a very confusing sight picture.
I've been using the all-green Heinies for almost a year now and they've certainly worked fine in low light shooting, but the green front/orange rear of the Warrens is just an improvement in my opinion.
I recently installed a set of Sevigny Carry sights on my G19 with a trit front and plain rear, and I'm very happy with it.
The front dot only solution has real problems under some circumstances. In particular:
If you're in a relatively dark environment shooting at a target that is backlit, your front dot is going to be hovering in space on a black silhouette. Depending on distance, movement, etc., that can make for "cross your fingers" accuracy. (showed this just last night at a class, in fact)
If a strong light is hitting your eyes but not your sights, for example from the side, contrast can wash out and give you a very similar effect as above.
Most people "test" their night sights in very pristine and consistent lighting conditions... either pitch black with a flashlight or on a dark range (indoors or at night). But when you step off the range, the myriad of possible environments can put you in situations where your target, your sights, and your eyes are all receiving different amounts of illumination from different sources and angles.
The Dumb Gun Collector
03-01-10, 22:54
I decided that the front sight solution was best after a low light class with Hackathorn and Vickers. Larry liked the straight eight idea. Ken preferred the single dot. I was using the luminescent sights on my HK45 at the time and used my X300 to illuminate the front dot only. After a few nights in the shoot house I decided Ken was right.
spamsammich
03-01-10, 23:25
...
When you get a mid-range focus (instead of a true hard front sight focus), two green dots can sometimes become a jumble of four green dots in your double-vision, making for a very confusing sight picture.
I've experienced this exact problem with my Straight 8s. In the right light I can get more than 4 dots when light reflects off the surfaces of my eyeglasses. It is very disorienting. I don't know if this is a problem I can overcome with training. I can snap my eyes out of it if I close my left eye for a second but it is not an ideal situation for me, killing what little depth perception I have in low light to re-acquire sight picture. Otherwise I find them to be faster than my 3dot Trijicons on my M&P.
Heartland Hawk
03-02-10, 16:47
I like the Trijicons. And they are VERY Bright.
Try as I might, I just can't get used to anything but three dot sight set ups. I have a set of Warren 2-dots on my G19 right now, and I can tell you that, FOR ME, in anything but bright sunlight, I loose the top of my front sight when I place it on a dark target. VERY hard to get a good vertical alignment for me. For a while I thought the set of sights I got was mis-matched, I was shooting consistently low...
I had similar issues when shooting a Heinie front matched to a 10-8 rear, and when shooting the Ledge "Qwick" sights. I'll also say that, while I like a generous rear sight notch, the "Qwick" was too much of a good thing FOR ME.
When I moved into an outdoor daylight shooting situation, against our powder-blue Transtar II targets, I did much better. But, the lesson learned FOR ME, is I need 3-dots. Currently, I get best results with Meprolight front green/rear orange. The rear sight notch is INSANELY small on those - can barely see any light at all around the front sight; but I can pick the front sight out very quickly and have no problems with engaging the pepper popper all the way out to 100 yards.
Regards,
Kevin
I'll also say that, while I like a generous rear sight notch, the "Qwick" was too much of a good thing FOR ME.
Was it just too wide? My background had a lot of bullseye type shooting and try as I might I can't get used to the Glock issue sights. The "no light" around the front sight drives me nuts. Insanely small is right. My aging eyes only aggrevate the situation. I had hoped the Qwik sight might be the ticket but perhaps I'd be better off with the standard width. I wish I could look at a few before I buy but nobody I know has them.
Well I just installed a set of Warren/Sevigny sights on one of my G19s. I ended up going with a fiber optic front sight on this particular gun. It's my backup or "play" gun. I figured since it sees the most use at IDPA and USPSA matches I would go with the plain rear and fiber front. My reasoning was if I liked them and everything worked well I'd later install the night sight version on my primry G19.
I used a brass drift and hammer rather than going with a pusher. It sure took a lot more hammering then I figured. At not quite the halfway point I feared I'd really screwed up. It didn't want to move further and I wasn't sure what to do. After trying several things I finally went to a larger hammer. :rolleyes: After that it went in slowly but at least it was moving. It's so tight I can't imagine it moving; the set screw has got to be overkill.
After getting it centered up the front sight was a piece of cake. For those who may not know the fiber optic front sight comes with two color fibers, green and red. After playing with both for a while I settled on the green fiber. It seemed to show up a little better. If it doesn't work out it's a simple process to change colors. They give you enough fiber of both colors to change several times over which is nice.
I think I'm really going to like them. They're seem a big improvement over the factory sights. Shooting for a while will tell but if first impressions mean anything I have a feeling another set of Sevigny's are in my future.
Was it just too wide? My background had a lot of bullseye type shooting and try as I might I can't get used to the Glock issue sights. The "no light" around the front sight drives me nuts. Insanely small is right. My aging eyes only aggrevate the situation. I had hoped the Qwik sight might be the ticket but perhaps I'd be better off with the standard width. I wish I could look at a few before I buy but nobody I know has them.Mark - sorry for the delayed response, been out and about a bit lately...
Yes, for me, the QWIK Ledge rear notch was, simply, too wide. Couldn't come close to getting a decent alignment - almost like shooting an "express" style rear.
I think you'll like the Sevigny's, though I prefer the rounded bottom sight contour of the Warren Tacticals. I'm just waiting 'til after Easter (made a Lenten vow not to change ANYTHING on my carry guns for 40+ days), then I'm going to order a set of the Warren Tactical 3-dots...
Regards,
Kevin
I love my warren tactical 3 dots on my glock 19. Im not a great pistol shooter and these sights made a vast improvement in my shooting. I like that they arent much taller than factory sights. Ive never used 2 dots, and I think i need the 3 to align in low light so front only wasnt an option, again Im not all that experienced. I like that the front lamp is brighter than the rear, and since nearly all my shooting is in day light I really like the white outline on the front. the rear lamps arent outlined and it helps draw my eye past the rear sight and stay focused on the front.
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