View Full Version : Heinie sight?
I picked up a set of Heinie Straight-8s for my Glock 17 a few weeks ago and just got a chance to shoot them yesterday. The results were piss poor. When I would place the front dot on the target I would get bullet impacts that were about 6” low. When I would put the rear dot on the target the bullets were hitting where I wanted (height) but the group size was larger than normal.
Before this I had the factory sights on the gun and wherever I placed the front dot the bullets would go. I have noticed that the Heinie sights are taller that the factory Glock sights. Is this the cause of the issue that I am having? Is there a fix or should I sell them off and get a different set of sight?
Thanks!
SeaSoldier
06-05-11, 10:54
You don't want to use the front sight "dot". Use the top of the front sight just as you would a sight without an insert. The tritium "Dot" is only there to help find your front sight in diminished light. What is the height of your front sight? If you do decide to sell them keep me in mind.
Yep. That is the problem with "dot" sights. Straight 8s are night sights, and that should be the only time they are focused upon. That's why they are kinda small. They are one of the best night setups you can get.
During normal light shooting it is best to ignore the dots and use the top of the front sight blade, and just the notch in the rear sight. For non-night sight setups that have dots, like the standard Glock that has a dot front sight and an outlined notch on the rear, I either blacked the sights out or reversed them.
You have either purchased / received the incorrect set of sights or you have a software problem with sight alignment. I suspect #2 as you are somehow saying you focused on the rear sight enough to place the rear dot over your target. The fixes are simple, make sure you ordered and received the correct sights for your model of pistol and / or utilize proper sight alignment.
You have either purchased / received the incorrect set of sights or you have a software problem with sight alignment. I suspect #2 as you are somehow saying you focused on the rear sight enough to place the rear dot over your target. The fixes are simple, make sure you ordered and received the correct sights for your model of pistol and / or utilize proper sight alignment.
In order for me to hit the area of the target that I wanted, I covered that area with the rear sight, not sure if that makes any more sense.
Well, I wouldn’t rule out me as the issue as I bought the right sights for the gun though I am not sure on the height of them. I just put a tape on them, although I know it’s not that accurate and got ¼”.
I’ll shoot it tomorrow and try what SeaSoldier and darr3239 suggested but with the factory Glock sights I have always placed the front dot where I wanted the bullet to go and the results were good. If I am doing something wrong that’s fine as I can change the behavior but I don’t understand why the impacts would be different.
Thanks guys!!
F-Trooper05
06-05-11, 13:17
If aiming with the front dot is making him hit low, than using the the top of the front sight blade would make him hit even lower; no?
SeaSoldier
06-05-11, 13:47
If aiming with the front dot is making him hit low, than using the the top of the front sight blade would make him hit even lower; no?
Correct, but after reading his post, no offense to the OP, I'm not sure knows what he's doing. Especially after saying he put the rear dot on the target. I would first let someone with known marksmanship skills shoot the pistol and adjust or not from there.
A too tall front sight could definitely cause the issue you are having as could a too short rear sight.
You already said the front was noticeably taller than factory. Measure the stock sights and the Heinies, than contact Heinie.
Let me try once again to be clear.
I shot the G17 fine with the factory sights.
With the Heinie sights the G17 now shoots about 6” low using the same aiming technique I used before.
In order to get rounds to impact anywhere near where I wanted I tried different hold overs. What kinda got the bullets to impact where I wanted was to place the rear sights dot where I wanted bullet impacts on the target. It was not pretty and by means was it a desirable way to aim, just the only way to get on target.
F-troop, that makes sense as I had to aim higher to get any results. Could it be a distance thing with the Heinie sights? I was shooting at about 10 yards and at the time I did not even think to try it out at 15,20, or 25.
RD62,
I don’t have a accurate way to measure them but the thickness of a penny is the exact difference in the height between the factory front and the Heinie front.
IIRC, Heines are supposed to be taller. Both the front and rear are taller than the stock Glock sights.
My Glock19 shot 1-2 inches low at 7 yards and 6 inches low at 25 yards with the Defoor sights (Using the tip of the front sight blade as the POA). With the stock sights, I had to file down the plastic front site to the top of the white dot to get it to hit POA/POI.
I switched to a set of Warren Tacticals (Sevigny version) and the gun is POA/POI, using the top edge of the front sight blade as the POA.
Measuring the front sight height and comparing it to the stock setup is meaningless if the rear sight height is different.
If you bought the Heinie sights as a set, for your Glock, they are regulated to shoot correctly. Could they have put in an incorrect front sight? I guess.
Have someone else shoot your gun, in order to verify the sight issue. If everyone is shooting low then it's the height of the front sight more than likely.
By the way OP, both my G17s shoot POA/POI using the front sight tip as the aiming point. I believe the bullet should be hitting right where you are placing the front sight blade. Mine shoot this way with the stock Glock sights and also with Defoor rear and HiViz FO front (my preferred setup on these). Both of these are the low sight level setups (not sure if this is correct terminology). I believe Warrens and Heines are higher than stock.
In my opinion, if you have to cover the point of impact with your front sight dot, even with the stock sights, the gun is shooting low and you might need to find a sight combination that works better. You either need a shorter front sight or taller rear sight....that is unless you like covering your target with your sights.
Bench the gun, or rest it on the shooting table and try again to make sure you aren't snatching the trigger. I've done that before and discovered the source of my problems were shooter induced error.
My friend that was with me also shot it low. Granted he did not run as many rounds through it as I did but he was still low.
I just looked at Heinie’s site and they have a 39 different sight products for Glocks so maybe something got packaged wrong or the guy the shop sold me the wrong ones. I’ll give Heinie a call tomorrow and see if there is any way to find out which sights I have since I no longer have the packaging.
I am 99% sure that I was not snatching the trigger. That is something that I have been working on pretty hard the past month or so and have kicked that habit.
I’ll try benching it tomorrow and shooting at different distances and see what happens.
I just looked at Heinie’s site and they have a 39 different sight products for Glocks so maybe something got packaged wrong or the guy the shop sold me the wrong ones. I’ll give Heinie a call tomorrow and see if there is any way to find out which sights I have since I no longer have the packaging.
While it could have been a mistake on the shop's part, it doesn't necessarily have to be Heine's error in the packaging, or the shop's fault. It could possibly be that your Glock just shoots low compared to the average production Glock. If that's the case, you'll want to know the height of the front sight you received so that you can ask them for a shorter one.
Could you explain what your sight alignment, not sight picture, looks like without reference to a dot? Where's the front sight in relation to the rear sight when you are aiming? Have either you or your friend had any formal marksmanship training?
Let me try once again to be clear.
I shot the G17 fine with the factory sights.
With the Heinie sights the G17 now shoots about 6” low using the same aiming technique I used before.
In order to get rounds to impact anywhere near where I wanted I tried different hold overs. What kinda got the bullets to impact where I wanted was to place the rear sights dot where I wanted bullet impacts on the target. It was not pretty and by means was it a desirable way to aim, just the only way to get on target.
F-troop, that makes sense as I had to aim higher to get any results. Could it be a distance thing with the Heinie sights? I was shooting at about 10 yards and at the time I did not even think to try it out at 15,20, or 25.
Strange, I have SlantPro straight 8's on my 17's and 19's. Have always had point of impact appropriate for a 12 o'clock hold @ 7 yrds and about 2" high @ 25yrds. Front sight height is .210.
Could you explain what your sight alignment, not sight picture, looks like without reference to a dot? Where's the front sight in relation to the rear sight when you are aiming? Have either you or your friend had any formal marksmanship training?
Me, no. My friend, yes, courtesy of Uncle Sam.
I am not sure if I understand your question, but the top of my front sight is even with the top of the rear sight. With the Heinie’s there is a lot more “air” between the front sight and the inside of the rear but I was trying to stay focused on keeping it centered. The little bit I was off left/right was my error.
I really like the design of the sights and they look darn near bomb proof so I hope I can get this worked out. Hopefully it will be as simple as just buying a shorter front sight.
Measuring the front sight height and comparing it to the stock setup is meaningless if the rear sight height is different.
Correct. If the rear height is in fact different. Thus the taking measurements to compare. And if the rears check out you then have the measurements to reference when speaking to the manufacturer.
Don't guess. Contact the manufacturer and describe the situation and give them the measurements (if you have them) or tell them the front is taller by the thickness of a penny or whatever. But give them some info and I bet they can help you get it corrected versus us all guessing at the problem via the internet.
My .02....
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