Proper sight picture for night sights

[HuttoAg96]

I am used to a 6 o'clock sight picture on my handgun sights. I recently had a set of ameriglo night sights installed, and when using a 6 o'clock sight picture (target on top of the front sight) it shoots about 4.5" low at 10 yards. Someone told me today that all night sights are engineered so that the front dot is supposed to COVER the target? If that's true, in your experience, how much does that impact your precision shooting (e.g. 20 yards or so)?

Does anyone else shoot competitions with their night-sight-equipped pistol?

[CAVDOC]

I want my sights to shoot poi poa so the tip of the front sight is where the bullet goes. sights come in different heights for a reason I would want all my sights to match what I stated above. I would not want to have to cover the intended point of impact with my sight picture to get an accurate hit- unless you are in military of police applications however the contact distance is likely to be VERY close where the sights being off by 4.5" at 10 yards wouldn't matter much. I have also seen guns where if you index the night dot in the middle of the rear notch the do tend to hit either low (or more often high) because now the top of the front post is very much above the top of the rear notch.

[HuttoAg96]

When I contacted them about it, Ameriglo was nice enough to say that they'd produce a higher new rear sight for me, so hopefully it should shoot more the way I would expect it to when I get it back.

Now if only the gunsmith hadn't installed the current rear sight so tight that they are going to have to drill out the set screw...

[ARx3]

Does anyone else shoot competitions with their night-sight-equipped pistol?[/QUOTE]

I have shot GSSF and IDPA matches with my Mepro and Warren Tactical night sight equipped Glock G-22's and my wife uses Truglo TFO's on her G-22 and G-38.

[dp0350]

To the best of my knowledge, only some European guns are designed to hit POI behind the front sight dot. I found this out on my HK P30. Most US made sights have the POI on top of the front sight post or "pumpkin on a post" regardless if they are night sights or not. This picture from Heinie explains the typical sight picture on US sights.

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[ChrisG19]

I've been taught to put the front dot where you want the bullet to go. This works for me and my Glock 19 with Mepros out to 50meters (farthest I've shot with a handgun). Of course, do what works best for you.

[boomhower]

I've been taught to put the front dot where you want the bullet to go. This works for me and my Glock 19 with Mepros out to 50meters (farthest I've shot with a handgun). Of course, do what works best for you.

Same here. Both my Glock's and Sig are set up this way.

[opmike]

I think this all depends on the sights in question. I'm not aware of any industry standards that says what type of sight picture ALL night sights are supposed to have.

I've used sights that were dot-on-target and 6 o'clock hold.

[dp0350]

I think this all depends on the sights in question. I'm not aware of any industry standards that says what type of sight picture ALL night sights are supposed to have.

I've used sights that were dot-on-target and 6 o'clock hold.

Absolutely. I think its kind up in the air. For instance Heinie and Warren sights don't have a dot on target POI even on pistols which originally came that way.

[O'DubhGhaill]

Necropost revival I know, but this thread is completely relevant to an issue I am having with my Warren Tactical 3-dot night sight set-up on my Glocks. If I align the top of the front sight post with the upper edge of the rear sight, the front sight dot is a bit higher than the two rear dots. As such, my G26s are shooting high at 20yds. I then found this picture on the CPWSA site:



If I use this sight picture, the tip of the front sight post sits lower in alignment with the top edge of the rear sight, but the dots are in horizontal alignment. This should lower the POI and solve my problem, although I would have to change my sight picture memory accordingly. I am also going to have to experiment with putting the dot where I want the shot with this alignment, that is, dot equals POI, rather than tip of front sight to center mast. Strange these night sights are.