Night Sights...Really?

[BE Mike]

A buddy of mine, who has quite a lot of experience told me that he has never heard of anyone actually using night sights in a gun fight. It got me to thinking. I've never heard of anyone saying that they used night sights in an actual situation. Anyone hear someone say (probably an officer) night sights saved their bacon?

 

[Birds Away]

No, but they do help you find it in the dark.

 

[KJQ6945]

A night sight got me bacon. Does that count?

 

[Denny347]

Quite a lot of experience at what? I would imagine that tracking night site usage stats is quite difficult as you would have to ask the shooter if they used them or not. I've always carried Glocks so my choices were the POS plastic sights or metal night sites...no brainer.

 

[2Lucky]

What do you consider "night"? You can use "night sights" in the day light hours to so I would guess that quite a few have saved there bacon when using night sights.....

 

[BehindBlueI's]

It's exceedingly rare to have enough ambient light for target identification but not enough to use standard sights. Night sights value is in faster acquisition times in poor lighting and in the ability to verify proper alignment when insufficient light exists. For example, you're clearing a building, have bumped something, needed to open a door, whatever, and your grip might have shifted a bit. Night sights allow you to quickly verify your physical index is still correct, which aids in faster and consistent presentation.

Night sights are more useful on "offense" and/or when you've been able to select your position and killzone. Ie, you've used ambient light to illuminate a stairwell and maintained darkness on the landing so that you can ambush an intruder. Even then, a weapon mounted light will generally give enough splashback for "equal height/equal light" to work.

I put them more in the category of "nice to have and has no real trade off" instead of "necessary".

 

[bwframe]

Tom Givens wrote a very interesting article on this in his newsletter a while back:

http://rangemaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-02_RFTS-Newsletter.pdf

 

[BE Mike]

Quite a lot of experience at what? I would imagine that tracking night site usage stats is quite difficult as you would have to ask the shooter if they used them or not. I've always carried Glocks so my choices were the POS plastic sights or metal night sites...no brainer.

Retired LEO, SWAT, police training for over 30 years. Does that meet your definition? I almost forgot; he was a very active competitive pistol shooter for many years.

 

[Denny347]

Retired LEO, SWAT, police training for over 30 years. Does that meet your definition?

About average. I used them darn near daily for low light structure clearing. But for defensive shootings, you'd be hard pressed to find a person who remembers using their sights at all, let alone recall using the illuminated dots. Now I've only been a firearms instructor/trainer for 18 years and involved in my own police action shootings and I've never asked nor heard anyone proclaim they used the night sights. But I surely wouldn't equate that to mean no one used them. For Joe Q Public, are night sights necessary. Nope. For a LEO, heck yes. Then again, not all police officers and their departments are created equal. Some officers will never draw their handgun let alone fire it at another human being.

 

[Ark]

I must confess to being extremely skeptical as to the real world utility of night sights. If it's so dark I can't see the sights without tritium, how am I simultaneously seeing well enough to identify a target for use of lethal force?

Instead of buying $100 sights, I stick a $25 light in my pocket. I use it a hell of a lot more than I will ever use a gun. I'm sure night sights are a cool thing to have, but there is no legal civilian application for shooting at silhouettes in the dark. If you can't see what your target is, you shouldn't be shooting, and if you can see what your target is, you can probably see to use sights. That's why they aren't high on my wish list.

 

[churchmouse]

No, but they do help you find it in the dark.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I have a gun on both dressers and both are cat eyes in the night. I can go right to them, pick up properly oriented and be at the ready no muss no fuss. This puts me in the situation much faster and does not show my position if I use a light.
That makes them a serious plus to me.

Too each their own. Pick your poison.

 

[MCgrease08]

Tom Givens wrote a very interesting article on this in his newsletter a while back:

http://rangemaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-02_RFTS-Newsletter.pdf

A good read. Thanks for posting.

I must confess to being extremely skeptical as to the real world utility of night sights. If it's so dark I can't see the sights without tritium, how am I simultaneously seeing well enough to identify a target for use of lethal force?

Instead of buying $100 sights, I stick a $25 light in my pocket. I use it a hell of a lot more than I will ever use a gun. I'm sure night sights are a cool thing to have, but there is no legal civilian application for shooting at silhouettes in the dark. If you can't see what your target is, you shouldn't be shooting, and if you can see what your target is, you can probably see to use sights. That's why they aren't high on my wish list.

This is pretty much the crux of the Tom Givens article linked above, although he downplays the need for a flashlight too.

 

[Sigblitz]

A good read. Thanks for posting.



This is pretty much the crux of the Tom Givens article linked above, although he downplays the need for a flashlight too.

I didn't mean to tag you in here MC.

Sights are a personal choice. The most vivid sights for my eyes without the gun aiming too high are the Trijicon tritium green. I've tried them all. They're bright when it starts getting dark which is an improvement and worth the $60. Another type is the HD that have some tritium with fiber optic and it's bright in daylight, but they snag and aim high.

 

[billybob44]

No, but they do help you find it in the dark.

^^^
We ARE talking about SIGHTS right???

 

[patience0830]

No, but they do help you find it in the dark.

This could be the real life saver, right here!

 

[Bennettjh]

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I have a gun on both dressers and both are cat eyes in the night. I can go right to them, pick up properly oriented and be at the ready no muss no fuss. This puts me in the situation much faster and does not show my position if I use a light.
That makes them a serious plus to me.

Too each their own. Pick your poison.

Night sights and a TLR-1. Works great for me.

 

[JettaKnight]

I don't know anyone that's used night sights in a gunfight.


But, I don't know anyone that's got in a gunfight.


YMMV on this one.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Downplay a flashlight?

It's nighttime nearly half the time. We/you have a moral obligation to positively identify our target. Flashlights help us do that.

 

[churchmouse]

Downplay a flashlight?

It's nighttime nearly half the time. We/you have a moral obligation to positively identify our target. Flashlights help us do that.

Our place is lit up enough to see into every corner. The spouse is big on night lights.Just enough to make it through the house and not stub a toe. Well, most times.
In that I have an advantage. It is my house. I know every corner and every....well.....corner. But I also have flash lights by every HD firearm and lights on the long guns. I just do not use them until I have to. And yes, I have cleared the house on multiple occasions when something goes bump in the night.

 

[Leadeye]

Never have owned night sights, but I do like KJQ's use of them for the bacon.