Low-light/Night sights....choosing?

[dkd83]

I recently purchased an XD9sc and am contemplating upgrading the sights for low-light/night firing. How does a boy decide what kind to buy/install?

I have read several of the posts regarding this issue here on TGO, but I have no personal expertise. (Read: confused)

I will appreciate any comments or suggestions on the subject.

[shaftbass]

Well I just got Tru-Glo TFO night sights installed on my XD-9.

The Fiber Optic portion makes good use of available light by capturing it through the length of the fiber optic piece and directing that light to the end of the tube that is the dot you see. In bright light, it's really bright. In low light, it's still pretty bright. The tritium, which a radioactive material, glows and the light emitted is directed through the fiber optic tube, again to the end which is the dot you see when you aim. In low light or darkness, they are brighter than you might think if you've never used night sights. Keep in mind that tritium glows all the time and doesn't need to capture light to glow.

The advantage over plain tritium sights is that you have a brighter sight when there is light available. A disadvantage is that you could break one of the fiber optic pieces if its dropped, and that sucks.

Anyways, www.xd-hs2000.com will install sights for free if you buy sights from him. They seem a bit disorganized there but if you can wait a week or two you can save some money. I am happy with the install.. he even sighted it in for me for free.

I made an XD-9 sight thread a few weeks ago: http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59&highlight=sights

[Guest drewi]

I've used Meprolights, Trijicons, Wilson Combat, Heinie Straight 8's, and XS 24/7 Big Dot sights.

From a quality standpoint I can recommend any of those sights. I've had good luck with them all.

A lot of people in the know recommend the XS Big Dots. I'm just getting into them myself due to multiple recommendations by several different people. They are not target sights, although they can be used as such with good results. They are made for defense purposes and are designed for fast acquisition of the front sight. They are basically express sights like those found on rifles meant to hunt dangerous game.

http://www.meprolight.com/

http://www.trijicon.com/home.cfm

http://www.heinie.com/

http://www.xssights.com/

http://www.wilsoncombat.com/a_sights.asp I don't think Wilson makes sights for XD's but I included the link anyway.

[Guest jackdog]

My advice is to learn to point shoot and forget the night sights. Chances are really good that you will not have the time to get a good sight picture any way. The great thing about point shooting is your on target faster and putting rounds in the bad guy quicker. Hmm will they be nice tight groups, not likely, but the goal is to put the bad guy out of comission.

Jackdog

[Guest Shay VanVlymen]

I don't want to turn this thread into a sighted shooting/point shooting discussion...BUT...your gun has sights for a reason. You need to train to use them. Beyond contact distance/retention shooting the sights are the only way to confirm the orientation of your firearm when you press the trigger.

Personally, I'd recommend XS Big Dot sights. They are not a typical target sight. They give you a BIG dot on the front of your pistol. Our Force on Force students who have used XS Big Dots refuse to use standard three dot sights on day two. They see the value of having the large front sight when they are shooting under stress.

[Rifleman]

Big Dots

[shaftbass]

Big John

Big Iron

[SkWaShDeM]

I use Meprolight's on my XD Service, that said, if I could do it all over again, I'd have gotten Straight 8's or Big Dots. When the Meprolight's fade out on me and have to be replaced, it will be Straight 8's or Big Dots replacing the faithful Mep's.

[BIG ROB]

I would suggest you try the different sights that you are interested in. I have both the afore mentioned big dots and meps. I like both.

[dkd83]

I have looked over all of the web sites, thank you drewi, and i believe the XS sights look good to me. However, I have one question regarding size.

What are the pros/cons of the Big Dot vs. the Standard Dot sights? I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has used either or both.

[Guest drewi]

I started out with a set of the small dots. Now I have big dots.

The way I understand it is that the small dots defeat the purpose of the sights. The bigger dot allows you to acquire the front sight faster and is easier to see. I'll have to admit when you first look down the slide the big dot looks almost cartoonish. But this is what makes this sight set effective.

Taken from the XS website FAQ section:

The Standard Dot Tritium. We have it around because no matter how logical and sound the Big Dot system is you just can’t convince everyone as to its advantages or that you really can shoot accurately with it. The Standard Dot Tritium gives them a better front sight so they will have some improvement. We sell quite a few of them to the gamers who want a better front sight but shoot in a world where the targets are generally static and clearly marked as to which ones are hostile and which ones are not.

[dkd83]

Thanks for that insight drewi, I figured that would prove the difference between the small/large dot sizes.