Night sights really worth the change?

I have a Gen4 Glock 17. Is it worth the $100 to get some night sights and install them on my gun. I see people all the time upgrading to night sights.

If you're going to use the gun for self defense, you should have night sights.

MikeTF said:

If you're going to use the gun for self defense, you should have night sights.

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It is certainly one of my self defense weapons and its the only one my fiance would shoot. She hasnt shot the 12g yet and AR-15 is not her favorite either.

Ok lets not beat around the bush................IF you intend to make it, whats commonly referred to as a nightstand gun or a carry gun, then it would behoove you to add night sights. If the gun is going to stay in a safe and if specifically purchased to punch paper then why spend the extra money?

MikeTF's comment should end this thread.

GLOCKs factory sights are only good for plugging the dovetail IMO, sight picture is too buisy, the front dot is half covered by the rear when aligned, and the rear notch is too narrow for the fat front. I like a nice visible front sight for fast alignment, green FO works for outdoors, but shoot in enough dark indoor ranges, dusk or dawn outdoors, and night sights do have a place on any pistol, not just a defensive one.

I've seen and installed a few GLOCK sights, Arotek low-pro are probably my favorite, they are tough, well made, and use a 2 piece rear that installs and can be drifted without a pusher by loosening the screws, tools are included, but plain or 3 dot are the only configurations. I most recently did a set of Vickers sights on my 4G19, they line up fast and are similarly precise, dot over dot inserts, and can rack on a belt. Main downside is the height, they are both more prone to snag and the serrated front is sharp, but the tall clean dot/U sight picture is great. Both glow bright enough to help speed alignment in moderate to low light, I do like the fast and simple green over yellow of the Vickers better than the 3 green dots of the Aroteks.

Glock sights are easy to change yourself so I say yes.

Is it a nightstand gun? If it is, if were it mine, it would have night sights and a Crimson Trace laser grip.

well now, contrary to what some folks say here, i have trained with these and um, in low light or no light situations, the last thing you want in front of your eyes are three glowing dots on totally dark target areas. eyes adjust to the available light, accordingly. in a situation where your eyes are adjusted to the low light, no light environment, you introduce artificial light to assist you the acquisition of a perceived threat, they are distracting and in the opinion of many, a waste of money. i relied on my NATURAL POINT OF AIM (NPA) and point shooting, rather than the night sights. my experience.

woodstock said:

well now, contrary to what some folks say here, i have trained with these and um, in low light or no light situations, the NEXT TO THE last thing you want in front of your eyes are three glowing dots on totally dark target areas. eyes adjust to the available light, accordingly. in a situation where your eyes are adjusted to the low light, no light environment, you introduce artificial light to assist you the acquisition of a perceived threat, they are distracting and in the opinion of many, a waste of money. i relied on my NATURAL POINT OF AIM (NPA) and point shooting, rather than the night sights. my experience.

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FTFY...
The last thing I want or need is to walk past a BG in the dark and have him be able to zero in on the glow of my night sights and send me a barrage of lead.

I'd rather have regular defined sights and a good flashlight with an instant on switch so I can use it when I need it and leave it off when I don't.

But, this is another .45 Vs. 9mm, Glock Vs. 1911 conundrum. We are going to have different opinions and in the end each person must reach their own comfortable system.

Until then... We juss gonna habfunwiddat.

Yes...

boltster08 said:

I have a Gen4 Glock 17. Is it worth the $100 to get some night sights and install them on my gun. I see people all the time upgrading to night sights.

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Most of my pistols I own are Glocks, I would say yes to the change out. All of mine have them...and also for me, I shoot better w/ the "3 dot" sights vs the "circle in the box" that is standard on glocks. I've also had the Trijicons for over a decade and they're still gong strong.. I have wanted to but haven't got around to trying out the fiber optics w/ the off set colors.

umm, question....

woodstock said:

well now, contrary to what some folks say here, i have trained with these and um, in low light or no light situations, the last thing you want in front of your eyes are three glowing dots on totally dark target areas. eyes adjust to the available light, accordingly. in a situation where your eyes are adjusted to the low light, no light environment, you introduce artificial light to assist you the acquisition of a perceived threat, they are distracting and in the opinion of many, a waste of money. i relied on my NATURAL POINT OF AIM (NPA) and point shooting, rather than the night sights. my experience.

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I was curious: are the night sights going to hurt my night vision anymore than the muzzle flash of my pistol???

Walk around your house at night, in the dark with only the ambient light normally there. As you do imagine bad guys in your home, up close, down the hall, behind a door, way across the room, etc. Practice dry firing (an unloaded pistol, check it twice); with night sights and without. You will KNOW the answer for yourself.

Absolutely need night sights, flashlight (mounted on gun), holographic, or laser to help you acquire the target at a distance. With a lot of training, and shooting up close its not as important, but you still have to ID the threat. I'm for weapon attached flash light on Home Defense (HD) firearms. And carry another flashlight on your person.

Here is a really good one: http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=185884

It's true, night sights aren't much help in very low - no light where you can't identify a target, this is the first thing a good instructor will tell you. To hit a target, you have to see the target, and in a defensive situation you need to identify it. Night sights are not a replacement for flashlight techniques, or for point shooting, they are just another tool that speeds sight alignment, in some cases a redundant aiming device, and if used properly can broaden the range of your capabilities. I've found through instruction, training and practice they do help in much the same way dots or FO inserts help in daytime to speed alignment. Unless a threat is immediately behind you, there isn't enough light put out for them to see your position, they compliment all the other techniques discussed, flashlight techniques, transitioning from point to aimed shooting, and help across a wider light range than most think.

A couple pics, first is in moderate light, what you would find in an indoor range, in your house with a lamp nearby, or at dawn/dusk, the tritium starts to transition from the 3 white dot "day" sight picture to 3 green dot "night", this is the point where day sights start to loose contrast.


Next is low light, where there is still ample light to identify targets, but sights are hard to pick up, this would be a dark range, outdoors around streetlights, or in an unlit room next to a lighted room. This is where a night sight's abilities are of most use, and an extremely common level of light present in defensive scenarios.


This is another common lighting situation, aiming from an area of moderate light into an area of low light, there isn't enough light for painted dots to be readily visible, and the darker background obscures the sight picture, your eyes adjust to the darker room's light level, and the sights appear brighter.


The last is in very low - no light, this is where night sights on their own won't help, you need a flashlight to identify the target, and with standard sights this allows you to see their silhouette, good night sight inserts are still readily visible and help lining them up. You can also keep the sights aligned as you flash the light off and on while moving to better protect your position. If you shine the light away from the point of aim, place or roll it into a room to illuminate any threats inside and reposition yourself in the dark hallway, the night sights work to your advantage.

I have trained at night and 1000% support you getting night sights. I have two guns with nights sights on them. If you are 5 feet away you would barely be able to notice them and thats only if you behind the gun otherwise you cant see them. They are a dim glow not like a flashlight pointed at your head as some have suggested. My night sights have ZERO effect on my vision during pitch black.

MikeTF said:

If you're going to use the gun for self defense, you should have night sights.

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Absolutely!!! And consider adding a strong lighting system, too. We have a SA XD-9 and have a great light ($150) on it and can select part time or fulltime real bright allumination, which one needs to positively ID the target.

Lew--Ranger63

TrappedinMD said:

I have trained at night and 1000% support you getting night sights. I have two guns with nights sights on them. If you are 5 feet away you would barely be able to notice them and thats only if you behind the gun otherwise you cant see them. They are a dim glow not like a flashlight pointed at your head as some have suggested. My night sights have ZERO effect on my vision during pitch black.

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Yep.

A good test is to go into the bathroom at night with the lights off, and look at yourself in the mirror while pointing the gun. The best/newest night sights will have a slight glow, but hardly visible from the badguys perspective if you are a few feet away. At the distance he may see them you'll probably be shooting him at point blank range.

I considered adding my opinion.............

I like night sights.........ill stop at that.

TD

I think it's kind of neat to hear others say that night sights aren't needed. I need them, but respect that others don't.

Minuteman said:

Yep.

A good test is to go into the bathroom at night with the lights off, and look at yourself in the mirror while pointing the gun. The best/newest night sights will have a slight glow, but hardly visible from the badguys perspective if you are a few feet away. At the distance he may see them you'll probably be shooting him at point blank range.

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...yep, agreed...or he's standing right behind you...

MikeTF said:

I think it's kind of neat to hear others say that night sights aren't needed. I need them, but respect that others don't.

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When I first saw them, I just had to have them on my duty and off duty sidearms. And I liked so much about the newness of them. Then, while clearing a house in a possible burglary case one night, with another Officer... ALL I could see as he stepped in front of me to the next room, was the bright points of light from his night sights. He was completely vulnerable to attack from anywhere within the 180 degrees rear of those sights. Anyone hiding in a side room or hallway would have had a clear advantage. With no way to turn them off... I opted to leave them off of future sidearms.

If I am in the dark and working an area to locate a hidden threat, give me a laser sight or flashlight with a touch activated pressure switch to turn it on when I need it. Lights that cannot be turned off are a hazard to the person trying to find a hidden threat.