Tritium sights are a scam. Change my mind.

Racer88

Racer88

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A scam! And I've fallen for it. More than once.

I submit that in reality, tritium has NOTHING to offer in terms of functionality. They're expensive and they are worthless.

If it's dark enough to pick up the faint glow, it's too dark to even see the target or take a shot.
 
I tend to find deals where I can get the tritium sights for the price of regular sights. Sometimes Dvor.com has some smoking deals on suppressor height tritium sights and I'm all in.
 
FrankenGlock said:
I tend to find deals where I can get the tritium sights for the price of regular sights. Sometimes Dvor.com has some smoking deals on suppressor height tritium sights and I'm all in.
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I don't care about the price. I'm not talking about the price. I'm talking about actual beneficial functionality. There is NONE for tritium sights.

They don't do what they are claimed to do. They do NOT increase visibility in low light. They DECREASE visibility in bright light, since the tritium vial occupies space where you could have a white paint dot (or a fiber optic rod).

I'm convinced (after owning many) that they are useless trinkets (which happen to usually cost more).
 
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I respectively disagree. I have night sights on my home defense/carry weapon and a couple others. They may not be useful in every night engagement, but I want every possible advantage if I need to stop a home intruder. I can silently lie in wait for the perp to pass in front of a window or LED (of which we have many in our home).

Night Sights.jpg
 
BillKilgore said:
I respectively disagree. I have night sights on my home defense/carry weapon and a couple others. They may not be useful in every night engagement, but I want every possible advantage if I need to stop a home intruder. I can silently lie in wait for the perp to pass in front of a window or LED (of which we have many in our home).

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I can take the same photo, but it does not represent what the eye sees.

And in that photo, where's the target???

If it's dark enough to see the dim tritium glow, you can't see any target. And if there's enough light to see the target, you can't see the tritium glow.

I have not seen any evidence at all that tritium sights actually help in LOW light situations.
 
People I trust insist on them. It was explained to me that the times they come into play are a low percentage of confrontations but they are there when you need them.

A camera will never capture what the human eye sees. It is useless to base your decision on pictures. You need to practice/train in low light to experience when and where they are useful. Dim the lights until you can't read your sights. You can probably still verify your target. Tritium will give enough of a glow to verify sight alignment.

My night sights are vials in the middle of a big white dot. Don't know if your brand is like that.
 
Cameras don’t detect light in the same manner as human eyes. The background in the photo is totally black while I could make out general shapes in the same lighting. This is similar to the totally black sky in NASA’s photos from the moon. As I mentioned, I have the option to wait for the perp to move in front of a light source. I know the inside of my home better than any intruder.
 
Fiber optics are virtually useless to me. I can see sights anyway in any light that would make the light rods bright. Others love them. I find them useful for snagging on everything and getting in the way.

One day, I will probably need electronic sights but as of now, they slow me way down and don't add any accuracy to my game.
 
bkbrno said:
Fiber optics are virtually useless to me. I can see sights anyway in any light that would make the light rods bright. Others love them. I find them useful for snagging on everything and getting in the way.

One day, I will probably need electronic sights but as of now, they slow me way down and don't add any accuracy to my game.
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I like fiber-optic sights. I can see them far better than plain black sights. But my eyes are 60 years old. :)

What are you snagging them on? I have f.o. sights AND an optic on my EDC. No snagging.

I'm definitely faster with the optic than irons. MUCH faster. But I've trained and practiced (two different things) with them.

For close encounters, I won't be using any sights / optics.
 
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I'm a year behind you. My arms must have shortened after 40 but I can see sights well enough.

Fiber optic sights have to be long and chunky for long enough rods to gather enough light. More crap hanging off the slide. FOR ME, crap I don't need. I reserve the right to change my mind if eye sight goes. Same for optics. Out to 10-15 yards, groups get bigger not smaller for me. I tried using an optic out to 50yds and the optic was no better than irons. It was pouring rain and cold that day. That may have had something to do with it. If I were forced to advise a new shooter, I would say go with the minimum equipment that gets the job done for you.

Different stokes. I'm just happy we have a choice.
 
I don’t think there’s anywhere in the USA that really gets dark. When we camp in the desert there is zero man made light for miles. I have no issue seeing even when there’s just a moon sliver. Eyes adjust just fine to walk around with out a flash light or lantern. I believe any light enhancement night sights will work just fine in any light within the US.
Now…on the other hand if you’re in the middle of the ocean, that is what dark truly looks like.
 
Night vision varies from one person to another.

Tritium only helps align the sights in poor light conditions . Not darkness.

Are they worth the money? Not for most people. Under what circumstances would a civilian pull the trigger in a dark environment? The answer is a. In your home; or, b. During an assault in a dark alley or similar.

If a., you should have a torch on the gun. So night sights would not be helpful. If b. and you are taking the time to aim - you have lost the fight.

Most decent pistols come with them now. It’s a selling thing… a perceived value-add. On older guns where they have reached end of life, I don’t replace them.
 
I'm not buying any more trituim sights but the ones I do have make it easy to locate my gun on the nightstand in the dark.

I have come to like the stock white u notch Glock sights. They come in 4 different heights so I can get each gun to hit where I like.
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Basically what Bongo Lewi said.

Sights for me are a split second check of alignment. I put an equal amount of time worrying about the brand-type-style the sight are. With no sights, I can still hit the 10 ring, ok, 9 ring at defensive distances, pretty consistently. It takes specific training to do this.

If you are spending much time worrying about sights you are dead already. That time is better spent evaluating your target.
 
I like the U channel type. My hellcat at came with that and I like it. On a 1911 its Heine or Novak. Adjustable rear sight. Wilson makes a good 1911 sight too. Same goes for other duty style or match guns.

I like red dots in some circumstances but that’s another subject
 
bkbrno said:
I'm a year behind you. My arms must have shortened after 40 but I can see sights well enough.

Fiber optic sights have to be long and chunky for long enough rods to gather enough light. More crap hanging off the slide. FOR ME, crap I don't need. I reserve the right to change my mind if eye sight goes. Same for optics. Out to 10-15 yards, groups get bigger not smaller for me. I tried using an optic out to 50yds and the optic was no better than irons. It was pouring rain and cold that day. That may have had something to do with it. If I were forced to advise a new shooter, I would say go with the minimum equipment that gets the job done for you.

Different stokes. I'm just happy we have a choice.
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Red dots, lasers, night sights … useless in most defensive shooting scenarios.

A decent red dot, if the shooter is practiced and the optic is dialed in correctly, can improve your odds on a longer shot with a pistol. They are most useful on subguns, SBRs, rifle caliber pistols and PCCs.

A lot of bolt-on accessory gear today has its roots in military use. Which makes its way into SWAT or similar special team scenarios. Civilians buy this stuff to be tacti-cool. Like I’ve said before, it’s easier to buy shit than it is to train and develop skill.
 
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Alex said:
I'm not buying any more trituim sights but the ones I do have make it easy to locate my gun on the nightstand in the dark.

I have come to like the stock white u notch Glock sights. They come in 4 different heights so I can get each gun to hit where I like.
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Where is a good place to buy these?
I keep seeing the plastic ones mostly.
 

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