NIGHT SIGHTS
AND LASERS

Nights Sights

• I have tritium night sights on several handguns that I own. Several of them have the traditional three-dot night sights, one dot with a tritium insert on each side of the notch in the rear sight and a similar dot centered in the front sight.
• One of the small-frame revolvers that I actually carry on a daily basis has tritium in the front sight, in the form of a "big dot" sight from XS Sight Systems. In this case, since it is a fixed-sight revolver, with only a groove in the top strap for a rear sight, installing tritium capsules for the rear sights would have been a major operation. The big-dot front sight was not only a fairly simple way to get tritium up front, it also makes the front sight much easier to acquire than the small, traditional front sight, even under good light.
• I have colleagues who prefer the big-dot front sight, combined with an "express" rear sight, on any fighting handgun. This preference usually stems from concerns that it may be difficult to visualize the front sight if you are concentrating on the threat and that the big-dot sight may be the only kind you that may see under those circumstances.
• I also have colleagues who are concerned that with three similar glowing dots of the same color - most commonly green- you could get the front sight cocked to the side of the rear sight sufficiently and perceive a sight alignment when your sights are really not aligned at all. I am not convinced by this argument because the spacing of the dots is much wider in that configuration and, if you have any degree of experience shooting the gun in question, you should be able to feel if your wrist is cocked that far to either side. Nonetheless, if this is a concern to you, you may still be able to find options such as brighter dots on the front, bars in place of dots on the rear sight or different colors front and rear.
• The .223 carbine that serves as my "house gun" has night sights front and rear. A few more rifles and one shotgun have tritium inserts only in the front sight blade. The carbine and the shotgun in question are also mounted with SureFire lights. Tritium sight inserts help you see your sights; they do nothing to enhance the visibility and identification of your target.
• Some instructors argue that night sights can cost you a precious fraction of a second while seeking a sight picture. I believe that this is your basic point-shooting argument. If you have decided, consciously or subconsciously, that the threat is too immediate to take time for a sight picture, the presence of tritium inserts is not going to change that decision.
• In hindsight, the decision to spend the money on night sights on the guns I am most likely to use for self-defense reflects earlier training, in which accuracy was enhanced when firing at known, inanimate targets. While I don't see any need to remove the night sights, I have become increasingly aware of two points:
  1. If most defensive engagements (with handguns) will likely involve point shooting, the potential liability of night sights disclosing your location to an assailant may exceed their value to the user.
  2. If you cannot see either your conventional sights or enough of the silhouette of the gun to confirm your index at longer ranges, you may lack enough light to be certain of your target and whether it still poses a threat.
• The decision to spend the additional money on night sights is a personal one, best based on an assessment of most likely threat scenarios.

• I have made an observation in the years since this page was first posted. Tritium has a half-life of about 12 years, meaning that tritium sights should lose half their brightness in that time. In my experience, by one and a half half- lives - 18 years or so - when they should be at a little more than one-fourth of original brightness, they're pretty much dead, hence require replacement if you're still relying on them.

Laser Sights

• I used to keep a spare fixed-sight, five-shot revolver, like the one mentioned above, fitted with LaserGrips. In this configuration, it served a teaching gun, not a carry gun. The laser allowed me to demonstrate the alignment of the muzzle in the continuum of point-shooting techniques that I teach for close quarters. It allowed me to demonstrate that efficient shooting positions tend to align the muzzle where you look, even before you confirm the alignment of the sights. It allows me to demonstrate that sight wobble does not significantly affect the shooter's ability to place shots in the center of the selected target. It allowed me to demonstrate the effect of rushing the trigger stroke. It allowed me to demonstrate how proper technique reduces the area covered by the muzzle when shooting while moving.
• The dot from a laser may not be visible on your selected target in bright light or in a smoky, dusty or foggy environment. In addition, the reflection off the particles in a smoky, dusty or foggy environment may trace a line straight back to the gun, showing your assailant your location.
• One of my concerns about mounting a laser on a carry gun has been that, under stress, in the dark, you may unintentionally squeeze your laser switch prematurely or fail to relax your grip on it while moving, also revealing your location. Since LaserGrips usually mount the laser on the upper corner of the right grip panel, they do give you the option of blocking the beam with your fingertip until you either point the finger away from the frame or insert it into the trigger guard. This option, however, is only viable when the gun is grasped in the right hand.
• Training with the sights conditions you to bring the gun to the same sighting plane every time that you shoot. Even when you can't see the sights, if the gun is in your sighting plane and you can see your target, you should be able to hit it.
• I have shared with many other instructors the concern that using laser sights discourage the shooter from concentrating on developing those conditioned reflexes, incorrectly referred to as "muscle memory," which allow you to hit your selected target in sub-optimal conditions.
• If you expect to use your handgun primarily in some mode of point shooting, where your eyes will be focused on the target, the laser can give you confirmation of your pointing both in training and in a fight. I have observed, however, that looking for the red dot kept at least one student from concentrating on the body-index components of the protected-gun technique I teach, adjusting his arm and wrist position instead for each repetition.
• Most point-shooting systems are based on the assumption that you will be standing or sitting in positions that will be a component of your index on your target. Unconventional positions, common in real fights, may preclude that, making the laser useful.
• Having been skeptical of laser sights on carry guns for many years, I have partially re-evaluated my position, particularly after some discussion with my friend Clyde Caceres, who used to handle law-enforcement training for the manufacturer of LaserGrips.
  • Laser sights are useful to minimize your exposure from limited cover. An example peculiar to law enforcement would be when using a ballistic shield equipped with a Lexan window. A laser-sighted handgun would allow an officer to fire around the shield without exposing more than the gun hand. Somewhat similar scenarios can obviously present themselves to the private citizen, albeit without the Lexan window.
  • Laser sights are useful when the shooter is in an unconventional position, particularly if time or reduced light does not allow for acquisition of the sights or a conventional system of point shooting. An example might be if the shooter suddenly becomes aware of a threat from behind while trying to run from the scene.
  • Laser sights are useful if you are carrying the gun somewhere other than a belt holster and may not be able to get a consistent firing grip under stress. For example, if you draw from a pocket holster and engage at close enough range that you don't acquire a sight picture, a less-than-perfect grip could magnify the relative inaccuracy of point shooting.
• At one time I considered equipping my pocket gun with the LaserGrips mentioned above, as it would be the gun I would most likely share with an otherwise unarmed companion. However, I don't find that the original "boot grip" J-frame LaserGrip is as good an ergonomic fit for me as the hand-carved Spegel Boot Grips on the two revolvers in my holsters and the larger size of the alternative offerings would preclude pocket carry.
• If you choose to equip your gun with a laser, don't substitute the laser for training with the conventional sights or a method of point shooting that will still work if the laser fails. Anything that depends on a battery is capable of failing. Further, don't do all of your training with the laser on. One of the few students I have had with a gun-mounted laser was intentionally looking for the red dot, at arm's length, when training with the protected-gun position, at the expense of learning to execute the technique smoothly, on the basis of body position. My sentiments seem to be shared by Evan Marshall, who comments:

  "It CAN be an advantage, it should not be a crutch. I tell folks from time to time they should turn the battery off and practice for the day when the battery goes dead - remember batteries are designed to go dead so more batteries can be purchased AND the battery company can get rich."

• My biggest concern with laser sights is that, when they fail, valuable seconds may be lost looking for the red (or green) dot that is not showing where it's expected to be on a life-threatening target.