Dead Ringer makes durable metal Snake Eyes sights for 13 brands of semi-autos. The Snake Eyes design combines a ghost ring rear sight that has a bright orange Lexan insert with a three-dot sight picture. The dots are available with either tritium lamps or Lexan inserts. The design of the ghost ring greatly assists in getting the front sight centered and facilitates fast sight acquisition and precise placement. The MSRP is $125.(http://www.deadringerhunting.com; 585-355-4685)
AmeriGlo’s tall, metal, suppressor-height sights for Glock pistols contain three tritium lamps with white outlines. Offering a traditional three-dot configuration and rugged construction, these sights will allow any shooter to quickly modify their Glock’s sight picture to accommodate the addition of a sound suppressor. The MSRP is $110. (http://www.ameriglo.net; 470-223-4163)
The Advantage Tactical Sight is designed to be compatible with the brain’s tendency to complete simple geometric shapes. To get on target, simply place the front sight above the rear to complete the triangle. A “Firefly” upgrade is available for shooting in low-light situations. MSRP begins at $98. (http://www.advantagetactical.com; 310-316-6413)
Heinie produces plain sights, “Straight Eight” night sights and fiber-optic front sights for about a dozen brands of handguns. Many of its sights are offered in a rear “sight ledge” configuration designed for shooters who are trained in one-handed operation of semi-auto pistols. Ledge Straight Eight night sights like those shown here for a 1911 pistol have Trijicon lamps for rapid target acquisition. MSRPs for complete sets range from $45 to $165. (http://www.heinie.com; 217-228-9500)
Meprolight’s Tru-Dot lineup features tritium vials in the front and rear sights. Available for 26 different brands of handguns, the Tru-Dot’s sight picture has a three-dot pattern that will be immediately familiar to most American shooters. MSRP for a complete set of front and rear sights is $92 to $180 depending upon the model of the shooter’s gun. This product is available in the U.S. through The Mako Group. (http://www.themakogroup.com)
Trijicon makes sights with tritium lamps for at least 19 different handgun brands. The company’s Bright & Tough night sights feature sturdy metal construction, aluminum insert sleeves, silicone rubber cushions, sapphire window and white rings around the lamps for fast acquisition in daylight. MSRPs range from $143 to $250 depending on the buyer’s firearm.
Nitesiters produces affordable adhesive strips and dots that can be used on most handguns with three-dot sights as well as revolvers and pistols with ramped front sights. The adhesive strips and dots contain phosphors doped with Europium. Shine a bright light on them for about a minute and the sights will glow in the dark for several hours. Nitesiters claims that after being charged, its laminates are brighter than traditional tritium lamps. Nitesiters are easily installed and carry an MSRP of $17. (http://www.nitesiters.com; 602-327-0152)
One of Novak’s latest innovations is the Tritium Bar, which features a white-outlined tritium lamp front sight with a horizontal tritium bar under the rear sight notch. To hit the target, just place the dot over the bar. MSRPs depend on the sight style and range from $25 to $120 for front sights and from $35 to $120 for rear sights. (304-428-2676; http://www.novaksights.com)
Wilson Combat makes a variety of custom sights for 1911s and other pistols. Sight styles include plain black, tritium and fiber-optic cofigurations. The Wilson sight shown here has a fiber-optic front sight with a Battlesight rear sight that offers a deep U-shaped notch for optimum sighting in low-light, dynamic range conditions. MSRPs range from $110 to $140.(wilsoncombat.com; 800-955-4856)
TRUGLO’s snag-resistant TFX sights feature highly durable TFO technology that makes them impervious to a variety of chemicals, including oils and solvents. Their concealed fiber optics cannot be seen by the target, and their Fortress Finish contributes to each sight system’s extreme durability. A Focus Lock ring in the front sight aids in low-light visibility and rapid target acquisition. Available for a variety of handguns, MSRP $172. (http://www.truglo.com; 888-887-8456)
The 24/7 Express sights from XS Sight Systems are modeled after the express sights on big-game rifles. These sights allow rapid target acquisition under high-stress conditions in almost all lighting conditions. They have been precision machined for a snag-free design and contain Trijicon lamps. The 24/7 Express sights come with either a standard or Big Dot front sight, depending on the shooter’s preference. MSRPs range from $60 for individual front or rear sights to $130 for the set. (http://www.xssights.com; 888-744-4880)
Aftermarket handgun sights have come a long way. The “gold standard” used to be a front sight inlaid with gold and a rear sight that could be adjusted for windage and elevation. Gold sights are still around, but today we can choose from dozens of state-of-the-art tactical and target sights from companies like Trijicon, XS Sights, Novak, Meprolight, Ameriglo, TruGlo, Heinie, Advanced Tactical, Wilson Combat and many others. These new designs include low-profile, all-black tactical sights, colored sights and sights with various inserts that contain tritium lamps, colored polymer, fiber optics, tritium-filled fiber optics and photoluminescent polymers and laminates.
Nearly all of the major gun manufacturers offer high-tech sights as factory upgrades. But even if they don’t, mounting some aftermarket sights isn’t difficult to do by yourself. That’s because the plain black sights on handguns are usually mounted in dovetails or held in place with pins or Allen screws. This allows gunsmiths to fit aftermarket sights to pistols and revolvers without a lot of expensive modifications. Here are some of the best available sights on today’s market.
