Firearm Blogs > Clapp on Handguns

Dump the Dots

August 03, 2011

At the 2011 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, I looked at most of the new handgun models that were being introduced. With a few notable exceptions, sights on these guns follow the modern trend of three painted or imbedded white dots. The idea is that the shooter aligns the three dots in an equally-spaced row. I believe that this pattern of sights started to appear on some European models in the 1970s, quickly achieved popularity and is now a virtual standard. As a matter of fact, when I suggested to a gun company executive that he should leave the dots off of a particular model, he looked horrified and assured me that a pistol would not sell without three dots. In truth, this guy probably knows more about selling guns than I ever will, but we are in a situation where the dots are there because they have always been there. I firmly believe that the three-dot system commonly used on most modern service pistols does not add anything to the gun's utility value.

Precise aiming with iron sights requires the simplest, easy-to-see sight picture one can get. As far as I’m concerned, nobody ever came up with anything better than a large, square notch rear sight and a plain Partridge post front sight. This combination is simple to see and align, and so good and durable that it has evolved very little except in size since first used in Victorian times. The various system of dots, squares, lines and even colors all came along in the post World War II era. The idea was to develop a sight system that offered highlights that made sight acquisition faster. Some of the better highlighted systems can be pretty speedy, but none of them are as fast as plain black. That's because dots can be confusing. For example, a pair of white dots on the rear sight notch encourages the shooter's eye to go to the rear sight when the focus should be on the front sight. I know a lot of great shooters and trainers who use a highlight only on the front sight, acquiring the dot first, then slipping it into the rear sight notch.

When it is too dark to shoot, there's nothing you can do. Although you can align three tritium dots perfectly in total darkness, you cannot identify your target and therefore should not fire. It's in all of the many stages of reduced light that the tritium sights come into their own. As I try various combination of highlights (or none at all), I grow ever more convinced that you are better off with plain black sights or sometimes a highlight on the front sight only. When I am shooting, I want to see sights and not a geometry problem.

Tags: black post sights, blogs, clapp on handguns, dump the dots, handgun sights, partridge post, three dot sights, wiley clapp

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11 Responses to Dump the Dots

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GES wrote:
October 06, 2011

I like either a plain black sight, or black rear sights with a gold small bead on the front. either works well for me and have been using both for about 40 years now.

dft wrote:
August 15, 2011

Completely agree, the dots are a distraction. Since others need/like them, it appears this could be a useful option provided by the manufacturers.

Doc in Az wrote:
August 10, 2011

I keep a black felt tip marker in my shooting box to keep my sights plain and black. This works on colored sights, white dots, as well as any other abominations committed against revolver sights. I do get tired of buying otherwise fine guns with sights that have to be blackened to be useful. I'm old, I wear multi-focals, and I shoot pretty darn well when I have decent black sights on my revolvers. Perhaps jimcrack sights work better on, and are needed on semi-autos. I wouldn't know if that were the case.

Snark06 wrote:
August 09, 2011

At this juncture I must disagree. Most of the formal gun trainers and other Pistoleros. Seem to hold an opinion similar to the one expressed here. In my case when I have to enter a building/house/barn etc., in the past 10 years I'm usually going from a very bright exterior to a very dim if not dark interior. The three dot system has worked very well for me under those circumstances and in those relatively few times when there isn't time to reload a long arm (M25)before an enemy closes with me. The ease and speed with which I can present and fire my sidearm can literally be lifesaving. I've learned that a three dot sight is the fastest to acquire and to get what Jeff Cooper referred to as a "Flash Sight Picture". Three dots in a nice neat equidistantly spaced row flashes nicely and has always been much faster than fiddling with trying to see whether the top of a black front sight is properly aligned with the rear sight vertically and horizontally especially against a black Thawb. My life depends on speed and accuracy. You-all play with your plain black patridge front and u-notch rear sights. I'll keep my three dot tritium sights and we'll see who survives six deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wouldn't want to bet my life on those plain sights even if that was what I preached for two of the deployments. I've come to see the dots and the way it's given me the ability to put every round in a 4 inch group from the holster for each shot in the head of a B27 target faster than I could with plain sights sold me.

Dewey Dubose wrote:
August 09, 2011

I have beem putting red paint on my front sights for over 40 years and it has never failed to put me on target faster than with plain sight. I personnaly dislike the white dots on the rear sights because it can become the focus of an important shot. My Dad was a police office for 27 years and he only painted the front sight of his Colt 357. I learned it from him. As with all things, the final choice will be left up to the end user, 1-dot, 2-dots 3- dots or no dots.

Scott wrote:
August 09, 2011

I don't think there is one sight design that will ever work for every shooter and every application. I have fiber-optic sights on a plinking pistol, three-dot tritium on a defense gun and plain black notched (with highlighted front) on another, and each has its place and works better than others in a specific situation. I prefer to be proficient in the use more than one type, as in a crisis I may not be able to grab my "preferred" sighted gun in time, and it never hurts to broaden one's familiarity with other options.

Tony wrote:
August 09, 2011

I paint the dots on my sights black to get rid of the dots. I'll be fifty this year and the three dots confuse my sight picture more than aiding them.If your shooting as short a distance as across a room if you are presenting the pistol in the correct manner you don't even need the aid of sights. I agree Wiley

Harry P wrote:
August 08, 2011

While people like Nate, might be the exception, in my own experience of teaching defensive handgun techniques in various environments for the last 30 years, I have seen way too many people have trouble aligning conventional parallel sighting surfaces under stress let alone effectively lining up three balls in space either along with, or independently of, those surfaces. And for those of you who have trouble keeping your own focus on the front sight of an all black sighting system, you can certainly understand Mr. Clapp’s belief that two dot rear blades can make things worse there too. Ivory dots, regular or call gold beads, and more were popular even before WWII but many were limited in their effectiveness in terms of their speed on target because they were often paired with curved or improperly sized square rear notches. More recently, firms like XS Sights have matched oversize white front dots (some with Tritium inserts for low light use) to wide V-Notch rears. And Wayne Novak has combined large brass and gold front beads with different size, plain black square rear notches that can be matched to the user’s ability to drive the gun to where it needs to go as fast as they are capable of getting it there. These two approaches (especially Wayne’s for people who are used to a square notch and don’t want to change) would certainly fit into “Charlie’s” need for something to offset the effects of age in that they all but force the user to focus on the front sight; a front sight that by nature of its ball-like surface does a good job of reflecting as much (or as little) light is available. And the optional wider rear notches also put more light on things as well. Although Charlie suggests (and Wayne does offer) fiber optic designs too, I must express my concern about them for they don’t look the same under all lighting conditions and that can be troublesome for the shooter who might be put off by the noticeable difference when he or she should be fighting with th

Nate wrote:
August 06, 2011

This comes down to preference. Just because something's new, doesn't mean it's wrong. Is the 1911 a bad choice because we didn't use it in the revolutionary war? Firearms get better, and so do sights. If you shoot quickly and accurately with black notch and post, fine. I shoot quickly and accurately with three dots.

Gary wrote:
August 05, 2011

While almost any sight works outside in decent light, when things get dark, like in your home at night, a different approach is needed. Take your bedroom gun and try out the sights in your home at night, with the normal lights on. Chances are you will need a laser sight, especially if your eyes are getting a little old. As an added bonus, that red dot dancing on the chest of the bad guy will probably save your ears from a lot of noise. And a gun cleaning tomorrow.

Charlie wrote:
August 03, 2011

Mr Clapp, you have forgotten that there are folks like myself that wear tri-focals. I have had to go to LARGE dots or fiber optic to adequately see the sights in a quick shot situation. I will agree that simple, painted dots offer little advantage. However, when your eyes are not up to the light situation, ant little bit helps.