Advance With Night Sights

by
posted on March 26, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Night_Sights_HR_F.jpg

Time slows during a criminal encounter-yet another byproduct of the stress that makes routine tasks nearly impossible-and in my case (I hate to admit it) tunnel vision was instant. Yes, I do the drills every time I’m on the range, even when punching paper. But, things are different when it’s a moving perp, swinging something, who refuses to stop. Ask any veteran whose been in combat, and they’ll agree it’s nothing like training in basic.

Any advantage a lawful citizen can find that doesn’t require throwing a switch or fiddling with buttons can be a lifesaver when 100 percent of your focus is on the perp. That’s one of the reasons my Springfield XD wears XS Sight Systems 24/7 Express Sights and my Wilson Combat CQB has night sights.

Tritium provides the green glow that makes sight-picture acquisition effortless, even in total darkness. However, the light is a byproduct of the slow decay of that hydrogen isotope, therefore its visible emission dims slowly with time.

Before you overreact to the “radiation” emitted by tritium, the small amount in those sights renders them perfectly safe. In fact, it can’t even pass through your skin. You wouldn’t want to ingest large quantities, but it would almost be impossible to find enough to get you sick, unless you worked in the factory, a nuclear plant, experimental facility or lived in Chernobyl.

Tritium has a half-life of 12.32 years, and when it reaches that age emissions from the isotope will only be 50 percent of those produced originally. It doesn’t vary by manufacturer or quantity/volume, either. Trijicon pioneered the lighted system for consumers, and today it continues to offer some great varieties.

That big glowing dot up front on my 24/7 Express Sights is nearly 10 years old, although I can’t tell the difference. It seems just as bright as the day I brought it home. That’s one of the tricky things about tritium. It decays instead of dying unexpectedly like a battery.

My sights, however, are plenty functional and in my opinion I don’t need to replace them-yet. Sooner or later they won’t be as bright, and properly aligning the sights on target in darkness won’t be as fast. For that reason, I always eye claims of tritium sights on used guns for sale with caution.

Gunsite Academy proved to me years ago that with practice most shooters are minute of bad guy at 7 yards when they put that glowing front sight on target. With enough muscle memory, the rears align effortlessly. It won’t break tunnel vision, but a bright solution like this is a decided advantage for lawful citizens-and during a criminal invasion, any advantages can be a lifesaver.

Latest

Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1
Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1

Rifleman Review: Taurus Expedition

Taurus entered the bolt-action rifle market with its Expedition, a Remington 700-pattern design that's built to be versatile and affordable.

New For 2025: Charter Arms Pathfinder II

Charter Arms updated one of the oldest models in its lineup with the new Pathfinder II, which features a lightweight 7075 aluminum frame, making it more well-balanced and easier to carry.

Review: Kimber 2K11

The 2011-style pistol was designed to address the capacity limitations of the single-stack M1911 platform, and Kimber's approach to the concept is its 2K11, a competition-ready offering with several notable features.

Favorite Firearms: A High-Flying Hi-Standard “A-D”

Manufactured in New Haven, Conn., in late 1940, this Hi-Standard pistol was shipped as a Model “A,” but a heavier Model “D” barrel was installed later to replace the original, light barrel, leading one American Rifleman reader to call it a Model “A-D.”

Ruger Helps Families In Need Through The Kids & Clays Foundation

In the effort to help tens of thousands of critically ill children and their families across the nation through local Ronald McDonald Houses, Ruger is among some of the industry’s foremost Platinum-level sponsors of The Kids & Clays Foundation.

Unlocking The Future: Smith & Wesson's "No Lock" Revolvers

The future is shaping up to be a good one for fans of Smith & Wesson revolvers. The iconic American company had released 14 new models thus far in 2025 at the time this was written mid-year. And, with one exception, they have all shared a common feature—no internal lock.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.