What are your preferred sights on a defensive pistol?

[Robert Richardson]

Like many here, I have used almost every type of sight available. In recent years I was preferring to customize my sights by purchasing either F.O or night sights from Dawson Precision, which allowed me to order just the right height sights for each handgun. Now you could say that I am a convert to a completely different kind of sight system, that system being Diamond Speed Sights. I can say without hesitation that I have never utilized sights before that allowed me to both shoot faster and with more accuracy from the same sight system, all other sights have been an either/or situation. I have described Diamond Speed Sights, to everyone that will listen, as the iron sight equivalent of having cross-hairs on a pistol.

After installing the Diamond Speed Sights first on my EDC M&P m2.0C, I quickly decided that these new sights will reside on every handgun I possibly can. (not currently available for every handgun type)

Diamond Speed Sights on my M&P (front sight slightly out of camera's focus)

Just like Cross-Hairs:

If you are tired of estimating the light gap between the sight posts, or frustrated with trying to quickly align round dots, then you really should check out Diamond Speed Sights. You will thank me later.

Look awful busy to me.

 

[gglass]

Look awful busy to me.

Busy? The only change from a 3-dot system is the shape, and somehow that makes them "awful busy"? Hmm...

 

[lonehoosier]

Trijicon HD or similar. A light touch with a black permanent marker on the rear tritium vials blacks out the rear sight more completely and also makes the front sight stand out a bit more in low light situations, as it's a bit brighter.

Trijicon HD

Same here. Trijicon HD's or Ameriglo Spartan Operators.

For the OP, the Ameriglo Hackathorn's may be the ideal as they don't have the tritium in the rear sight (I prefer to have the tritium, but without any outline, therefore I go with the Trijicon HD or the Ameriglo Spartan Operators myself).

Trijicon HDs with the rears slightly blacked out.

^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^

 

[BehindBlueI's]

BBI,

The drills so far have simply been the 3 to 4 drills where sight alignment and sight picture are established. How much faster, would be about 40% to 50% faster without doing a lot of timer work... Let's just say that it is noticeably faster, and this is coming from a guy who really sucks at speed shooting. It is the worst part of my shooting discipline.

The picture that I pulled from the Web was due to the fact it was the most level I could find, and would allow me to draw cross-hairs. That light gap is absolutely NOT there when the sights are presented at arms length from the shooter's eye, and is due to the closeness of the camera to the sights. The actual sight alignment is more like my M&P sight picture above, which shows the diamond points touching. When presenting the gun, it is amazing how quickly your brain recognizes the diamond shapes and gives your finger the "GO" signal. It is just so much better, for me, than the alignment of 3 round circles or 3 rectangles (posts).

I have been shooting since I was 7-years old, and I thought that I would have to unlearn many years of sight-alignment conditioning to get used to the Diamond Speed sights, but I found that they are actually very intuitive.

That's a considerable difference. What's the timer say?

 

[Robert Richardson]

Yeah, busy. I don't line up dots when I shoot. I concentrate on the front sight and my target and the rear sight just comes in naturally. If you are shooting to the dots, you are concentrating on the dots not the target. Just my opinion, do what works for you.

 

[G192127]

Wow, I've never seen sights like those! Different colored squares on edge, circles, rectangles (each side of the front post)...
"Let's see, was the green dot in the orange diamond...?"
I'd get kilt before I'd get that sorted out...lol

 

[dusty88]

I like the Trijicon TruGlo. Some night sights are "fuzzy" especially in the daytime for my 50-yr old eyes. The TruGlo fiberoptic keeps the front sight sharp in the daytime.

 

[bgcatty]

Defensive CZ 75B nightstand gun with XS Big Sights. That big bright front sight is incredible in the dark or low light and target acquisition is almost instantaneous.

 

[derrickgoins]

Ameriglo Hackathorn.

 

[DocIndy]

I've come to really like the Heinie "Straight 8" style of sights. It's so simple... just "dot the i" and you're ready to go.

same here for me. I have been putting the straight 8 sights on just about all of my pistols unless I go with an adjustable rear. I picked up a M&P40 off a coworker and passed it on to my father in law as his new carry gun. I added a set of the Heinie night sights for him and he was very impressed.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Night sights, Glock, Trijicon, Meprolite, two have Crimson trace lasers also.

 

[breakingcontact]

Night sights, Glock, Trijicon, Meprolite, two have Crimson trace lasers also.

I need to spend some more time with lasers.

The one time I used them was during a low light pistol class.

I was really impressed by how fast and accurate I was with it.

 

[BigRed]

My preferred sights when a defensive pistol is necessary are in my skull.

Does anybody else drill close condition point shooting?

 

[Bennettjh]

I put Trijicon "Bright and Tough" night sights on my SR9. I really like them. It retains the original rear sight base so you can adjust the elevation.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

My preferred sights when a defensive pistol is necessary are in my skull.

Does anybody else drill close condition point shooting?

At near contact distances, yes. At ranges when you can safely extend the pistol, no. Point shooting works when you are stationary, your target is stationary, you can orient your body like you are used to training the shot, the angles are what you've practiced, etc.

Sighted fire work all the time. Doesn't matter where my hips are pointing, if I'm seated, standing, knocked on my backside, if I'm moving, the bad guy is moving, if the shot is up or down elevation, etc.

If I'm shooting at someone who's likely to shoot back, I'd rather not be rooted in place. I want to get off the "X" as I shoot. Show me a point shooter who can do that and make good hits.

[video=youtube;EpU3l_3DiTA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpU3l_3DiTA[/video]



Fast, accurate, and good hits on the move. Get good with the sights.

 

[dudley0]

He is a monster... maybe a cyborg. I love watching his vids...

 

[obijohn]

RMR with suppressor height plain black fixed sights.

 

[Hop]

3 diamonds... interesting. Reminds me a little of my Steyr trapezoid sights. Easy & fast to find, very good horizontal alignment but accuracy is a bit off vertically. It's tricky to get the very tip of the front sight triangle in the perfect spot.



The running bowling pin dude is amazing!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

The running bowling pin dude is amazing!

Gabe White, and yes he is.

 

[tsalazar]

Trijicon HD's are my sights of choice.