XS Big Dots

[chezuki]

Had them...

Ditched them.

They don't do anything that I-Dot's or Trijicon HD's don't do better.

Side note, lost the orange ring around the front site of my iDot Pro's during FNS. Going to see if Ameriglo will do anything for me. The replaced the front once before when the tritium blew.

 

[Small's]

That seems to be a common problem with the idots. Ive read many reports of the paint falling off and some cases of the tritium vial falling out. The front sight looks the same as the trijicons. The trijicons have a clear coat over the paint and the ameriglo doesnt. What is the width of the big dot on your 19? Just curious? My factory glock front night sight and the factory plastic are 1.54-1.56

 

[cedartop]

Side note, lost the orange ring around the front site of my iDot Pro's during FNS. Going to see if Ameriglo will do anything for me. The replaced the front once before when the tritium blew.

I really like the design of a lot of the Ameriglo sights, but their quality does not seem to be on par with Trijicon. That said, I have not had any problems with my I Dot's yet.

 

[Bfish]

Hopefully they help you out Chez... I have two sets and like cedartop I haven't had any issues with me. Still working great.

 

[Randy Harris]

I have a Big Dot on a J frame that XS Sights (actually they were still AO Sights back then) installed for me back in about 2006....they actually milled out the top strap to the correct diameter for the Big Dot. Pretty cool....but there is a reason I went with that on the J frame and not on a service size pistol....It was an "upgrade " from the factory J Frame sights but not something I'd want on a service pistol. I know, because I tried a set of them on a G19 and was not happy with the results. The golf ball sized front sight made me less precise than the standard sights. It actually made me shoot worse and slower on the G19. On the other hand the J frame sights were so bad that anything you could actually see (especially in low light) would be better. The J frame has terrible sights to begin with and if you can't see the sights quickly then there is no point in even looking for them. The Big Dot is just much easier to pick up under stress and at speed than that tiny little black sliver of a front sight that came on the SW 342. SW started adding XS "standard dot" sights to some models of J frames a few years back and these give an easier to see sight but still small enough to make more precise hits than with the Big Dot.

For a gun I most likely will never use farther than 7 yards (the J frame back up gun) these are fine.... if a bit imprecise. On the other hand trying to make a precise hit at 15 yards at speed is a nightmare between the 12 lb trigger pull of the J frame and the very large front sight...The same shots with a more standard sized sight (or my preferred Warren Sevigny Carry sights) is a piece of cake. The less target covered at distance the easier to hit it.

The Big Dots are great for guys with vision issues, or guys who have a hard time focusing on the front sight (or hard time remembering to look for the front sight). I have heard that it can make a big difference for newer shooters who have not yet habituated themselves to seeing the sights each time, but for those who are used to actually using their sights at speed they are generally better off with something with a less bulbous front sight. The big dot just covers too much target to make precise shots on the back side of 15 yards. Also the shallow V rear sight is not the best for elevation confirmation. I often see guys stringing shots vertically from not getting the dot down into the V. It takes a lot more concentration to make 25 yard shots (and even then it looks like seemingly random bullet placement) than it does with either the Warren/Sevigneys or a Trijicon RMR where it looks like a group that has been shot with a rifle.

 

[chezuki]

This will be the deciding factor. If they won't replace it, I'll order a set of Trijicon HD's with a U notch rear.

 

[Amishman44]

Does any have a set of these sights on a glock 43? I'm looking at the ones without the tritium on the rear sight. Is the tritium needed? Does everyone like these sights for self defense?

Meprolight was the original Glock 'factory' tritium night sight set and I've used them for years...work great...long-lasting...etc.

I'm not a fan of the 'big dot' XS Sights...but I do have their 'standard' tritium night front sight on all my revolvers...they just work great in that capacity! I'm not sure I would install front and rear XS Sights on any of my pistols as I'm partial to the 3-dot tritium set-up...but as far as a front night sight, they work great!

I've been toying with the idea of just going with a tritium front sight on my pistols...I'm used to it on the revolvers and, to be honest, in a 'gun-fight' I doubt I'll be in 'target-practice' mode...so seeing the front sight becomes critical in 'pull-point-n-shoot' defensive drills especially in low/no light shooting.

A tritium front sight is great in low/no light shooting...so I would recommend a front sight...but not always a tritium rear sight. Too much depends on the individual...their background/experience...their training, etc. Everyone's different...maybe get the front sight and see how it 'fits' with you...and then try a rear sight if you feel you need one.

 

[Inhuntr]

I ended up ordering the XS big dots and installed them myself. For up close self defense ranges I don't think they can be beat.

 

[bgcatty]

I put a set of XS Bid Dot on my CZ 75B and have trained with the pistol and love them. It does take a little time to get used to the sight picture;however, like anything else - practice makes perfect.

 

[chezuki]

There are 2 types of Big Dot people... Those trying to convince themselves they like them, and those who've moved on to better sights.


Seems like mostly beginners who endorse them. For the distances Big Dots are "useful", most skilled shooters barely used sights anyway and don't want a basketball sized dot covering the target.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I have big dots on a 43, and 19. They are quicker at shorter ranges and slower at longer shots. I can still make accurate shots at 25 yards and out, but i do have to slow down.

 

[KANER88]

I don't understand why someone would buy XS Big Dot's when there are so many options out there especially considering the $ factor. But then again I don't really understand trijicon's either. I think that Truglo TFX are pretty sweet but are pricey. There are some new sites that haven't been out for very long called speed sites. you could check those out even though they cost an arm and a leg. But they are supposed to virtually eliminate the guessing factor between front and rear sites. speedsights.com

 

[chezuki]

"Guessing factor"??

It's not rocket surgery, you just line them up.