Night Sights: The Key to Fighting the Night
BY PGF
1 year, 6 months ago
I’ve never read Handgun Mag (Guns & Ammo Handguns), but it might be worth a daily or weekly stop to check out; the source of this article is there.
Since criminals obviously prefer to avoid apprehension, it should come as no surprise that criminal activity spikes at night. The cloak of darkness provides fewer witnesses and makes it more difficult for their intended victims to detect their approach.
But darkness isn’t confined to night. Consider being inside a building where the lights are off. If you carry a gun but haven’t practiced with it in a low-light environment, you’re way behind the curve.
Training in diminished light will reveal shortcomings not only in your shooting skills but also in your equipment. The need for a weapon- mounted or handheld light—preferably both—becomes clear. After all, how can you shoot what you haven’t identified as a deadly threat? And if you’ve ever tried to align black sights on a silhouette target in low-light conditions, you probably wished your handgun had nights sights.
I was going to skip posting this commentary until it mentioned training. Preparedness for a low-light situation is an excellent point. This has me curious about the lighted vs. dark self-defense shooting stats; are any actually kept? Indeed, for home defense, low-light fighting skill is a must. Plans and drills are the most important thing for family home defense (and fire preparedness), and if you have a family, a firearm light is also critical. If you have a night job or often travel at night, and in other situations, it’s also essential.
Many night sights contain tritium, a radioactive material that emits electrons that interact with a phosphor gas, generating low-intensity light which is used to illuminate objects that need to be seen in the dark, such as emergency exit signs, wristwatches, or, in our case, gun sights. Night sights provide the shooter with invaluable aiming information, without disrupting night vision.
I’ve used night sights; they’re great. I’m interested to hear of any drawbacks to them. I’ve found none. Also, I’m very interested if anybody knows of specific drills for low-light they would link or share. This could benefit us all.
On April 20, 2023 at 8:23 pm, Olguy said:
This One stuck with me.
2 flashlights.
Weapon Mounted
And…Weak Hand.
Scan with weak hand.
(Muzzling your children, to search/ID…at 2am….isn’t recomended.)
On April 20, 2023 at 8:56 pm, OG said:
Flashlight/laser combo on my G21 which is my nightstand firearm.
Good point on training. I have never shot it at night but have simulated.
On April 20, 2023 at 9:15 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Send your wife to a church function or ladies meeting or to a night out for dinner with friends. If you have children, send them away to visit relatives. After dark, turn all the lights out in your home. Practice room clearing in every room in the house, including closets, bathrooms and shower stalls, stairwells, around all walls, garage … literally everywhere.
Practice holding the weapon up at eye level for that long. Practice keeping your finger off of the trigger for that long. With the pistol (or long gun) unloaded, practice getting inside the trigger well several times to see how long it takes.
Practice the stepping you need to do to move quickly but quietly. Practice concentrating your eyes for that long. If you lose concentration, you lose the game.
Practice getting your front post on target (assuming you’re using a pistol) or your red dot on target (if you’re using a long gun). If you’re using a long gun, make sure to practice movement around walls and doorways without banging the door jamb. Practice reacquisition of sight picture when moving around walls or through doorways.
Do this several times. Then do it again. And again until your shoulders are too tired to do it again, or you lose concentration.
I had to do this in an empty house late at night when it had been unoccupied for weeks at a time (I’ve told this story about cleaning and repairing my mother-in-law’s house before selling, and I was the only one doing the work). It helps to have a 90 pound Doberman with you. You won’t always have a 90 pound Doberman with you.
Finally, practice proper breathing. You’re exhausted from the process. Believe me.
On April 20, 2023 at 9:21 pm, Rocketguy said:
My only concern with night sights is muzzle flash. They’re probably good for getting you on target at the outset but, after the first round, you’re likely staring at a green blob in the center of your vision.
On April 21, 2023 at 2:00 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
Under law in most states and legal jurisdictions, one cannot bring lethal force to bear upon an suspected intruder without first positively establishing the nature and possible identity of the threat and confirming that it is genuinely a danger to you and your loved ones… and not the neighbor’s intoxicated teenaged son trying to unlock the wrong front door after a night out partying with his friends or the like.
That will mean illuminating the scene and the possible intruder, if a positive identification cannot be made or an accurate appraisal of the situation. Manufacturers of firearm accessories want you to buy weapon-mounted lights for use on your AR carbine, shotgun, or handgun – or other self-defense arm. However, that is not always the best option, for the following reasons:
First, in some states, you cannot legally train a weapon light upon a suspected intruder if it also means training your muzzle on someone not yet identified as a threat. Without getting down into the weeds in terms of legal jargon or the like, you may be accused of brandishing a weapon, which in some places is considered a crime.
The morale of the story is – know before you go! Know the local laws on this issue, and how they will impact your use of technology aids, such as weapon lights, and for that matter, laser aiming devices, which often fall under the same restrictions or rules.
Second, as any seasoned soldier or cop will tell you, lights point both ways. You may be establishing a positive ID and location on that suspected intruder, but he may very well be doing the same to you in return using your weapon-mounted white light or flash-light. Or your visible laser.
Years ago, South Africans and Rhodesians in the African “bush wars” of the 1960s and 1970s, learned some hard lessons during the period when raids upon isolated farms, ranches and homesteads were commonly attacked by rebel forces and simple armed robbers and looters looking for an easy score. They learned that any point source of light was a give-away as to your location inside your home, so many of these frontier people wired their homes so that when one light was turned on inside, all of them came on at once.
Others rigged up spotlights and other point-sources they could control without placing themselves at risk. In a modern context, motion-sensing technology is a great boon in this regard. Yard lights which come on automatically if motion is sensed nearby, and so on.
Having said all of this, the advice on room and house-clearing offered above is still very good. Civilians can indeed take a lesson here from cops and soldiers, who habitually clear dwellings prior to taking up residence there for any reason. It is never a bad idea to “clear” your dwelling, even if it means just checking around the premises when you have been gone.
Having a burglar alarm system and a reliable dog or two never hurt matters, either – but they do need to be trained properly to function as guard-dogs.
On April 21, 2023 at 2:03 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
Re: “Years ago, South Africans and Rhodesians in the African “bush wars” of the 1960s and 1970s, learned some hard lessons during the period when raids upon isolated farms, ranches and homesteads were commonly attacked by rebel forces and simple armed robbers and looters looking for an easy score.”
Good heavens, what lousy proof-reading! Mea culpa. Here’s a better version:
“Years ago, South Africans and Rhodesians in the African “bush wars” of the 1960s and 1970s, learned some hard lessons during the period when raids upon isolated farms, ranches and homesteads were common, and their homes and lands were attacked by rebel forces and simple armed robbers and looters looking for an easy score.”
On April 21, 2023 at 3:47 am, Dan said:
There’s no downside to tritium night sights other than cost…and the fact that tritium has a half life of about 11 years meaning they eventually go dark and must be replaced. But a flashlight needs to be available to allow for proper target identification. This is critical in a home with more than one occupant. Training/practice is never a bad idea, if it’s quality training. It is possible to find morons posing as experts who will train you to fail.
On April 21, 2023 at 6:55 am, RCW said:
Another option to consider is fluorescent tape.
On April 21, 2023 at 8:10 am, Latigo Morgan said:
Depending on the size of your house, you may find that once you start practicing with a long gun, that perhaps a pistol is the best tool for the job. That shotgun or AR might be a little too unwieldy in narrow hallways and doorways.
That’s why we practice – to figure out the optimum tool for our particular situation.
On April 21, 2023 at 10:07 am, Bill Buppert said:
I also employ red light night lights throughout the house and in the cabin of my vehicle.
Having quality illumination tools on the nightstand and throughout the house is critical.
Just finished the LED upgrade on all my Surefire incan lights. Huge difference in beam and spill.
On April 21, 2023 at 1:04 pm, xtphreak said:
EDC lights (always in my pockets)
Streamlight Macrostream USB 500 lumens (hi) 2 hrs & 50 lumens (lo) 8 hrs
4.5″ X 0.875″ 2.2oz
clip allows using it on ball cap brim as headlamp (not advised for defensive uses)
backup light (because USB LED lights don’t give a warning when the battery discharges)
Streamlight Microstream USB 250 lumens (hi) 1.5 hrs & 50 lumens (lo) 3.5 hrs
3.875″ X 0.625″ 1.2oz
clip allows using it on ball cap brim as headlamp (not advised for defensive uses)
either sufficient inside, the macro useful at 120 ft outside.
weapon-mounted (i.e; not in my pockets)
Streamlight PROTAC Rail Mount HL-X Long Gun Light with a remote pressure switch
USB (SL-B26 18650 sized USB rechargeable integral charger) or CR123 (2 cells)
5.43″ x 1.45″ 6.4 oz
1,000 lumens (hi) 1.33 hours (CR123A); 1.5 hours (SL-B26) 332 m beam distance
60 lumens (lo) 20 hours (CR123A); 23 hours (SL-B26) 80 m beam distance;
Strobe 2.5 hours (CR123A); 3.25 hours (SL-B26)
Mounted with a Magpul Black M-LOK Extended Cantilever Scout Mount (because I don’t like the weight of the aluminum handguards for my “go-to” carbine and this let me mount it on Magpul MOE M-LOK handguards)
I also have a Fab Defense AR-15 “Survival Buttstock” With Magazine Carrier that lets me keep a 20 rd mag in the magwell and another 10rd mag in the buttstock carrier because the 30 rd sticks out and presents a slimmer profile (doesn’t waste space in the safe either).
I run a red-dot on this caqrbine, but can’t remember the brand/model right this sec.
On April 21, 2023 at 1:16 pm, xtphreak said:
I have night sights on several handguns, specifically bought a Beretta 92A1 because it was the first 92 they came out with that had a dovetailed (replaceable) front-sight.
Added Trijicon sights .
Oh, and came with 3-17 rd mags.
It has a rail (yuck), probably never add a weapon mounted light to it, cuz holsters.
Hard enough to find a good holster to fit it without a light.
Ordered a custom paddle from MTR @ gunnersalley in Cary, NC.
They will make one for it with a light, but haven’t decided on a Streamlight fo r it yet.
I probably use the night sights for seeing my pistol on the nightstand in total darkness to get my hand on it more than anything else.
If it’s so dark I can’t see non-night sights, I probably can’t identify the target anyway, so I use a light to illuminate.
On April 21, 2023 at 1:23 pm, Matt said:
Tritium night sights are great. And well worth the investment. I’ve used both Trijicon and Meprolight over the years and can recommend both. Where I found the night sights to not be an advantage was on my rifle. I once installed them on one and found that the tritium rear sights were so “in my face” as to be a serious distraction. I later removed them. Fortunately today a small rail mount for a high quality flashlight is inexpensive and easily installed.
As others have have pointed out a quality flashlight or two is an absolute must. I like having weapon lights and small clip to my pocket flashlights at my disposal.
Now if I’m going to go searching for things that go bump in the night, and if the situation allows for it, I’m turning on as many lights in the house/building that I can before going into the area to be searched. None of that movie/tv b.s. I don’t know what the specifics are going to be, but I do know that wolves travel in packs and cockroaches scurry about.
I agree with what Latigo Morgan says about a long gun in the house. Make sure you know how you’re going to search your place and what weapon is best for you. And like Mr. Smith says, practice this at home with no one else present, and in the dark. It gets to be hard work. Where you don’t want to be is learning how to clear your house in the dark with an absolutely terrified wife holding on to you for dear life while you’re en route to deal with a potential threat.
On April 21, 2023 at 2:12 pm, Mike said:
The way I see it (no pun intended….) night sights probably are effective for maybe 15, 20 minutes. Let me explain….when the sun sets, but before total darkness you have a very short time where the night sights are bright enough to see and you can still identify your target, Inside a home that is dimly lit they are more effective as long as you can see well enough to identify.
I feel the same way about lasers….it’s nice to know exactly where your bullet will go, but it’s way better to see what your bullet is going to hit. I would rather be shot than to take a chance of shooting my Grandbaby.
As far as weapon mounted lights, I never see much discussion on bouncing your light off the ceiling or walls. If your light is strong enough, you can pretty much light up a whole room by bouncing the light without sweeping someone. Plus it makes it a little harder to verify your position.
On April 21, 2023 at 2:15 pm, xtphreak said:
@ Matt
My long gun weapon light is “intended” for outside my cabin, otherwise I don’t like pointing a gun at something to decide if it needs to be shot.
That decision should be made BEFORE pointing the gun, IMHO.
NC General Statutes § 14-34.
Assaulting by pointing gun. If any person shall point any gun or pistol at any person, either in fun or otherwise, whether such gun or pistol be loaded or not loaded, he shall be guilty of a Class A1 misdemeanor. (1889, c. 527; Rev., s. 3622; C.S., s. 4216; 1969, c. 618, s. 2 1/2; 1993, c. 539, s. 17; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1995, c. 507, s. 19.5(d).)
A terrified wife/GF/fiancee’/child should IMHO, be in a “safe” place (limited access, locked door, telephone, personal defensive device), ready to interface with the authorities via phone if necessary.
NOT hanging on you while you are moving through the house investigating a possible threat.
On April 21, 2023 at 2:21 pm, xtphreak said:
@ Mike
From my previous post
“I probably use the night sights for seeing my pistol on the nightstand in total darkness to get my hand on it more than anything else.
If it’s so dark I can’t see non-night sights, I probably can’t identify the target anyway, so I use a light to illuminate.”
It is nice to see those 3 green dots on the nightstand when I open my eyes in the middle of the night.
On April 21, 2023 at 6:08 pm, Matt said:
@XT: You are not wrong. And I agree, but when I need to be moving and she can’t comprehend to stay in the room until I come back for her…..sheesh. I just shake my head.
As to pointing the gun, I’m operating under a slightly different rulebook here in Texas. Especially at night, were the laws on the books effectively date back to cattle rustling days. And you are absolutely spot on about seeing 3 green dots on the nightstand in the middle of the night.
@Mike: Point well taken. However none of us know what the next set of circumstances will precisely look like the next time any one of us is having to investigate a potential threat in the middle of the night. Hence my thought about flipping the light switch to on. And the extra flashlight, because we all know about Murphy and his law showing up.