Tritium

NORTH FOREST ARMS DUAL PICTURE GLOCK SIGHTS

On one of our recent Gun & Gear Review podcast shows, we went over the North Forest Arms Dual Picture Bullseye and Precision Glock sights. We all had some questions about how they worked. We compared them to other sights on the market that had big dots and to lever action buckhorn sights. I just couldn’t leave well enough alone so I contacted the manufacturer. It was an instant response back from them. They called me instead of emailing me asking me which sights I wanted. What color, what pistol I was putting it on and even gave me a great background on the company. So within days I had a set in hand.

After a few days I received my new sights and broke out an old Glock 23, that I had converted over to 9mm with a different barrel, spring, and extractor. The sights were easy enough to push in just like any other Glock style sights. The front post comes with several screws for mounting and the rear sight just slides in snuggly into the dovetail. I opted for the orange front with the two dot rear in green.

Let’s talk about the sights themselves. The front is a big orange dot with a green tritium dot in the center. Now here is the cool part. The front sight has a post, knob, finger or wing on top. Call it what you will, but it works. The rear sight is a perfect image of the front but with a hole in the center to line up the big dot. The rear has two tritium dots that when lined up correctly will match the singular green tritium dot in the front.

Now for the cool part of this sighting system, it’s instinctive, naturally fills up in the eyes when you present the pistol. The wing on top of the front lines up with the cut out on the rear. So you have a three dot green, a big orange dot that grabs your eye and when you line up the wing in the cut out, you have a perfect sight picture. I know it sounds like a lot but it is not, it is natural and fills the eye perfectly. You can do close work and longer distances with this sight. It’s like bullseye level shooting with this sight.

I dry fired with the sights for about 30 minutes a day for about a week before I went to the range. Well I didn’t get the first shots with this system, my 15 year old daughter grabbed the gun and a handful of magazines and went to the range in the backyard. She was shooting at 25 yards and making about a 3 inch group right off the bat. After I reloaded all the magazines and set up another target, I was able to do some shooting at 7 yards and back out to 25 yards with no problems. Just line up the dots, cut outs and you’re on. I was able to double tap and transition from target to target with what felt like a natural pointing style.

So to finish up, I really think these sights are a novel idea for those who might have a hard time just being able to acquire three dot sights, or regular sights due to poor vision, glasses, or what have you. They glow in the dark, they are big enough to be quick yet built shapely enough to do precision work. I have to say I like them. Their website pictures did them no justice by just looking at them. You just had to see them in person. If you’re looking for a good set of tritium sights, the North Forest Arms just might be what you’re looking for.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Unique Dual sight picture tritium sights

Target Market:

EDC, Hunters, Competition shooters, & Plinking

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Tritium sights

  • Easy to see

  • Bright front orange dot

  • Unique design

  • Easy to install

  • Quick to acquire

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

White front sight

What others are saying?:

5 out of 5 stars at NorthForestArms

I recently put a set of NFA dual picture sights on my full size 9 mm handgun. This was the 3rd set of sights I’ve put on this handgun. The original sights, then a set of tritium and fiber optic sights from a popular brand, and now these dual picture sights from NFA. I’ve gone to the range a few times with them plus used them in a Tactical Class where a course was set up with various different targets with various scenarios. Once I adjusted to the new sights and how to line them up for either quick or precise target acquisition/shooting I could immediately see a difference in my aim, groupings, and how much faster I could line my sight up to the target from a low ready position and then get the shot off. Very impressed with these sights and can’t wait till they come out with sights for my other handguns.

Link to other reviews:

RTT : Guns & Gear on YouTube

Price point:

MSRP = $149.95

Retail = same

I need it now! Availability:

North Forest Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Rugged

  • Great construction

  • Good quality

Cons:

  • I really could not come up with any

Score: 7.00 Good

XS RAM Night Sights

  XS Sights has added another type of night sight to their lineup. These new sights are called RAM sights. RAM stands for Radioactive Material. Since they are Tritium night sights, the name is appropriate. XS offered to send me a set after seeing the F8 sight review, and I eagerly accepted.

  The RAM sights are a semi-standard 3 dot system. I say “semi-standard”, because they are equipped with XS’s Glow Dot Technology. This technology allows the ring around the front sight to glow. I chose the green ring this time, since the F8’s, I reviewed previously, have the orange ring. The front sight ring absorbs ambient light through photoluminescence and then glows. If you shine a bright flashlight on the front sight, it glows really bright for about 10 minutes, and then slowly returns to the normal color. I like the Glow Dot feature, mainly because in some lighting situations, tritium can wash out and you are left with just a standard sighting configuration. The Glow Dot helps me pick up the front sight in those conditions.

Low light, no glow

Glowing front sight after shining flashlight on it. Notice that it glows so bright there is actually a reflection off the slide.

  As with all XS sights, the RAM’s use tritium inserts. The tritium will glow green for years. In fact, XS warranties them for 10 years, not just on the tritium, but also the sights. When I compared these to other tritium sights, they seem to glow just as bright, which is quite bright. The 3 dot sight system has 3 dots, wow, imagine that! Each dot is a tritium vial. Two in the rear sight, one on each side of the notch. Then one in the middle of the front sight. In low light, one just puts the three dots in a horizontal line and the sights are “lined” up. The front sight also has the Glow Dot feature around the tritium dot. The rear is all blacked out except for the tritium dots.

Front sight, immediately after shining light on it. Notice it is so bright that it reflects off of the slide.

Front sight glow, a couple of minutes after shining light on it.

  Besides being “night sights”, the RAM’s make good daylight sights too. The RAM’s use a front sight width of 0.145” and a square rear notch of 0.170”. This gives me a real good, fairly precise, sight picture. When looking down the sights, this combination gives me light on both sides of the front blade, which I really like for more precise shooting. Having that big green dot on the front sight makes it really easy to see and pick up on your target (think fast sight acquisition). It’s almost like having a fiber optic front sight. Let’s just say the daytime sight picture works really good for me. 

  Since the RAM sights sent to me were for a Glock, I installed them on a Freedom Flag products slide. In fact, the slide I used was the same one I had previously mounted XS’s F8 sights on. Installation was straight forward. A front sight tool and threadlocker was provided in the package. The front sight fit snugly, as did the rear. If you don’t think you can install the sights yourself, XS can do it for a small fee.

  In my opinion, the RAM sights are really designed for a carry gun. They are very durable. The front edge of the rear sight is straight up and down. This allows for easier slide manipulation with one hand. The back edge of the rear sight is also angled inward, from top to bottom. This is done to help reduce glare off of the sight. A pretty smart addition. 

  XS sights did a great job with the RAM’s. I am excited that they are bringing out more of the “standard” style of night sights. The only bad thing to be said, is that they don’t offer the RAM’s in a tall version to be used with a mini red dot or suppressor. Go give XS sights a look, their new options are just awesome.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Night Sights 

Target Market:

Those wanting 3 dot night sights on their handgun

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Tritium Powered Front & Rear Sight

  • High-Contrast Color Front Sight - Available in bright orange or green

  • Ember Glow Dot - Photoluminescent dot absorb ambient light and glows in low light

  • Rear Sight Overhang - Reduces rear sight glare in bright light

  • Anti-Reflective Rear Tritium Lens

  • Rear Sight Ledge - Aids in one-handed slide manipulations

  • CNC Steel - Extremely durable for duty use

  • 10 Year Warranty - No Questions Asked Night Sight Warranty

  • 0.145” Front Sight width

  • 0.170 Rear Notch Width

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Orange Front sight

Link to other reviews:

The Firearm Blog

Price point:

MSRP = $109.99

Retail = $99.99 on Amazon

I need it now! Availability:

XS Sights or Amazon

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Bright Tritium

  • Green Glow Dot

  • Made in USA

  • Easily seen front sight

  • Everything included in package (front sight tool, thread locker)

Cons:

  • No “tall” option

  • Tritium washes out (a fault of all tritium sights)

Score: 8.50 Great

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Favorite Link:   Freedom Flag Products

Night Fision Tritium Sights

 Night Fision is a new company joining into the tritium night sight community. Their first offerings are for Glock model pistols, with other models to follow. As anyone with a Glock knows, get rid of the stock plastic sights and put on some decent ones. Well Night Fision is here to help. They graciously sent me some for review.

Almost no light

Low Light

 When I first received these, I was waiting for a slide to put them on. So I tossed them in the safe. These things could be seen glowing through the packaging. Yes, they are the brightest set of tritium sights I have seen. I ended up installing them on a GreyGhost G19 slide for the review. Even when you would consider there to be enough light to see non tritium sights, these still glow bright. Of course they are also made out of steel, as sights should be. A black nitride coating should also make them last a long time, as well as look good

 But wait, just the bright tritium inserts isn’t all they have going for them. The front sight also has a colored ring around the tritium. They call this the "Perfect Dot." This ring is available in yellow, orange, or white. I opted for the yellow. My next choice would have been orange. With these colored outer rings, one can pick up the front sight easily during the day also. And because why not, they even added daytime florescence to the color ring. The front sight is available by itself also.

 The rear sight has a few options also. As expected, you can get it in white outlined dots. Or blacked out, so just the tritium inserts. I chose the blacked out rear sight because I only want color on my front sight. One can get the rear sight with 2 options: a square notch, or a “U” notch. I chose the square notch because that’s what I am use to. Another thing to note is that the rear sight is very square on the front and back. This gives a good sight picture and the added benefit of being able to use it to rack the slide on a table, belt, etc.

 Now onto shooting these sights. It is super easy to pick up the front sight during draw and shoot. When dumping a magazine fast, same thing. Where it gets a little dicey is on farther away targets. Even though the front sight is easy to pick up, it is wider than I like for 20+ yard shooting. It measures 0.142” for me. The rear sight measures in at 0.140”. I really prefer a wider rear sight, or narrower front sight. Target transitions were also easy with the Night Fision sights. When using the sights at dusk, the tritium really pops out. The three dot system works just fine. However, the sights/gun do shoot a little lower point of impact with the three tritiums lined up. These are really a great combo day/night sight.

 The Night Fision sights are a really nice change from traditional night sights. I love the yellow front dot for daytime use. And the super bright tritium really pops out in lower light conditions. Go over and check out Night Fision, I think they will be going places in the sight business.

 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Tritium Night Sights with a twist

Target Market:

Those wanting tritium sights

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • "Perfect Dot" with daytime florescence

  • Bright Tritium inserts

  • Made from 4140 steel

  • Black Nitride coating

  • Made in USA

  • Different color rings (White, Orange, or Yellow)

  • Square or "U" notch rear

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

White Front, Orange Front, U-notch rear, White dot rear

What others are saying?:

Keith D. @ Rainier Arms 5/5 stars

Just got em , (FAST) and they look pretty nice, definitely like the price for my spare red dot equipped G19 slide

Link to other reviews:

None found (These are pretty new)

Price point:

MSRP = $89.99

Retail = $80.10 at Rainier Arms

I need it now! Availability:

Night Fision or Rainier Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Bright tritium

  • Front daytime florescence dot

  • Nitride coated

  • Price

  • Made in USA

Cons:

  • Wide front post

  • Tritium dots have different point of aim

Score: 8.00 Great

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Favorite Link:   Axelson Tactical



 

Trijicon HD Night Sight

Trijicon-HD1I bought these sights to put on a Glock 22 that had the standard Glock sights on it.  I personally don’t care for the “Goalpost” rear sight that Glock uses.  I was looking for a sight that had a larger front dot to help in quicker front sight post acquisition.  It came down to the Trijicon HD Night Sights or the XS Sights Big Dot. Since I already have 3 dot sights on my other Glocks, I decided to go with the Trijicons, as they also have a three dot set up.  That is verses the XS sights that use a lollypop sighting system.  I felt that consistency throughout my handguns is important, so that no matter which one my wife or I grab, the sight picture will be as similar as possible. Trijicon-HD2

Upon taking my Glock to the range, I found that the sights were just what I was looking for.  As soon as I snapped it up on target my eyes were drawn to the front sight post like the mainstream media to a smooth talking liberal.  Well maybe not quite like that, I didn’t get weak in the knees, and start drooling.  As I continued to shoot, I found that they weren't the most accurate sights I had shot.  However, they served the purpose that I had gotten them for.  As a “combat” sight I feel that they are right on the money.  As for competition, I feel that they would be more than capable of allowing you to run and gun quickly.  So for competitions that speed is the key (ie: most three gun matches) I feel they would be great.  The rear sight is strong enough to aid in single handed slide manipulations.  In the future, I plan on putting these sights on other handguns I get.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame: The large front sight dot that allows for quick sight acquisition.  The three dot design allows for a sight picture that most people are used to.

Target Market: Anyone looking for a fast acquisition combat sight.

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Metal Body
  • Tritium-Phosphor inserts
  • sapphire window that helps evenly distribute Tritium's light
  • Silicone Rubber cushion
  • Protective clear coat and high visibility colored front sight post
  • “U” notch rear sight
  • subdued rear sight allows the shooter to more easily focus on the front sight

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?: There are two options for the front sight color.  They come with either a yellow or orange front dot.

What others are saying?: 

  • OpticsPlanet (Bob’s Review) In over 35 years training civilian and LE officers with firearms, I have used many different notch sites. The trijicon hd is without a doubt the best I have ever used. The large U on the rear site makes acquiring the large (yellow) front site extremely fast . I have them on every Glock I own.
  • Review on the Bang Switch: http://www.thebangswitch.com/trijicon-hd-night-sights/

Price point:

I need it now! Availability: You can purchase the Trijicon HD Night Sights from many retailers, including Amazon and directly from Trijicon.

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Fast front sight acquisition
  • easy to shoot fast and make first shot hits at defensive ranges
  • Easy installation

Cons:

  • Cost
  • Not as accurate as other sight options

Score: 9 Amazing90

 

The only thing I could really mark these sight down on is the cost.  They are super fast to acquire, and get on target.