For years I really didn’t worry too much about night sights on the theory that for general carry if I could see my target I could see enough of their outline with the sights to shoot safely.
The older and more experienced I get however the more value I see in them.
This evening I was late getting started on chores, well after legal “sundown”. I still had plenty of light to get around, check on each of the horses and dogs fine and all but as I got to the second dog I had a problem.
It’s rapidly getting dark, I feed dog one and start heading to dog two when suddenly I pick up a slight movement by my right ankle. Like an idiot I’m out there in sandals, shorts, and since I had to make a couple of stops in town I’m wearing a pistol belt with my sub compact XDM 40 in my normal secure OC Fobus holster.
Even though I hear nothing I immediately realize I have just stepped right over an outstretched 4.5’ rattlesnake!
In one move I step ahead, to the side, set down my feed bucket which is in my support hand, do a thumb lift on the oversized Rangers Baseball Jersey I’m wearing as a cover guard, pivot to face the target, draw to the ready, extend while getting my two handed grip and it suddenly something dawns on me.
I am able to instantly pickup my tritium nightsights with zero effort, get perfect alignment and I’m able to pull a double tap with ease at about 11’ putting two in the snake’s head as he’s trying to get away.
It dawned on me at that moment that such a precision shot would not have been possible in that light absent the night sight.
That extra 75.00-150.00 for the night sights is to me some of the cheapest life insurance you will ever buy.
I believe I heard it from James Yeager. Without night sights you have a 12hr gun. ( I know that’s not exact science but we get the jist) Since listening to his opinions on the subject. I’ve added night sights to all weapons and added a flashlight to my EDC, even if I don’t intend on being out in the dark you just don’t know. Investing in options for low level light and or dark conditions is a very good investment.
That’s pretty true for a good portion of the year.
I can get buy without them under most conditions except for dead darkness but there’s simply no way to make a precision shot in an emergency in low or no light without good NS’s or a laser.
Even a light in your hand or mounted on the gun won’t illuminate the sights.
You are absolutely correct. They are worth their weight in gold and definitely worth the price. I have never had to discharge my weapon other than at the range but, when with the SO, we regularly practiced low light encounters including use of a light.
I tried the weapons light and found out it didn’t help the sight picture. Added quality night sights and I found I was able to get better first round hits and tighter groups. I spent alot less time “searching” for the sights, they just grab my attention now.
Sights will never replace fundamentals but they sure will complement them.
The major benefit of a weapons mounted light is when searching/clearing and to hopefully blind/disorient the bad guys.
Personally I’d rather have a handheld light. I don’t want to have to move my gun off of a subject to look around for other threats.
Lasers have their uses but there’s a big problem with them as well in that the longer harder you try to hold it steady on the subject the more you end up concentrating on it instead of the subject and it starts to wobble. That wobble will only increase as you right it so it starts a viscous circle.
This is the first modification I make on every pistol I own. Added bonus it also makes finding your pistol on the nightstand in the dark easier as well. I keep it in a holster to make sure the trigger is guarded.
I use both a weapons light and handheld light. I was shown that if done properly you can look like two people instead of one. In a tight spot I like the flexibility.
Lasers I personally can’t stand them. They don’t make you more accurate and as you mentioned they draw your attention away from the threat. IR lasers on the other hand can be a very useful tool. However 99.9% of civilians would need the use and their costs far outweigh the gains.