XS Big Dot Sight Review

[Kennydale]

Someone posted a set of sights for a Glock they were made for quick acquisition of target. They replaced the Goal Posts rears with a low profile bright color. And the front post was also a rectangular low of a contrasting bright color. I can't remember the manufacturer, but they looked real good on the webpage.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[SIG_Fiend]

That sounds like the Advantage Tactical Sight, which IMO features pretty much all of the worst possible features of Big Dots and several other sights.

 

[Kennydale]

AIMLINE "AIMING HAS EVOLVED"

Speed Sights

These two look interesting (They don't make them for Ruger) I am seriously thinking of going to the DARK SIDE on my next firearm purchase

 

[no2gates]

AIMLINE "AIMING HAS EVOLVED"

Speed Sights

These two look interesting (They don't make them for Ruger) I am seriously thinking of going to the DARK SIDE on my next firearm purchase

I've been interested in these. I'm hoping someone at work gets them so I can try them out.

 

[TheDan]

Nothing beats Styer sights!

 

[SIG_Fiend]

To some degree, it's all personal preference. Though, there are some simple truths as far as basic human physiology goes, and what features may or may not be detrimental to performance.

The AimLine sight does look interesting. I'd love to see dimensions on the sights though. Judging by the appearance on the Glock pictured, I'm guessing the rear notch is at least a .156" width, if not slightly larger. Also, the front looks extremely wide, I'm guessing .140-.150" or more in width. If that's the case, in general wide sights like that have some performance issues in terms of offering less of a precise aiming point (a .115-.125" wide front sight and ~.130-.156" rear notch usually offers a good balance of speed and accuracy).

As far as the Speed Sight, there are some definite issues there. From a pure marksmanship standpoint, maybe not. Shooting a pistol at speed, maybe so. One of the difficult things when shooting a pistol at speed is what you are focusing your attention on and what you are seeing. To some degree, this will differ a bit from shooter to shooter. For me, personally, I'm not a big fan of 3 dot sights as I find that the 3 dots constantly moving around in recoil really pulls my focus away from where it needs to be (the overall position and movement of the sights), and mentally pulls my mind towards focusing on and actively thinking about the dots. For others, no big deal. But those are just dots, and lining up 3 dots is not as big of a deal. Lining up diamonds adds another several layers of visual confusion to the issue, as now you are not only lining up 3 dots, but you are lining up 3 very specific points of 3 dots. Anyways, that's just my opinion. Ultimately, I say run it on the shot timer, give whatever new sight system a fair shake and shoot it for a significant number of rounds to get used to it before necessarily writing it off or declaring it a winner.

I need more trigger time with a Steyr M9/MA9 series gun. I am a bit intrigued with those sights. Over the past several months, I've been thinking a lot more about what benefits might be had from a side-tapered front sight design like that. The Steyr's taper is extreme of course, but I wonder if it might make shooting at distance that much easier with such a fine aiming point at the very tip of the front sight? I'm also wondering if there might be a good balance in between, such as a front sight with only a few degrees of taper. The S&W M&P VTAC handguns have a tapered front sight similar to what I'm thinking of, though I would slim it down a bit further.

 

[M. Sage]

That sounds like the Advantage Tactical Sight, which IMO features pretty much all of the worst possible features of Big Dots and several other sights.

Can it get much worse than the plastic sight hole plugs that Glocks leave the factory with (unless you opt in for night sights)? I've found them on the ground at the range before...

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Can it get much worse than the plastic sight hole plugs that Glocks leave the factory with (unless you opt in for night sights)? I've found them on the ground at the range before...

Those are pretty horrible. What's annoying is Glock does produce factory steel sights that aren't night sights. They're cheap too at about ~$30-40 I think. Wish they would just make those standard, but there are plenty of aftermarket options that are far better quality than any factory option anyways.

 

[navyguy]

Those are pretty horrible. What's annoying is Glock does produce factory steel sights that aren't night sights. They're cheap too at about ~$30-40 I think. Wish they would just make those standard, but there are plenty of aftermarket options that are far better quality than any factory option anyways.

Yep. What's it take to make a reasonable 3 dot OEM sight. HK's that they out on the P2000 are great. Not night sights, but large three dot sights that are easy to see.

When ever I see a price for a Glock, I automatically at $75 for sight upgrade.

 

[Kennydale]

Nothing beats Styer sights!

They're not night sights, but I handled the Steyr at the NRA Convention last spring. Very comfortable to grip, and those sights sem they do what hey are intended for.

 

[M. Sage]

They're not night sights, but I handled the Steyr at the NRA Convention last spring. Very comfortable to grip, and those sights sem they do what hey are intended for.

I had trouble getting them to fall into alignment. Give me a notch and blade or the XS system over it any day.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Some of you might be interested in this. I just ordered a set of Pro Sights from D.R. Middlebrooks. I've been thinking about his sights for awhile now, and I like some of the specs and features. I ordered the square notch rear sight as well as a replacement v-notch rear blade, and a green fiber front. His v-notch rear has a deeper V, which apparently helps with the sight alignment issues that some people might experience with XS Big Dots. Anyways, it will be fun comparing the two and seeing what the results are.

 

[M. Sage]

Man.. Only Glock sights? I was looking at that front sight and thinking it would be a great replacement for the TFO I broke.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Yeah unfortunately. They do appear to be very well-made sights though, and a well thought out design.

What gun are you needing a sight for?

 

[M. Sage]

Yeah unfortunately. They do appear to be very well-made sights though, and a well thought out design.

What gun are you needing a sight for?

P226 SCT.

The tube fell out of my TFO at a 3 gun match. I had to glue it back in place. The tritium didn't seem to work ever, and the glue made the front sight stop being bright in daylight... Managed to find the lost tube by sifting through broken car window glass (you know that car at BOTW - yeah) and cutting the hell out of my fingers.

Rear sight is a standard Sig night sight, both are the factory setup on the pistol.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Dawson has a bunch of options that will work: DP Optic Inserted Front Sights for Sig Arms Detail Page

 

[M. Sage]

Nice. I'm going to wind up with something that's got tritium though, now that I've got out of 3 gun.

 

[jln370]

They are not target sights.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

They are not target sights.

Yes, we know. They're "gunfightin" sights. I still have yet to receive a logical explanation from anyone as to what makes them a gunfightin sight vs. notch and post, and what supposedly makes them better at the task. If the object of a gunfight is to be faster and more accurate than the other guy, standing the best chance of ending the fight instead of having it ended for you, logic would dictate that whatever allows a shooter to be fastest while still maintaining acceptable accuracy would be ideal. If speed and accuracy were superior with XS Big Dots, why then is there not a single top level competition shooter that is using them? Furthermore, I think that speed and "acceptable accuracy" should be more precisely defined, as I have yet to see any big dot proponent make a clear definition as to what that means to them, at what speed as measured on a shot timer, and at what size shot group at a given distance, etc. The explanations are always esoteric, without clear definitions or specifications.

Contrary to popular belief with the "tactical timmies" that are afraid of competition, shooting at a top level in USPSA/IPSC, Steel Match, Bianchi Cup, etc. requires not just supreme speed, but extreme accuracy at speed. At that level, shooting with some of the best in the world, you cannot just throw shots at speed and get away with it.

It is my position that XS Big Dots can allow a less experienced shooter to gain an increased, false sense of self-confidence in their abilities, and a false sense of what is probably an inconsequential improvement in speed, which can be further reinforced when competitive speed and accuracy standards are not enforced or maintained, or even measured in the first place. IMO, these perceived improvements in "ease" of shooting, as well as the perceived improvement in speed are actually probably more directly attributable to achieving a more relaxed mindset, not thinking so hard about shooting, and instead just SHOOTING the gun. This is a principle that is easily achieved with notch and post sights, and is simply a matter of training.

IMO big dots are akin to driving a LeMans prototype racer at 200+mph with a speedometer that only has 3 measurements, 0mph, 100mph, and 200mph, as well as a steering wheel that provides minimal feedback or precision. Basically, you have less feedback and data to work with when driving at speed, actually making it more difficult to successfully drive at those speeds. You can hit the gas pedal and drive at 200mph, regardless of what your "speedometer" says, but the speedo with less data (front sight), and the steering wheel with less precision (rear sight) make it harder to do so as efficiently and with a lower degree of accuracy.

Most people need to relax and just shoot the gun instead of over-thinking it and putting stuff on their gun that might ultimately limit their capabilities. But that's just my opinion.

 

[RACER X]

I think you need to lay off the xs dot "hating" /shrug

posted from my couch!