M1A + Tritium Sites

[copenhagen]

Thoughts?

I posted a thread looking for a mounting solution for my ACOG, and someone suggested the GDI which I ended up ordering, and am waiting for. While I'm at this business of customizing my rifle, I'd love to put some night iron sites on it as well. Any favorites? Your suggestions and comments are appreciated.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

How do these sights work? I have never used them they make no sense to me. If the front sight is slightly illuminated does that not ruin your night vision and blind you to everything down range? Are they visible from distance?

 

[IZinterrogator]

If the front sight is slightly illuminated does that not ruin your night vision and blind you to everything down range?

They're not that bright.

Are they visible from distance?

Okay, this got me wondering, which led to me experimenting. Took one of my night-sighted pistols out into the garage. From the length of my truck away (Ford Ranger with extended cab, didn't feel like digging out a measuring tape), the only reason I knew it was my sights and not my eyes playing tricks on me was because I moved towards it until I could clearly tell they were my sights and then backed away.

Any favorites? Your suggestions and comments are appreciated.

XS sights are the way to go. FYI, the white stripe is the width of a human at 300 yards. Figured that out while zeroing my SOCOM II.

 

[Billy Sparks]

But you were looking for them. I have read a lot of internet hookum about how it will light up your face bright as day, etc.

 

[SR420]

Smith Enterprise, Inc. has a real nice M14 Tritium Bar Combat Sight p/n 2018

 

[jrfoxx]

But you were looking for them. I have read a lot of internet hookum about how it will light up your face bright as day, etc.

I have a tritium fron post on my m4, and the vial is TINY. In a totally blacked out room, the light doesnt even cast a glow on the barrel, os I cant imagine how huge the tritium vial would have to be to light up a persons faces, especially from 28" or more away. Minw shows as a ting green dot, and thats all. It isnt like a "light" at all really, it looks just like a normal pianted dot on a front sight does during normal light, except I can see that faint dot in the dark.

Billy Sparks-not really directing this at you, since your use of the phrase "internet hokum" makes it pretty clear you know it isnt true, just pointing it out for others who mave have heard the same, and may beleive it, if they have no personal experiance.I had heard, and been told the same thing about how it will "light me up" and I will be visible from all sides at 100yds, etc, and it was a "bad idea, tactically". Just isnt true. Especially since the dot would only be visible from behind me, assuming my head/body isnt blocking it, and in that case, a BG with a gun, whose behind you, has the drop BIG TIME, almost certainly can already see you, and is about to kill you without the help of a tiny, faint, green dot.

 

[DMK]

The only issue I have with tritium sights on a rifle is by necessity you need a fat sight blade to hold the tritium tube. That makes daylight precision shots on small or distant targets more difficult.

 

[SKYDOG308]

DMK....amen to that!

BTW if you shoot a short barrel SOCOM without Vortex(TM) at pitch black night you'll be able to see exactly where your target is for follow up round and your eyes will not reset fast enough to pickup the front post again for effective combat......these posts are super thick, I'm getting Ron Smith to make me a Vortex replacement for SOCOM 16 with ringed match sized post (like a HK91-G3-CETME) but with smaller sized post like NM M1A I think it's
.062 width, also some food for thought standard front sight military post are the width (18-24) inches of a mans torso at 500 meters, or so I have been told. Haven't shot an average guy at 500 meters lately with those sights.

 

[SKYDOG308]

SR420-------SWEET! Now that's what I'm talking about and saving up for, kinda sorta......I'm not a fan of that stock.....but to each his own.
Later
Skydog308 over and out!

 

[Paochow]

Glowing Tritium...

I have a tritium fron post on my m4, and the vial is TINY. In a totally blacked out room, the light doesnt even cast a glow on the barrel, os I cant imagine how huge the tritium vial would have to be to light up a persons faces, especially from 28" or more away. Minw shows as a ting green dot, and thats all. It isnt like a "light" at all really, it looks just like a normal pianted dot on a front sight does during normal light, except I can see that faint dot in the dark.

The only time that it would "glow" is when you look at it through a set of NVG's, but ideally that end would be pointed away from you night vision equipped burglar

 

[Paochow]

SR420: That's a sweet setup. I've been debating between that front sight and the hooded one.

My M1A Scout is on the way.

 

[OJ]

XS sights are the way to go. FYI, the white stripe is the width of a human at 300 yards. Figured that out while zeroing my SOCOM II.

I installed an XS Sights ghost ring set on my M1A and the front sight has the tritium stripe on it -

The aperture is twice the diameter the original stock one is. I've been very happy with that combination even though I have some doubts about needing a night sight on that rifle. It is easier to see in low light, though.

http://www.xssights.com/