Handgun sight height

[fuse]

I have 2 Glocks. One is wearing the heinie straight 8s, the other the Ameriglo Defoor tactical all blacks.

(I would provide links but I am writing this on my phone.)

At first I preferred the straight 8s, and used them exclusively for a couple months. recently though I went back to the defoors, and I must say, I think at this time I prefer them.

Some of this may be the uncluttered all black sights, but I think some of this is the very different sight heights on these two systems.

I am most used to the Glock stock sight height, and the defoors are of this height.

Has anyone else gone down this road?

I may eventually replace the straight 8s with the defoor rear sight and either a tritium or fiber optic front from Ameriglo of the same height.

[Wondering Beard]

With the quality and quantity of handgun sights available right now, the choice is truly one of personal preference (and it's a good thing).

What works for you can be the result of any number of variables, such as your eyesight, your stance, your drawstroke etc .. and you are correct to point out that often, it is the front sight's height (as well as the rear sight's width) that makes a difference.

Several years ago, I had an e-mail exchange with Dave Spaulding (I think everyone here knows of him), and he said, to the best of my recollection, that he didn't like tall thin front sights that much. If I remember correctly, it is because of his draw stroke; once the gun is out of the holster, he punches it out and the thin tall front sight appears too early in his vision, cluttering things. As a result he prefers squatter front sights (like the Defoor) that are easy to pick up but don't stand out so much.

For my eyes, seeing early the tall thin front sight of a Heinie, for example, is an advantage and I gain greater speed in engaging targets with it.

Since, as dedicated students of the art, our TTPs continue evolving, so will our sight preferences and what was once perfect may change and that is on top of what our ageing eyes will become.

One thing Dave Spaulding and I agreed on was that there be plenty of light around the front sight and that the rear have as little on it as possible (I prefer plain black and have used a magic marker to cover the the rear tritium dot on the Straight Eights).

If I were you, I would avoid the fiber optic on your front sight. It's great in daytime in full sunlight, but it's glow goes down rapidly as light is reduced. I think tritium is better.