What makes a good set of defensive tritium night sights?

People do not usually perform target shooting at night. It is usually a broad day light activity. There are times however, that you feel the urge to perform some hunting activities in the evening. This cannot be achieved without enhancing the illumination you get from your iron sight. And the same can be said about defensive shooting too. You want to get good focus of your target irrespective of whether you are in a low light environment or otherwise. This can be facilitated by a good tritium lights. As expected of tritium, it helps to supply iron sights with illumination where there is low light. But are tritium sights safe? Here is query to which people often seek a definite answer. Before attempting to answer it, let us first consider what makes a good set of defensive tritium night sights?

Front Sight Focus

Front sight focus is quite important in every gunfight or target shooting. This importance can be linked basically to the role of the front sight’s size. The front sight may not matter when you are shooting a still target but when it comes to a fight, it comes in handy. Given that you may find yourself going on a defense in a low-light environment, you need lots of illumination to get your aims right. The front sight size help in this regard, if it is large enough.  

However, if the light condition of the fight zone is really bad, (which cannot be predicted), then you will be needing more than wide front sight size. There are many variables that could pitch the odds against you in low light fight environments. That explains why having a defensive tritium night sight handy is of the essence. Tritium is needed to supply front sight with illumination in mid and low light situations. Also required is a high-contrast colored ring to supply the front sight with brightness setting. 

So, what are the “front sight focus” aspects of a good defensive tritium? The front sight is expected to glow brighter than the rear sight. This can be facilitated if the night sight comes with ember glow dots. When combined with tritium, ember glow dots ensure that there is a better than average brightness. The front sight is therefore the most important part of a firearm’s sight system. 

Rear Sight

Rear Sight plays its roles as well. It does not matter that the night light that is offered by the front sight is a lot more important. The rear sight is there to complement the front sight. This complementary role is one that ought not be abused by manufacturers. In other words, it should not get in the way of the expected functionality of the front sight. Therefore, a good set will comprise of a design that provides sufficient width between the front sight and the rear sight. With clear distinction of roles between the two, a set of defensive tritium night sight may not perform effectively.

A good illustration is the V-notch style, whereby the rear sights are wide apart beneath the front sight. The two rear sights form a triangle with the front sight. Clearly, the main view and illumination of the front sight will remain unobstructed. Of course, the rear sight’s function will not be compromised either. This is expected of a good defensive tritium night sights set. And that is why many manufacturers endeavor to adopt this particular design.

Besides, the rear sight should not be designed with any kind of complications. There is absolutely little or no need for any kind of special effect. What the rear sight brings to the table is provision of an increase in speed of sight alignment for precision when taking an aim. Therefore, manufacturers should keep the design simple as A-B-C.

Furthermore, a good set of defensive tritium night sights requires that the rear sight come with great anti-glare features. For example, serrations are good because they reduce the surface areas that generate light reflection to the shooter. What is better is if the rear sights overhang back to the firearm, as this reduces glare. Without glare, gun fight or target shooting in volatile situations becomes a lot easier.

On a final note: Back to the other part of the introductory question

Are tritium night sights safe for the people to use? There is so much fuss about the radioactive impact of some to the gadgets that our bodies are being exposed to. Since such query bothers on health, then it is a necessary one. According to the Health Physics Society, tritium causes no damage to the body, especially if used for night sights in firearms. It does not disrupt DNA compositing. Neither does it have a long-term effect on human health. The society further goes on to suggest that the human skin sufficiently provides adequate protection from the light from tritium.

Written By Tommy Murphy

Freelance writer from Ukraine

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