XS Big Dot Sights

Discussion in 'Shooting & Fireams Training / Skills' started by Expat, Jan 15, 2017.

  1. Expat

    Expat Expat™ Knives Staff Member

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    I know James is not loved by everyone, but that is irrelevant for this video.

    I feel 100% the same way he does about the big dot sights. They are literally the best thing I've tried for self defense. I'm not a competition shooter, never been in any type of "contest" other than real life, so I will stay in my lane. I don't know the first thing about what sights are best in competitions.

    I know these things work for what they were designed for. They are also very accurate at 100 yards. As accurate as anything else I've ever tried.

    I don't know that I will go as far as telling you you don't know how to shoot cause that's not really my style. But these things are the only things I've ever tried where I distinctly remembering SEEING my front sight during a stressful situation.

    Take some force on force with them and you'll see.

     
  2. Marty W

    Marty W Member

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    I've been thinking about trying them. I'm between these or the new Vickers Wilson Combat sights for my VP9. The big dots look interesting.
     
  3. CWB

    CWB Member

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    I have them on my g19 and love them
     
  4. Mountainmistwanderer

    Mountainmistwanderer Member

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    Best sights out there. Easiest target acquisition. I would've put these on my Kahr but not made for the PM9. The tritium in the dark is just as easy.
     
  5. JKPirate08

    JKPirate08 Member

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    I've been literally hit or miss with them, I much prefer Trijicon HD's(with the rear green dots sharpied duller). My G26 still has BigDots, but I find the HD's easier to gain quick hits with?
     
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  6. RedEyedHog

    RedEyedHog Moderator Staff Member

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    I've got them on all my carry guns. I can't say enough about them. Great sights.
     
  7. .357 mag

    .357 mag Member

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    That's my next purchase for my 43
     
  8. Bcamos

    Bcamos Member

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    I have the Trijicon equivalent on my M&P 9L and I love them. I did some USPSA shooting with them and man it was super quick to acquire that front sight. Just like you said, I remember actually seeing it. That's a huge thing, because that means my brain was focused on the giant orange dot and its relation to my target.
     
  9. Slade

    Slade Member

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    I got the Ameriglo Pro-IDOT tridium for my G20SF which are similar. I have had trouble with accuracy since I put them on. If I were to do it over, I would want something with a side by side on the rear and maybe a bottom tridium dot also. Just because for plinking during the day I don't like silhouette only for the rear post. I ended up painting the rear picture except for the tridium dot. It is possible I would like the rear V better than the wide split post the Pro-IDOT have.

    [​IMG]

    An example of the normal site picture during daylight. Its the way the front site that sits in the rear wide opening that causes me trouble. Its fine at close range but no good at distance for me.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2017
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  10. Expat

    Expat Expat™ Knives Staff Member

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    I've never tried those, @Slade , but a concern of mine right off the bat from looking at them is having two things that are similar, i.e., two dots.

    I don't like having my brain do extra duty and possibly be looking only at the rear dot and thinking it's the front dot. That SHOULD be a clue, since I should always be seeing two dots but I'm not that smart and at the decisive moment, I don't need to be thinking about anything like that.

    Not really an issue with your sights, but I have seen people put the front sight on a typical 3 dot sight (1 front, 2 rear) to the left of the left rear dot. In other words, they aligned the sights in such a way that the left rear dot was in the center of the 3 dots, and the front sight was to the left of the rear sight. This was in extreme low light and probably would never happen in daylight but it's just one more thing that COULD happen.

    I try to get my gear and training to be as foolproof as possible. Another reason the big dot appeals to me. Zero chance you'll mistake the rear sight for the front sight. At traditional combat distances, the rear sight is irrelevant anyway. Front sight is everything.

    (Typical gunfights are within 5-10 feet, although there are plenty of exceptions).
     
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  11. Slade

    Slade Member

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    Excellent points. The dots do look very similar in the dark. There would be no way to switch them in this case but it still requires critical thinking that if you only see one dot you need to raise the barrel. The extra time of realizing that you tried to put the wrong dot on top could cost you.

    New concept. 2" Vantablack tube on the end of a guide rod laser to make the source of the laser invisible without the laser contacting the eye. You heard it here first. Well I suppose the beam would still reflect any particulate or vapor
     
  12. Bcamos

    Bcamos Member

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    These are what I have on my M&P. Stack the dots - has worked really really well for me. The U shaped cutout cradles that large front dot perfectly.


    [​IMG]


    **EDIT** I just realized that picture has the wrong rear sight. I can't seem to find mine anywhere in Google images. So I'll take an actual picture of mine.
    I have a U shaped cutout on the rear, rather than squared like the Tijicon picture.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2017
  13. ESEE-Fan

    ESEE-Fan Member

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    I have a set on shield. I love them, but both the front and rear slide side to side. I don't think my gunsmith put the locktight on like its recommended. I tighhtend down the setscrew on the rear but it didn't seem to help a whole lot. have trijicon HDs on my glock 19, I like them but I have an easier time acquiring my sight picture with the XS big dot. I'm still on the fence though because in super low light the trijicons really light up.
     
  14. C99c

    C99c Member

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    After trying multiple site designs to see what worked best for my wife and daughter we ended up with I-dot Pros on a couple of Shields and a Glock.

    The rear sight is far too bright, but if you use a black sharpie or a paint pen on it then you can make it subdued enough so that it's no longer an issue or make it disappear altogether.

    I prefer a front NS surrounded by a orange paint with a blacked out rear so the I-dot Pros work fine for me after covering the rear dot.

    The G19 I carry has Ameriglo Operators with a green front encircled by DIY orange paint. The rear is blacked out with a paint pen.
     
  15. Stone

    Stone Member

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    Late to this party, but better early than never.

    Oh, wait ... I must have been trying to line up those 90 deg angles in the plane.

    I meant better late than never. Or something.

    Bookmarked these for my LC9s.

    I'd like to put a set of something similar on my shotgun, also.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. Stone

    Stone Member

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    PS: I don't "love" James Y. :oops:

    But I watch a lot of his vids and tend to agree with more than not.

    At least he doesn't beat around the bush. He gets right to the point,
    and justifies his opinions with logic and experience. Can't ask for more than that.
     
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  17. Slade

    Slade Member

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    My painted posts on my above mention sight. Can't manage to get both ends in focus at once. I didn't like the silhouette picture in the daylight. Silver nail polish and some creative taping plus a couple corners of the front sight to make it easier to tell when I was verticly on target. Today I added a Lasermax green guide rod laser. Can't wait to get out and test it.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2017
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  18. Addicted2Tone

    Addicted2Tone Member

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    I only use sights when I am qualifying on the range. When I am doing defensive drills I shoot instinctive or point shooting as the old timers called it.. I grew up with this instilled in me shooting bows, my dad loved traditional archery..
    When I got into carrying handguns I studied this exclusively, at 21ft which is considered threat range I can just raise my pistol and put my dominant eye on target and send a whole mag into 8,9 and 10 rings with any pistol I own as fast as I can pull the trigger..
    I don't use the pointing finger method, I strictly use dominant eye. Pointing your finger is more accurate but it's also a different trigger pull to learn using your middle finger to pull the trigger. At that point I will just go back to the front sight and aim.. The longer the range the less this works because your eyes have problems aiming small the further out you get..
    So aim small miss small doesnt work without sights at that point but 7 yards or less and this is a lethal skill to learn. You can dominate a gunfight learning this, it allows you to put maximum rounds on target as fast as you can pull the trigger once you get your dominant eye trained to guide your hand.. It's just a practice thing, set up drills at 7 yards and learn it..
    Something to research.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_shooting
     
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  19. Bcamos

    Bcamos Member

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    This is actually a Trijicon sight (most are, actually) but it's sold by XS. I love it.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  20. C99c

    C99c Member

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    Trijicon supplies the tritium vials to XS, Ameriglo and others which is why it's marked Trijicon.
     

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