Nightstand gun, what sights?

[JohnTRourke]

Ok
put on yer thinking caps
Got an idea for a gun to use for a nightstand gun.
but the sights on it suck big sweaty donkey balls. (stock black on black, worthless)

so

what would you put on it?
hi-viz?
night sights?
other things I don't know about?

[sneakerd]

Trijicons or Meprolights. Plus it should have a rail and a light.

[blackford76]

Trijicons or Meprolights. Plus it should have a rail and a light.

Can't argue this one.

[Byte Stryke]

Trijicons or Meprolights. Plus it should have a rail and a light.


ehhh... at least have a high quality light available.
I have a surefire 6p next to my bed where I keep the Kimber. Kimber has no rail

[Monky]

I've got NS on nearly all mine that I carry.. I like em. Trijicon.

For a bedside gun.. I have lights and guns in the night stands.. no weapon mounted light cept on the scatter guns..

[Byte Stryke]

I run Meprolight because its a Kimber...

But Yes... +1 on Nightsights

[Big Wall]

Trijicons and a light.

Right now LA Police Gear has the Streamlight TLR-1s (strobe version) on closeout for $99.99 ($100.00 off) and the Streamlight TLR-1 (LED version) on closeout for $104.99 ($89.01 off).

[SA Friday]

I think it depends on what the gun is. If it's already dovetailed front and back, then chang them to any reputable tritium night sight, mepros, trigies, Henies, novaks. Whatever floats your boat.

If it's not that easy, like an old Model 10, then I would be talking to BP.

[spleify]

I run Trijicon night sights on my M&P45

[trout_champ]

I have white Trijicon’s on my M&P. I also have a Surefire right next to it though.

Randy

[bobbyfairbanks]

Don't need any sights if your using a side by side coach gun and a dog!

[Irving]

I really need to get night sights for my bedside gun. A light would be nice, but I don't have a holster that will fit it with a light, so it'd likely never be on. I'm going to have to settle with a bedside flashlight as well.

If you put a light switch next to your bed that turns on EVERY light in your house, then you wouldn't even have to worry about it! :o

[mcantar18c]

I really need to get night sights for my bedside gun. A light would be nice, but I don't have a holster that will fit it with a light, so it'd likely never be on. I'm going to have to settle with a bedside flashlight as well.

If you put a light switch next to your bed that turns on EVERY light in your house, then you wouldn't even have to worry about it! :o

If its your bedside gun, why does it need a holster?

A bedside flashlight is something one should have anyway. Sometimes you want to light up an area without pointing a gun at it.

The problem with turning the light switch on is that not only can you see them, but they can see you too...

[Irving]

1) I have approximately one gun. It is my everything gun. It is in my pistol safe, inside a nylon holster. I don't like the idea of quickly trying to grab my gun out of my safe, from a dead sleep, and not having the trigger covered. I'm not real worried about it because I have pretty good trigger discipline, but who knows. Plus, I have a kid.

2) I have a flashlight next to my bed. It is small, and mostly only good for reading, but enough to light a person up in my house.

3) I was mostly joking, but suddenly having ALL the lights come on would be a pretty big surprise, and would likely (I feel in most cases) cause someone to start looking for cover rather than looking for you. That goes for if it is a stranger anyway.

[mcantar18c]

That's a tough situation... limiting access for the kid while making sure you have quick enough access to it that you can get to it quickly. I've thought about this a lot actually and the only solution I've come up with is putting it high up enough that they can't reach it, maybe on top of a bookshelf or entertainment center that's close to where you sleep. I certainly can't keep my home defense gun in a safe or under any kind of lock... too slow/complicated to access.

Costco has these cheap LED "tactical" looking flashlights. $15 for a pack of 3. They're actually pretty damn powerful, and cheap enough that you don't care about them.

I dunno... if they have a weapon, and they're not in your house randomly (maybe scouted your neighborhood and selected your place for a reason or a neighbor mentioned you have guns), they might be a bit more determined. Either way, not something I'd want to risk.
Best thing to do is spotlight em with a bright flashlight to disrupt their night vision and temporarily blind them (no fancy strobe needed, just brightness), but don't keep the light on (light = bullet magnet). Just light em up so you know where they are and then make your move while you're invisible to them.

[Great-Kazoo]

stock sights and a flash light. one maybe 2 rounds tops after that night or any sights are minimized by flash from rounds fired, in my experience doing night shoots. the spouse has trij's on her gun.

[BPTactical]

Take a look at the offerings of the XS sight systems. Big huge white dot with a tritium dot in the middle. Even in a low light situation the big white dot will help-typically your eyes can only focus on two points at once-your target and your front sight.

Another vote for a hand held light for a couple of reasons. One- if the bad guy is armed what are they going to shoot at in a low light situation?
Also if something goes bump in the night do you really want your weapon pointing at something you don't intend to shoot, like your little guy getting up to get a drink or such?
I would much rather be able to sweep a room in my house with the light and weapon ready without sweeping the room with the weapon at the same time.

[AirbornePathogen]

Mine's a SIG 229R with SigLite tritium sights, and a Streamlight M3. And @ BPTactical: Those are valid concerns. But, I was taught to use a weapon light in short bursts, one second at a time, tops, and to move in between. And I live alone, so the other is not an issue for me. Not saying you don't have a point, just saying that it varies.

[BPTactical]

Not saying you don't have a point, just saying that it varies.

I think that right there is key - evaluate what works best for your given situation. I have 2 kids and their schedules vary. I want to know who it is before I put my muzzle on it.
Agreed on using the light in bursts, but if it is weapon mounted we are still facing the muzzle sweep issue.


Oh who the hell am I kidding-95% of the time I am so frickin tired by the time I go to bed once I am asleep you could JDAM the house across the street and I will probably snore, scratch myself and fart right through it........................ [Coffee]

[AirbornePathogen]

Oh who the hell am I kidding-95% of the time I am so frickin tired by the time I go to bed once I am asleep you could JDAM the house across the street and I will probably snore, scratch myself and fart right through it........................ [Coffee][/quote]

You and me both man

[Irving]

With a bright enough light, just pointing your gun toward the ground, or even to the side in a ready position held at the chest, will usually light up the area enough to determine if the sound you heard was one of your kids or not.

[JohnTRourke]

I

Oh who the hell am I kidding-95% of the time I am so frickin tired by the time I go to bed once I am asleep you could JDAM the house across the street and I will probably snore, scratch myself and fart right through it........................ [Coffee]

when I was in high school, teh house two doors down BLEW UP, flames 80 feet high, fire trucks, etc
Never heard a thing.
woke up at like 7am wondering what that smell was in the air.

I'm sure it's much better now that I'm old [Bang][Bang]

[Omicron]

I've got NS on nearly all mine that I carry.. I like em. Trijicon.

For a bedside gun.. I have lights and guns in the night stands.. no weapon mounted light cept on the scatter guns..Almost exactly what I was going to say. Only diff is, I have detachable lights for my ARs too, as you're just as apt to need it at night as in daylight.

[mcantar18c]

when I was in high school, teh house two doors down BLEW UP, flames 80 feet high, fire trucks, etc
Never heard a thing.
woke up at like 7am wondering what that smell was in the air.

I'm sure it's much better now that I'm old [Bang][Bang]

Had a similar situation... I was probably 14 or so, the house on the corner of the block (we were in the middle) blew up, something about a gas leak. Dad said he felt the ground shake, sirens, etc. Slept right through it. Checked it out later in the day and half the house was strewn in little pieces all over, the other part was burnt to a crisp, apparently a couple people were in the house at the time and... well, weren't anymore.
Always wake up when my dog barks at something though.

[tarantula]

For me, having a light is more important on a nightstand gun than anything else. I have a night stand shotgun too...

[yosemite]

remember if you shine a light at an armed intruder, the point of light becomes a target, hold it to the side of the body out as far as possible, aim the light with 1 hand, gun with the other, if you know where your gun shoots, sights are not a necessity across a room, or down the average hall, just my 2cents

[CMP_5.56]

I've slept through emergency sirens, and house fires in my neighborhood, but if a hand touches the doorknob to my room, I'm up in a flash. Had a roommate almost piss himself when he tried to sneak in my room to "borrow" a condom. When the light hit him, he immediately thought about the fact that I had a light on my Taurus pt1911. He told me later, his first thought was, "I just got shot for trying to get laid without getting the bitch pregnant!" Made me laugh. [ROFL1]

[ronaldrwl]

I have the green glow in the dark Trijicon’s (I think). The gun came with them. But I'm not sure that helps. At night when holding it up, all you'll see are the green dots. I think it's better without them. IMO

[Graves]

I prefer an Aimpoint H1 with a surefire M300a. [Coffee]

[JohnnyEgo]

My bedside guns have rail mounted lights on them. I've never really seen the need to have more than a front illuminated sight; at interior room distances, I just want to know where my front sight is, without having to worry consciously or subconsciously about my front-to-rear sight alignment.

Having said the above, two of the four handguns that may see bedside duty came with night sights already installed. One is Meprolight, the other Trijicon. The Meprolights have definitely dimmed over the last decade, but that is the nature of Tritium, I suppose.

[villageidiot]

remember if you shine a light at an armed intruder, the point of light becomes a target, hold it to the side of the body out as far as possible, aim the light with 1 hand, gun with the other, if you know where your gun shoots, sights are not a necessity across a room, or down the average hall, just my 2cents

I remember Elmer Keith talking about a similar technique, however, I have never heard anyone more modern mention such an approach.

[Lex_Luthor]

Here's a stupid question:
Fiber Optic require SOME amount of light to brighten up, right? They won't be bright in total darkness....

Tritium sights are radioactive and glow for a period of time? How long do they last? What brand would you all suggest?

What about these (http://www.brightsights.com/index.shtml) kinds of paints? Do they even work, or are they a waste of money?

[TTWHTD]

A good dog will stop most intruders but I have a tritium sight. Front only.

[AirbornePathogen]

Tritium sights last for years. When I traded away my last SIG, the sights were at least 5 years old, and still nice and bright. I'm sure there's someone here that can explain the physics of it better than me, but tritium is actually a mildly radioactive isotope. The light is a byproduct of it gradually decaying. And no, the tritium in your sights will not make your hair fall out or make you grow a third ball or anything like that. [ROFL1]

And I had the BrightSights paint on my old front sight post on my rifle, made it easier to pick up in low light. Not something I'd rely on as a primary though.

[cwripinz]

if you know where your gun shoots, sights are not a necessity across a room, or down the average hall,

+1 FOR THAT FROM HERE! Practice, Practice, PRACTICE!!! Know your Weapon(s) very well before you bet your, or someone else's, life on it (them).

Within 50 feet, with either my .357 Magnum, 9mm or 12 Gauge, I Do Not Require Any Sighting Device What-so-ever. Center Mass with 100% Consistancy... moving or stationary targets. Heads up with my weapon at Hip or Chest Height and Outside of my Main Field of Vision. This is how I practice. I want to SEE First and then, SHOOT Only When Necessary & Appropriate! But I only practice "shoot to kill".

Just my perspective on Home Defense Weapons Preparedness & Deployment.

[Irving]

Within 50 feet, with either my .357 Magnum, 9mm or 12 Gauge, I Do Not Require Any Sighting Device What-so-ever. Center Mass with 100% Consistancy... moving or stationary targets. Heads up with my weapon at Hip or Chest Height and Outside of my Main Field of Vision. This is how I practice. I want to SEE First and then, SHOOT Only When Necessary & Appropriate! But I only practice "shoot to kill".



That's a pretty tall claim. I'd like to see you at a local match sometime.

[BPTactical]

Tritium sights last for years. When I traded away my last SIG, the sights were at least 5 years old, and still nice and bright. I'm sure there's someone here that can explain the physics of it better than me, but tritium is actually a mildly radioactive isotope. The light is a byproduct of it gradually decaying. And no, the tritium in your sights will not make your hair fall out or make you grow a third ball or anything like that. [ROFL1]

And I had the BrightSights paint on my old front sight post on my rifle, made it easier to pick up in low light. Not something I'd rely on as a primary though.

Tritium sights typically have a life span of about 12 years, it's "half life". And yes it is a very weak isotope and in it's free gasious form will only travel about 6-8 feet in air. It will not penetrate the skin and the only health risk it poses is if inhaled/ingested.

Dont waste your money on specialized "sight paints". They are expensive. Go to Sportsmans Warehouse or Bass Pro and head to the fishing section. Look for "Jig" paint. It is available in an unbelievable amount of colors and most common firearm solvents will not harm it. Very tough stuff. I have the entire back of the blade on my Micro Compact painted white and unless there is absolutley no light I can pick it up, even with my glasses off.

Lot to be said for "Instinctive" shooting i.e. point and shoot without sight aquisition. Valuable skill.

[Buckaroobonsai]

Going after a "bump in the dark" is pretty much the same as clearing a building. The suspect will only have an advantage if you give it to him. Plus, this is your house, so you know the layout better.
I like to keep a compact tac light in my off hand, holding it with the blade of my hand pointing forward, and my thumb on the momentary switch, ready as needed. My stong hand is holding the weapon of choice, pointing forward, but down close to the hip. If you look at that position, it resembles the ready position of a basic fighting stance. If you are suddenly attacked, the off hand can strike or push off, while the weapon had can fire quickly without risk of getting grabbed as you turn a corner.
Move quietly and stay in the dark, moving slowly as your eyes better adjust to the darkness. If you do confront the suspect, lighting them up then will blind them and let you clearly see what's in his hands. Give clear verbal directions. Depending on your training, you can prone them out and take them into custody, (yes, I have cuffs handy), or hold them at bay while the police are called. If the suspect rushes you, or endangers your life with a weapon, do what you have you do. If the suspect tries to run away, going hands on is not a great idea, neither is shooting them as they flee. Know the law before you need it. Have a plan ahead a time. Practice clearing your house in the dark from your bedroom, no matter how much your wife thinks you're a dork.

Probably way more than you were looking for, however at that point, the best gun is the one that you have trained with and is reliable. The fancy night sights are great for a dark street shoot out or on the range for a night qual. Being an ace on the range, and being proficent at CQB are two different things. If you're going to carry a gun for self defense, do yourself, and those around you a favor and train for both.

[TFOGGER]

I'm thinking tritium sights of some kind for my night stand gun, and maybe a laser of some kind. After all, nothing says "I broke into the wrong house" like a laser dot 6 inches below your chin...

[cwripinz]

That's a pretty tall claim. I'd like to see you at a local match sometime.

Matches tend to be timed. I'm not fast, but I am accurate. I take my own sweet time... be certain of that which I am about to destroy... and only then will I pull the trigger. I'd rather let some miscreant escape than fire upon the wrong target.

Tall Claim? Not at all when Time is removed as a factor from the equation.

Additionally... Lighting issues seem to be of great concern in this thread. Try installing Photo Electric Switched LED Night Lights around your home. I put in 10 of them. They come on automaticly, eat almost no power, give off a nice level of illumination and last virtually forever. I have not smashed a toe since I installed them 4 years ago... and I consider that, in and of itself, well worth it... irrespective of the security lighting provided. If you are worried about Emergency Lighting, just have a separate circuit run with a battery backup... about $250-ish... and run LED Lighting off of that circuit. Even in a power failure, you and yours will be able to navigate your home safely.

[Omicron]

That's a pretty tall claim. I'd like to see you at a local match sometime.

Matches tend to be timed. I'm not fast, but I am accurate. I take my own sweet time... be certain of that which I am about to destroy... and only then will I pull the trigger. I'd rather let some miscreant escape than fire upon the wrong target.

Tall Claim? Not at all when Time is removed as a factor from the equation.

Additionally... Lighting issues seem to be of great concern in this thread. Try installing Photo Electric Switched LED Night Lights around your home. I put in 10 of them. They come on automaticly, eat almost no power, give off a nice level of illumination and last virtually forever. I have not smashed a toe since I installed them 4 years ago... and I consider that, in and of itself, well worth it... irrespective of the security lighting provided. If you are worried about Emergency Lighting, just have a separate circuit run with a battery backup... about $250-ish... and run LED Lighting off of that circuit. Even in a power failure, you and yours will be able to navigate your home safely.I'd say you guys need to meet at a range so you can demonstrate this incredible skill, without a timer. And please video it, as I think we'll all like to see this.

BTW, if you think time isn't a factor when you have someone in your house in the dark trying to kill you, well.....

[cwripinz]

...is not a great idea, neither is shooting them as they flee.

Know the law before you need it.

Have a plan ahead a time.

Practice clearing your house in the dark from your bedroom, no matter how much your wife thinks you're a dork.

Four Pieces Of Excellent Advice! I would only add that you should research and interview a few Good Defense Attorneys and have their Names & Numbers readily available... along with a Bondsman (find out what They need Before You Need Them!). If you shoot... plan on being detained, questioned and, quite possibly, charged. Say nothing untill you have proper representation. THE POLICE ARE INTERROGATION SPECIALISTS. YOU CANNOT PREVAIL WHEN DEALING WITH THE POLICE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO YOUR ATTORNEY'S JOB. YOU HAVE EVERYTHING TO LOSE AND NOTHING TO GAIN.

[Irving]

An air soft gun and card board IDPA targets can work wonders for learning how to clear your house. Especially if you have your wife set them up for you.

[BPTactical]

An air soft gun and card board IDPA targets can work wonders for learning how to clear your house. Especially if you have your wife set them up for you.

Can't we just save all that pesky target business?

"Hey Honey, can you come help me? Turn out the lights while your at it."
Tink
"Ouch, what the f#$k was that?"
"Nothing Babe, go out to the living room now please"
Tink, Tink.
"You Mother%$#r!"
"So I guess the kitchen is out of the question then?"
Tink
"You sonofabitch! You get to vacuum now!"




Oh well it was just a shot in the dark......................[Coffee]

[Lex_Luthor]

LMAO! Nice one BPT

[SonOfTheGriz]

I've run Meprolights in years past with much success.

Whether it's weapon-mounted or in your hand, a bright light is critical for a nightstand gun if you're anticipating a low-light situation. Not just for picking up a sight picture but clearly identifying the target.

White dots, tritium dots, all-black -- they're not as important as having a clear vision of your target. If you can light up your target, you'll be able to align your sights. Lots of folks are hung up on immediately installing night sights on a home defense gun. They can provide an advantage, but the ability to quickly acquire a sight picture is key. It's been my experience that 3-dot night sights, unless I modify the rears with Sharpie, aren't any faster than illumination and standard post/notch sights.

[SonOfTheGriz]

[LOL]
I know if I tried this I might wind up catching return fire... and I'm the only one with Airsoft in the house!


[QUOTE=BPTactical;435837]Can't we just save all that pesky target business?

"Hey Honey, can you come help me? Turn out the lights while your at it."
Tink
"Ouch, what the f#$k was that?"
"Nothing Babe, go out to the living room now please"
Tink, Tink.
"You Mother%$#r!"
"So I guess the kitchen is out of the question then?"
Tink
"You sonofabitch! You get to vacuum now!"

[L3SYS]

Trijicons
Although I am NOT an laser guy. A Nightstand gun with some crimson trace grips if excellent for the dark and under stress. Just waking up type stress

[blacklabel]

BTW, if you think time isn't a factor when you have someone in your house in the dark trying to kill you, well.....

I can guarantee that a home invasion is the last scenario where I'll be taking my sweet time.

My night stand gun is also my carry gun and it doesn't have night sights on it. My thought is that point shooting is going to be my best bet in a home invasion based on the narrow hall way that an intruder would have to come down to reach me and my family.

[DOC]

I used to depend on a nightlight and night sites I decided that was to easy. But I'm not bragging or anything here. But I just spent the last 2 nights with out my nightlight.

[Gcompact30]

I got XS Big Dot Trijicon night sight

[CO-SpAr72]

I run Tru-Glo Tfo's on my xdm compact .40
Fiber optic picks up light during the day and tritium lights up fiber in low light situation

[Goodburbon]

Zombie thread alert.

[Honor Bound]

I run Tru-Glo Tfo's on my xdm compact .40
Fiber optic picks up light during the day and tritium lights up fiber in low light situation

+1 for TruGlo TFOs. I put them on every pistol that will take them. It's unfortunate that they're made for such a limited number of pistols. Strong, durable, bright at day, bright at night.

HB