XS Big Dot Night Sights

[caliberetta]

The concept of the XS Big Dot Night Sights is simple: for the purposes of very fast acquisition in critical situations, make the Front Sight post as easy to find as possible by enlarging its size and remove as much noise as possible from the Rear Sight:



These are Trijicon illuminated sights, nice bonus.

EDIT/UPDATE: These are now available for $80 shipped - many reputable sellers on eBay provide it.

The Sights come with all the tools and instructions needed. There are also YouTube videos. I just used the instructions and tools included and I was done in less than 15minutes, I think.

Some pics:



At home:

There is instant gratification as I pull it up and check the sight picture. The Dot is exceptionally quick to find.

I am pleased with the ease of installation, all the necessary tools included and more importantly, the functionality and practicality of my investment. The quality is top notch.

I took it to the range to test it with 150 rounds:

The first few magazine definitely takes some getting used to. My shots were all over the place. Shooting left, right, high, low .... Did I install these sights wrong??? By the end of the session, however, I got the hang of it pretty well, and my groups are nearly as tight as they were with the stock sights from close range. I can see with a little more practice I can get much better at this.

Also, I did some strong hand shooting, the large Front Sight is very quick and easy to find. I can imagine this may be very useful in a high stress situation.

You put that Giant Dot on the Bad Guy's chest, keep your aim and pull the trigger:




Low Light Conditions:

The illumination is very bright, just like anything by Trijicon. I also do not regret getting the "Express" Sights (only Front is illuminated), as opposed to the "24/7" version (front and rear illumination). After some testing, I think I can do just fine with these.

Lastly, I tested the rear sight for one-handed slide racking on my belt and I was even able to easily rack the slide on the pocket of my cargo shorts... there is plenty of leverage from the rear sight to do it.

These sights are not the sights for precision accuracy. They are for Gunfighting. Highly recommended for those who can appreciate the value of an enlarged front sight in a high-stress situation and are willing to exchange some "range shooting" accuracy for it.

*** 8-month review update: Click HERE ***

[MROrens]

Thank you for the write up. I have been considering these for my G26 for some time now. I just keep having other priorities pop up. After this I may be ordering mine with my next check.

[caliberetta]

Thank you for the write up. I have been considering these for my G26 for some time now. I just keep having other priorities pop up. After this I may be ordering mine with my next check.

You're welcome. The best deal I could find was the one at Brownells (linked in the OP). The next best was on eBay, from a very reputable seller for $99 - that is for the 24/7 version, which is the one that has both the front and rear illuminated.

He has it on sale right now for $94 SHIPPED -- that's about as good as it gets. Good luck
.

[1911ShooterPhil]

I love the XS Big Dot sights, and I have used them on my 1911's (and other pistols) for years. I have eye damage in my right eye. With these sights, I can still use my carry weapons with ease. The sights are quick to pick up, even in low light, and give you fast target acquisition. They are not designed for target shooting. They are designed for gun fighting. Once you accept that, and you get familiar with using them through practice at the range; then, you will learn to love them, just like I have over the years. I'm a fan and will recommend them to both newbie shooters and experienced gun hands. --1911ShooterPhil

[ronlglock]

Unlike an exposed sidearm, remember that sights on a CCW firearm have one major requirement - they must be snag-free so that your firearm isn't stuck in your pocket or holster when the STHF. I use stock night sights on all of my firearms that have them, otherwise I use low-profile aftermarket sights, usually from Trijicon.

My LCP has Nitesiters luminescent dots on the almost-nonexistant sights which makes the firearm a LOT easier to keep on target.

[Yellow Wing]

Did you check with OCSD prior to upgrading?
I was under the impression that modifications weren't allowed.

Nice sights. Nice upgrade.

[El Toro]

Did you check with OCSD prior to upgrading?
I was under the impression that modifications weren't allowed.

Nice sights. Nice upgrade.

There is no armory inspection so they have no baseline or idea what your firearm was like when you qualified. I believe the OCSD "guidelines" state:

Source

They removed references to no lasers. Just don't make your weapon unsafe and you are good to go.

[Yellow Wing]

Sounds good to me.

[caliberetta]

8 month update:

I took the XS Sights that I had on my Glock 27 (subcompact .40) and installed it on to the larger Glock 30.

The G30 has over 1" greater sight radius than the G27 (sight radius = distance between front and rear sight). This a world of difference for any set of Sights, but for the XS it is especially significant.

As discussed in the OP, I already do like the XS Sights to begin with, but now that I have it on a pistol with a longer sight radius, I have a heightened appreciation for it.

With that said, I do want to amend my review of the XS Big Dot Sight system to add that these sights are much more "ideal," or "best" on a pistol with a longer sight radius. Now that I have seen a significant difference (much more significant than the sight radius difference between traditional 3-dot systems)... I would only recommend these sights for compact semi-autos or larger, and not for SUBcompact semi-autos.

[grantar2]

OP, how do the perform from you various holsters? Have you had a snag issue?

[caliberetta]

OP, how do the perform from you various holsters? Have you had a snag issue?

No snag at all, the front is rounded at the top. The Rear does not have any sharp corners that can irritate your side when the firearm is on the holster and the rear sight is touching your skin.

[caliberetta]

^^ I somewhat agree with HopetonBrown above. If you were to offer me the XS Sights or Trijicon HD's, I will go for the Trijicon HD's. (I don't know much about the other brands you mentioned).

However, at now under $80 shipped, the XS is still a decent Defensive Sight option (the Trijicon's cost $50-$60 more, and in some cases $80 more).

-----

I did just get home from the range and shot a box of ammo from the G30 with the XS ... it's still actually very good with that long Sight Radius, and I am no less accurate on it (at 15 yards and less) than the other pistols I shot today, which had Meprolights and Trijicon Sights.

[Tough Guy Levi]

XS Sights

Howdy:

Have XS Sights on my Kahr PM 6 (Big Dot up front) and XS Sights on my Kahr P380 (std dot up front). Both are easily viewed but because the rear sight on my P380 is much smaller than my PM9, only the P380 front sight has tritium Big/Std Dots.

Be warned, the CA compliant P380 with Loaded Chamber Indicator, obstructs the front Dot Sight nor are the sights available for Kahr CW380. A call to XS Sights would be advised.

tough guy levi
Orange

[BoJackUSMC]

For some weird reason... I have difficult time hitting target with XS big dot system.

[fritztkatt]

Try using them in dim conditions, where the paint can't be illuminated, but not dark enough for the lamps to glow. For me that's a lot of the time... also the sight picture is heinous if you have a light on your gun.

Good, quality product though. Just don't work for me. I can't say that they were POS, ugly, out of spec or anything, just not good for me.