Tritium sight concerns.

[ricart]

I have a S&W with a Tritium front sight.  It is 5 years old, some say it has another 3 - 4 years of life.  Whatever, I do not  care for night sights.  I have considered when the time comes, drilling out the sight and super glueing a small gold bead in the hole. I have read the Tritium is no more dangerous than a luminescent dial on a watch.   Has anyone heard of any dangers to drilling Tritium?    I'm ugly enough without my nose rotting off.

[snubsforme]

Call S&W customer service, 1-800-331-0852.

[chopprs]

Well, put it this way, Tritium is a radioactive isotope so if you want to put it on a sandwich and eat it go right ahead.

    If you do not then don't mess with it. Perhaps glue your gold dot on top of it or do it right and replace the sight.

   

   From Wikipedia:

   Health risks

   Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen, which makes it bind to hydroxyl radicals to form tritiated water (HTO), and that it can bind with carbon atoms readily (C-T). The HTO and the carbon-tritium compounds are easily ingested by drinking, or by eating organic or water-containing foodstuffs. Since tritium is not a very active beta emitter, it is not dangerous externally, but it is a radiation hazard when inhaled, ingested via food, water, or absorbed through the skin.[13][14][15][16] HTO has a short biological half life in the human body of seven to 14 days, which both reduces the total effects of single-incident ingestion and precludes long-term bioaccumulation of HTO from the environment.

[sirbarkalot]

The Tritium is encased in a glass vial in your night sight.  It will not drill well.  It is illegal to do what you are talking about, but of course no one will know, I am just saying that what you are talking about is dangerous enough that it is illegal.

   

   If you have a Tritium front sight, it probably is a pinned sight, and you can just replace it with the gold bead you really want easier than drilling and gluing.

   

   Just an opinion here.

   

   Barky

[ricart]

Well accepted and will be heeded advice.  Now, anyone know where I can get a gold bead sight?  S&W don"t have them. Guess I should have checked Wikipedia first.

[quickdraw]

Possibly check with gemini customs.  they get a hold of gold bead sights from somewhere.

[sirbarkalot]

What model gun do you have???  I may have gold bead in my parts box.  Can you take a photo of the front sight?

   

   Barky

[silvershooter]

why not just put some white/orange/red...model paint or nail polish overtop of the glass; in the case of the nail polish it should be easily removed if not to your liking. I don't see how a gold/brass bead would be very visible inside of the tritium post.  

   I found this link helpful: http://chris.cc/tritium.htm">http://chris.cc/tritium.htm

   it describes tritium as a gas with a half-life of 14 years. The author believes the sights won't be very effective after 5-7 years. I have some on a pug almost that old and they don't seem very bright in the dark. I'll probably just put some white paint on the front glass in another 5 years. For now the tritium does help some with gun orientation in very low light situations.

[silvershooter]

here's the physics and health risks of the element:  

   

   http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/tritium.htm">http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/tritium.htm

   

   from what I read it's treated like a hazard and easily absorbed by the body but doesn't seem very dangerous and can be flushed out of your system within 3-10 days. I still recommend against unnecessary exposure to it by drilling.

[tacc1]

I just looked at "Brownell's" web page.

   They have gold bead sights listed, in stock.

   TACC1

[grayelky]

http://www.brownells.com/">http://www.brownells.com/

[ricart]

Thanks for all the input, offers, and warnings.  I will abide by the warnings and probably go the easy way, (cheap) a dab of white paint in the sight inset.  Both of my S&W J-frames have a large white dot with the actual tritium dot in the middle.  The white paint will simply match the dot already there.

[bud]

I had a guy at a local gun store tell me to buy a bottle of appliance epoxy touch up for my gun sight.Worked great on my B.W.

[gcwimmer]

I used this on my LCP with good results:

   

   http://www.nitesiters.com/">http://www.nitesiters.com/

[lashlarue]

glo-nation has an array of luminescent paints, the green glows for as long as twelve hours.They sent me an ounce and a half, enough to do several thousand sights.I carved an applicator out of a fudgcicle stick, an artists paintbrush trimmed to a pointed tip is what a friend of mine used... http://www.glonation.com/pigmented-glow-paint.html">http://www.glonation.com/pigmented-glow-paint.html

[fxrguy]

WARNING: When tongue fondling your new Pug please avoid the Tritium front sight as this may be hazardous to your health!

[chopprs]

......uhm......huh?

   

   You LICK your guns??

[stungun]

WOW.

   

   Ya learn something every day.

   

   Guns really can be hazardous to your health.

[Uncle_Lee]

I love my guns but I don't LOVE my guns.........