Black Widow Night Sights

[barrytheprof]

Is there any news on the availability of night sights for the BW?

[Bj]

From March 7:


Sadly, the XS sights for the Black Widow have not gone as planned and very possibly may not happen ... But, we will continue to work with XS and hopefully come up with something in the distant future that will work for everyone.

[barrytheprof]

Okay, thanks. I must've missed it.

[RICKS PLACE]

While a lot will disagree on this, you just saved money on what I consider the 2nd most worthless addition to a handgun. I list a ported barrel as the most worthless. I have night sights on a couple of guns, a J frame stainless .357 and my Pug.  Both because that's the way they came.  I find that the sights only really only show up well in extreme darkness.  When I really can't tell about my intended target.  So, I have to ask myself, "why would I be shooting at a target I can't identify'?  Good way to lose a family member, a child, get sued, and, if I miss, show a bad guy where I'm at.  But, they use them in the movies, so, they must be good.  After all, what could be more true to reality than the movies or TV?   

[Bj]

I never used night sights, but fiber optic sights in daylight are a big help for me to shoot more accurately.  I found that out when I got a Umarex Octane air rifle.

[grayelky]

Respectfully, I have to not agree with RICKS PLACE regarding night sights. I have had low light/night time training. There are times when you know where the target it is, but you are not well lit. All you need is to find the front sight to resolve your problem. That is the value in night sights. It is rare a bad guy will wait until you are under a street light to approach you. Most are also reluctant to operate in the day light. I prefer night sights on my defensive handguns. Just like the handgun itself, I hope to never use them.

[barrytheprof]

I agree with Grayelky. While we would like to choose our weapon to handle our most likely case, if we can add something to it to additionally cover some less likely cases, why not. For a few bucks its usability has been extended.

In my case, if I'm in my darkened bedroom, and someone who refuses to identify himself and refuses to halt is coming down my long darkened hallway, night sights could make a difference in the outcome.

That's also why I put lasers on my Taurus M380 and Taurus Judge. Just in case. It certainly doesn't make the guns less useful, and neither would night sights make a gun less useful.

[Oddball]

I like night sights but I can certainly understand why Rick may find them useless. There's almost always some kind of ambient light around that will make it easy enough to see your sights in a self defense situation.
I work in the darkness for a good part of my day and unless I'm in a rural area with no ambient light at all I can almost always see my sights. I have presbyopia so its not easy for me to see the sights on any gun unless they're high contrast.
Probably the best scenario for them is when you're in a dark area but your target is illuminated or silhouetted.

[bearcatter]

I tend to agree with Rick. It's a good point that if you don't have enough light to positively identify a target, you shouldn't shoot. Even if the target has fired at you. Sounds risky, but can you be sure in return fire that there is only one person, the guilty person, in front of you? No bystander(s)? It definitely depends on the situation and a lot of really fast judgement.

So far as FO sights, they do give faster acquisition in good light, but are less accurate than standard iron sights.

[Canoeal]

I have lit up my sight as best I can without tritium. I still would like tritium because mine once lit are good for about 2 hours. Both my handguns are set up that way. I say BS to the scenario of not knowing who is there. If I am in bed and my wife is next to me, there is no one else that should in my house. No one has been authorized to be there, no one has a key. In that case I would shoot first find out later. Trit sights would help.

[barrytheprof]

I did the same thing to two front sights (minimag and M380) with fluorescent paint. Kinda silly since they live in dark places, but I needed the white paint anyway.

If a third party offered the trit sights I'd buy it.
Is the dovetail on the front sight of a BW a standard size?

[Canoeal]

Mine are not fluorescent but luminescent. Best glow in the dark, longest lasting paint, was from my brother's granddaughter. Luminescent nail polish he got her for Halloween. It lasted much longer and brighter than sight paint. Lights best with a LED light, or blacklight.