I have been researching the suitability of fiber optic (FO) sights for carry/duty use for the past year. This was a fortunate coincidence because I recently joined my department’s progressive group of firearms instructors, and several of our officers have been granted permission to deviate from our department’s policy of only using stock equipment for our duty weapons in order to test the suitability of fiber optic sights for use on duty.
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I no longer work in patrol and spend 90% of my workweek in plainclothes, thus depending on my daily attire and assignment needs, I alternate between carrying a Glock 17, 19, or 26. All of our permitted personal carry or standard-issue firearms have Trijicon night sights installed in accordance with my department’s procedures. Like many other shooters, I’ve discovered that I prefer a blacked-out rear sight. I believe that focusing on a single glowing dot makes it quicker and faster to obtain a sight picture quickly.
I corrected this by painting over the tritium vials on my back sight with a matte black paint pen. The back sight is only a contrast sight in bright light and low light, so all I had to concentrate on was one glowing dot, yet my regular sight image persisted. I can see the tritium glow on my rear sights in complete darkness since the tritium vials are bright enough to shine through paint in low light conditions.
Optical Sights: A Few Benefits and Drawbacks
The basic component of a fiber optic sight is a fluorescing strand coated with an inward-refracting coating. In both limited low-light situations and daylight, the strands’ ability to capture light and reflect it towards their perpendicular ends creates a brilliant sight. They are easily noticeable to the naked eye, usually available in red, green, and yellow, and with the use of various front sight strand housings, have been increasingly resilient over time.
The average user can choose from a wide variety of fiber optic sight set combinations, such as three dot configurations, front FOs, contrast rears, and distinct colored front and rear sights that provide quick dot color discrimination for speedy sight image acquisition. Many vendors provide contrast rears with U-notches, or Y-notches, in addition to front FO sights. These include Proctor Y-Notch Sights, which I’ve reviewed over the past year or so, and 10-8 Performance Sights.
The main benefit of FO sights over tritium night sights when shooting in daylight or low light is how simple it is to pick up the front sight for quick “good enough” shots during competition under pressure and time constraints. This has led to a large number of competition shooters switching to FO sights.
Since fiber optic sights require ambient light to illuminate, its apparent drawback is that they are not as effective in extremely low light or completely dark shooting conditions. This is a clear problem for both duty use and self defense. We don’t get to pick the best setting for a combat, and it is the shooter’s disadvantage to rely on a targeting system that isn’t perfect in every situation. Shooters who are serious about their craft must examine such odds and inevitabilities.
Identifying Targets in Varying Lighting Conditions
What you cannot see, you cannot strike. Unquestionably, fiber optic sights direct the shooter’s attention on the front sight, and if they are aligned properly, a quick sight image may be easily obtained. As I’ve already shown, FO sights perform comparably to tritium sights in both bright and daytime conditions, however their effectiveness decreases with decreasing ambient light.
Why then would someone choose a sight choice that isn’t suitable for every situation?
The Requirement for More Lighting
I have to set the stage for this following portion by explaining my training. As a domestic civilian police officer, I am constrained by legal and constitutional restrictions on the use of reasonable force. According to department protocol, I must, as a police officer, issue a warning IF POSSIBLE before using fatal force. Everyone will benefit if I can resolve an issue with compliance and no coercion.
Having said that, after my shift is over, I WILL head home. If I had to use deadly force because issuing a warning is not practical, there doesn’t seem to be any other acceptable option, and using force was appropriate to achieve my intended legal goal, then so be it.
Ten years into my career in the city where I work, I have long since given up on keeping track of the instances in which I have been on target, prepared to fire with the trigger pulled, and not shot because of the dynamically changing nature of force application. I consider it a blessing that I have not yet been compelled to shoot another person in order to change their conduct.
These required use of force concerns impact how all of this relates to the equipment I use on a regular basis.
Speaking specifically about using fiber optic sights on a duty or carry pistol, I am aware that a FO sight is a great sighting choice during the day. I am aware that FOs perform best in low light conditions when the ambient light is pulled into the FO strand to a greater extent than the tritium sight’s static glow level. Additionally, I am aware that there is sufficient ambient light, even with the FO just half lighted, to enable me to use the front sight as a contrast sight and yet achieve an excellent sight image.
Extremely low light to no light conditions are where fiber optic sights fall short of a tritium front sight. This is when having a weapon mounted light (WML) or a portable light becomes essential to a successful shot. As previously stated, both law enforcement personnel and private individuals bear moral and legal responsibility for each bullet they fire. I have no right to fire if I am unable to accurately identify my target. In my capacity as a domestic police officer, suppressive fire is not an option for me, and there are very few severe circumstances in which it is permissible to shoot without a target that is clearly visible and well-lit.