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Breakdown of Pistol Sights & Optics

A Breakdown of Pistol Sights and Optics (Pistol Red Dot Sights, Iron Sights and Alternatives)

Let’s face an unpleasant truth: handguns are categorically inferior to long arms. There, we said it. 

Yes, they are easier to conceal and lighter, but in generally every other way, they fall short. Recoil is a burden, accuracy is a bear, and they (almost always) lack the firepower of rifles and shotguns. Even where a pistol caliber offers more stopping power than a comparable carbine or rifle cartridge, it comes with recoil so steep that only the stoutest shooters can manage it. 

Anyway, enough pontificating. We’re not here to knock handguns, only to state that the pistol sights or optics you pair with it are critical to confident handling and accurate shooting. 

So, with that said, let’s take a closer look at the main categories of pistol sights. 

Iron Sights

Iron Sights

Iron sights, also referred to as open sights, are the most basic configuration of pistol sights. They’re called iron sights because they’re usually made of metal (though some modern versions, like GLOCKs, are plastic).

Most iron sights are a notch-and-post configuration, with a post for the front sight and a notch at the rear. To shoot accurately, the sights must be calibrated at a given range, then aligned so that the post is centered through the notch.

Iron sights are arguably the most difficult of pistol sights to learn to use, but they are also the most elementary. Therefore, to become a truly proficient handgunner, it is critical to learn to shoot effectively over iron sights - even if you graduate later to more advanced optics like a pistol red dot sight.

Iron sights are not without advantages, despite the steep learning curve. They are affordable, reliable, work in all conditions (except the dark, see below), and will never quit working due to a dead battery. They are also physically tough.

With that said, becoming proficient with iron sights requires a good deal of training, and they’re not as effective at intermediate ranges, or at shooting offhand, since the sights must be aligned perfectly. Another issue of iron sights is sight radius; small aberrations in sight alignment can result in wide misses.

Night Sights

Night sights are not an entirely different class of sights from iron sights but because of their popularity will be given their own section here. Rather, they are iron sights that have been treated with a special material, frequently a radioluminescent isotope of hydrogen known as tritium, that glows in the dark.

Therefore, the only material difference between iron sights and night sights is that night sights are more effective in low light conditions. All other advantages and disadvantages are shared between them, including longevity, as tritium has a half-life of 12 years, which means night sights treated with it will work for 10 years or longer before they start to fade.

Fiber Optic Sights

Like night sights, fiber optic sights are another class of open/iron sights, but instead of plastic or iron, the front post is a high-visibility fiber optic bead. Sometimes the rear notch also contains fiber optic components.

As a result, fiber optic sights offer increased visibility, including in low-light conditions. That said, they will not be effective in the absence of light, as in a very dark interior at night. They can also help improve target acquisition speeds. They do not require batteries and can be more fragile than iron sights, but otherwise, all other advantages and disadvantages are shared by them.

Pistol Red Dot Sights

Pistol Red Dot Sights

Now we can get into the realm of optics, such as pistol red dot sights. A red dot sight is a fundamentally different optic from iron sights, and consists of a housing, either a frame or a tube (commonly aluminum) which contains a lens and an emitter. The emitter projects a spot of light onto a lens that must be sighted-in to correspond with the point of impact at a given range.

Though they are called red dot sights, they are available in other colors, such as blue or green. Red dots sights are better in low light conditions because they preserve night vision, and they also consume less battery power, so they last longer. Blue and green dot sights consume more battery power and are better in bright light conditions. Many red dot sights have adjustable brightness settings; some can even switch between colors.

The red dot on the lens is measured in MOA, or minutes of angle. The higher the MOA rating, the larger the apparent magnitude of the dot on the lens. A larger MOA dot is easier to see, but makes accurate shot placement at greater ranges more difficult because it will obstruct more of the target. A smaller MOA dot may be harder to see, but makes more precise shot placement easier, especially at intermediate ranges.

Pistol red dot sights are associated with numerous advantages. Because you don’t need to align sights, you simply point and shoot. This makes red dots superior for offhand shooting, or from an uncomfortable angle. Red dot sights are also generally free from the issues of other optics, like parallax distortions. Where the red dot appears on the target is where the point of impact should be, assuming it has been sighted-in properly. Another advantage of red dots is that they are effective in the dark and the red dot can only be seen from behind the optic, not in front of it. This can help keep your position obscured.

Another advantage of red dot sights is that they are easier for most users to use, and that they let you shoot with both eyes open. This results in a more open sight picture than you’d get with iron sights or any other type of open sights.

However, even quality red dot sights can be fragile and will change the footprint of the handgun. This means they are not as effective with some holsters as they are with others. Moreover, though some of them have very long battery lifespans, they are battery-dependent and will go out when the batteries die. On top of that, red dot sights can be very expensive, as much or more than the gun with which they are paired.

Laser Sights

Lastly, we’ll say a word about laser sights which are not a true category of sights in the same sense as the other pistol sights mentioned here. Nonetheless, they can be a popular and effective option.

A laser sight mounts to the handgun in some way (either to the frame, the grip, under the barrel, or in some other configuration) and projects a spot of light (a laser) onto the target. Usually they are red or green.

Laser sights can be used as co-witness with your other sights (meaning you will have two sets of sights confirming your point of aim). Another great thing about laser sights is that they enable you to shoot from awkward positions, without needing to line up your iron sights. They can also be highly effective in the dark.

They can be expensive and can change the dimensions of the gun slightly, but many of them are fairly unobtrusive. With that said, they also depend on battery power, which can be a detractor. A final consideration is that use of laser sights is likely to reveal your position to others.

Which Pistol Sights Work For You?

The pistol sights you choose to pair with your handgun are in many ways a matter of personal preference, and in some instances, it’s not one or the other. For instance, iron sights can be paired with a red dot sight, as can iron sights and a laser sight. All of the sights mentioned here can be used effectively given the right conditions, so ultimately it comes down to what works for you.