Acujeff
10-10-2005, 20:50
Review On
http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/others/xssights.htm
XS Sights 24/7 +
10 October 2005
So, any excuse to visit Blackwater and shoot free bullets is a good one. Every now and then I actually get invited down there to do something fun and shoot free bullets. XS Sights was nice enough to include me on their list of invitees for a Writers' Round Table event. Now, I hate to say this, but I didn't know anything about XS Sights before attending. I had seen some advertisements for them; I had seen a couple of people with the XS Sights on their weapons; but I never took the time, or had the interest, to get myself educated about XS Sights.
The past couple of days corrected that. I guess I should start of by saying that I didn't know the idea of a sight which incorporated a dot sitting on a post was such an old idea. I knew SigArms had done it as recently as the late '80s, but I didn't know it existed much before that. Apparently - as was part of my education Friday and Saturday - the idea of a big front dot sitting on a rear post evolved on big game rifles in the 19th century. Hunters, when faced with large, dangerous, fast approaching game apparently came to appreciate the speed with which the big dot could be picked up (visually) and shots placed efficiently. From that idea, a former peace officer named Ashley Emerson took the next step, recognizing that "bad guys" are large, dangerous, often fast approaching animals that have to be stopped with quickly placed shots.
In the words of Dave Biggers, VP of Sales & Marketing for XS Sights, "In both cases you have something large and nasty which wants to stomp a hole in your chest." Anything that helps prevent that in a time efficient manner is a good thing.
Keep that in mind as you read on. This past Friday I arrived at Blackwater to attend the Round Table and to learn about these sights. After a brief presentation (and I do mean BRIEF) about the sights and their development, we were off to the range. Through Friday and Saturday I was able to shoot pistols, shotguns, and rifles equipped with XS Sights. Some of the other attendees expressed their appreciation for the Big Dot 24/7s. The Big Dot, as compared to the standard dot is, well, a bigger front dot. It's much larger and easier to see - which apparently a concern when you reach a certain age.
With the XS Sights there is a different (from traditional) sight picture. Rather than putting the front sight in the square notch of the rear sight, you put the front sight dot on top of the rear sight post which sits in a very shallow V rear sight. (See picture) While I thought such an arrangement had to result in less accuracy, what I learned (first hand shooting on the Roger's Range at Blackwater) is that at close ranges this sight picture is quicker. I'm not one to blame everything on increasing the speed with which we acquire and process visual images (yeah, right) but it does seem to me much faster to simply "dot the I" rather than aligning the front sight in the rear sight and then achieving equal height, equal light.
This may well be just a matter of scemantics, but it matters. Further, while not precisely dotting the I may result in minor accuracy deficiencies, how much does that matter at typical handgun engagement distances. Remember, we're not talking about precision shooting for hostage rescue at twenty-five yards - although you could do that once you've learned your sights. We're talking about hitting a man-size target, quickly, someplace in his torso, repeatedly at close range; say fifteen yards or less.
What I discovered on the Roger's Range - where multiple eight-inch steel plates pop up in a random order at different distances - was that I could quickly pick up the front dot, put it on the target, and press the trigger. Did I put the dot exactly on the rear sight bar? Not always. It was almost like looking over the length of a shotgun barrel to use a bead for sighting. Flat surface under big dot super-imposed on target = shot placement.
So, for the sake of testing the sights out, I asked XS Sights to put a set on my Glock 36. I knew that the nickname for Roger's Range is "the bullet eater" because you spend a lot of ammo on it, but the G36 is the handgun that I own that I consider least applicable to accuracy work. It's 3" barrel and 7+1 capacity don't engender it to competition shooting or precision shot placement. It is my penultimate handgun for "hit him a lot of times in the chest while you move to cover" work. Plus, I purchased the G36 with a set of night sights that I didn't really care for: orange rear dots with a green front dot. Sure, I couldn't misalign them, but I could hardly see the rear dots.
I know. I know. I don't necessarily have to see the back sight. Focus on the front sight and press the trigger. I've heard it and know it. But I'm of the thought that if I need to use my sights at all then I need them both. "Mechanical sights serve as a visual confirmation of your skeletal alignment." I heard that from Ken Good (of Strategos International) more times than I can count (though I'm not sure it's an original quote from him or someone else). So, if I'm so close that I simply don't need to do anything more than point, then sight alignment doesn't matter. When I'm picking up my front sight I'm doing it in some way, shape or form, in relation to the rear sight: even if it's as I said earlier where I was simply looking over the rear sight to see the front sight and over that to see the target. In this case, that's exactly what the XS Sights were designed for.
The picture to the right shows XS Sights on a Glock 21, but you can get the idea. My G36 - suited up with a set of XS Big Dot 24/7 Express Sights - headed out to Roger's Range with everyone else. I'd like to say that the first thing I noticed was how sweet the sights were, but that wouldn't be true. The first thing I noticed was how often I was stuffing magazines compared to the guys with Glock 19s! Ah, well... that's the price I pay for picking a single-stack handgun. The second thing I noticed was that I was hitting those steel plates a lot faster than usual and that, by and large, I wasn't worrying about proper sight alignment or sight picture. I was seeing the plate around the Big Front Dot and squeezing my trigger. The thrill of "ping!" settled into my stomach as I squeezed, reloaded, squeezed some more, reloaded, and so on until I had five empty magazines at my feet. More!! And I was at it again.
On Saturday morning, at the Blackwater Modular Shoot House, I switched over to my Glock 19 - which does not have XS Sights on it. On my first time through the house I noticed that very quickly. Seeing that small front dot was much more difficult than seeing the XS Sights Big Dot Front sight. That's not a comment on my vision by the way: with my glasses on I'm corrected to 20/15, so seeing the sights isn't an issue. What was the issue was that I had become spoiled the day before for an easy-to-see-fast-to-pick-up front sight.
Upon my return home, during an email exchange with Mr. Dave Biggers - who I get to credit with an enjoyable couple of days at the range - I requested a set of XS Sights for my Glock 26. As my absolute smallest (and most frequently carried) weapon, it's the one that truly needs a set of sights that are quick and easy. I look forward to getting them and will report on them in conjunction with a review of the G26 - at some point in the near future.
For more information, or to order your XS Sights, visit them online at http://www.xssights.com. Be safe!!
http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/others/xssights.htm
XS Sights 24/7 +
10 October 2005
So, any excuse to visit Blackwater and shoot free bullets is a good one. Every now and then I actually get invited down there to do something fun and shoot free bullets. XS Sights was nice enough to include me on their list of invitees for a Writers' Round Table event. Now, I hate to say this, but I didn't know anything about XS Sights before attending. I had seen some advertisements for them; I had seen a couple of people with the XS Sights on their weapons; but I never took the time, or had the interest, to get myself educated about XS Sights.
The past couple of days corrected that. I guess I should start of by saying that I didn't know the idea of a sight which incorporated a dot sitting on a post was such an old idea. I knew SigArms had done it as recently as the late '80s, but I didn't know it existed much before that. Apparently - as was part of my education Friday and Saturday - the idea of a big front dot sitting on a rear post evolved on big game rifles in the 19th century. Hunters, when faced with large, dangerous, fast approaching game apparently came to appreciate the speed with which the big dot could be picked up (visually) and shots placed efficiently. From that idea, a former peace officer named Ashley Emerson took the next step, recognizing that "bad guys" are large, dangerous, often fast approaching animals that have to be stopped with quickly placed shots.
In the words of Dave Biggers, VP of Sales & Marketing for XS Sights, "In both cases you have something large and nasty which wants to stomp a hole in your chest." Anything that helps prevent that in a time efficient manner is a good thing.
Keep that in mind as you read on. This past Friday I arrived at Blackwater to attend the Round Table and to learn about these sights. After a brief presentation (and I do mean BRIEF) about the sights and their development, we were off to the range. Through Friday and Saturday I was able to shoot pistols, shotguns, and rifles equipped with XS Sights. Some of the other attendees expressed their appreciation for the Big Dot 24/7s. The Big Dot, as compared to the standard dot is, well, a bigger front dot. It's much larger and easier to see - which apparently a concern when you reach a certain age.
With the XS Sights there is a different (from traditional) sight picture. Rather than putting the front sight in the square notch of the rear sight, you put the front sight dot on top of the rear sight post which sits in a very shallow V rear sight. (See picture) While I thought such an arrangement had to result in less accuracy, what I learned (first hand shooting on the Roger's Range at Blackwater) is that at close ranges this sight picture is quicker. I'm not one to blame everything on increasing the speed with which we acquire and process visual images (yeah, right) but it does seem to me much faster to simply "dot the I" rather than aligning the front sight in the rear sight and then achieving equal height, equal light.
This may well be just a matter of scemantics, but it matters. Further, while not precisely dotting the I may result in minor accuracy deficiencies, how much does that matter at typical handgun engagement distances. Remember, we're not talking about precision shooting for hostage rescue at twenty-five yards - although you could do that once you've learned your sights. We're talking about hitting a man-size target, quickly, someplace in his torso, repeatedly at close range; say fifteen yards or less.
What I discovered on the Roger's Range - where multiple eight-inch steel plates pop up in a random order at different distances - was that I could quickly pick up the front dot, put it on the target, and press the trigger. Did I put the dot exactly on the rear sight bar? Not always. It was almost like looking over the length of a shotgun barrel to use a bead for sighting. Flat surface under big dot super-imposed on target = shot placement.
So, for the sake of testing the sights out, I asked XS Sights to put a set on my Glock 36. I knew that the nickname for Roger's Range is "the bullet eater" because you spend a lot of ammo on it, but the G36 is the handgun that I own that I consider least applicable to accuracy work. It's 3" barrel and 7+1 capacity don't engender it to competition shooting or precision shot placement. It is my penultimate handgun for "hit him a lot of times in the chest while you move to cover" work. Plus, I purchased the G36 with a set of night sights that I didn't really care for: orange rear dots with a green front dot. Sure, I couldn't misalign them, but I could hardly see the rear dots.
I know. I know. I don't necessarily have to see the back sight. Focus on the front sight and press the trigger. I've heard it and know it. But I'm of the thought that if I need to use my sights at all then I need them both. "Mechanical sights serve as a visual confirmation of your skeletal alignment." I heard that from Ken Good (of Strategos International) more times than I can count (though I'm not sure it's an original quote from him or someone else). So, if I'm so close that I simply don't need to do anything more than point, then sight alignment doesn't matter. When I'm picking up my front sight I'm doing it in some way, shape or form, in relation to the rear sight: even if it's as I said earlier where I was simply looking over the rear sight to see the front sight and over that to see the target. In this case, that's exactly what the XS Sights were designed for.
The picture to the right shows XS Sights on a Glock 21, but you can get the idea. My G36 - suited up with a set of XS Big Dot 24/7 Express Sights - headed out to Roger's Range with everyone else. I'd like to say that the first thing I noticed was how sweet the sights were, but that wouldn't be true. The first thing I noticed was how often I was stuffing magazines compared to the guys with Glock 19s! Ah, well... that's the price I pay for picking a single-stack handgun. The second thing I noticed was that I was hitting those steel plates a lot faster than usual and that, by and large, I wasn't worrying about proper sight alignment or sight picture. I was seeing the plate around the Big Front Dot and squeezing my trigger. The thrill of "ping!" settled into my stomach as I squeezed, reloaded, squeezed some more, reloaded, and so on until I had five empty magazines at my feet. More!! And I was at it again.
On Saturday morning, at the Blackwater Modular Shoot House, I switched over to my Glock 19 - which does not have XS Sights on it. On my first time through the house I noticed that very quickly. Seeing that small front dot was much more difficult than seeing the XS Sights Big Dot Front sight. That's not a comment on my vision by the way: with my glasses on I'm corrected to 20/15, so seeing the sights isn't an issue. What was the issue was that I had become spoiled the day before for an easy-to-see-fast-to-pick-up front sight.
Upon my return home, during an email exchange with Mr. Dave Biggers - who I get to credit with an enjoyable couple of days at the range - I requested a set of XS Sights for my Glock 26. As my absolute smallest (and most frequently carried) weapon, it's the one that truly needs a set of sights that are quick and easy. I look forward to getting them and will report on them in conjunction with a review of the G26 - at some point in the near future.
For more information, or to order your XS Sights, visit them online at http://www.xssights.com. Be safe!!
