speed sights for glock

[revel8]

saw these in this month's handgunner magazine. since my front sight seems to have "bent" somehow and has gotten a bit crooked and loose, i'm going to try these out. it says if after 60 days you don't like them they'll take them back, and they're only 60 bucks or so. I'll let you guys know how they are.

http://www.speedsights.com

[RayB]

saw these in this month's handgunner magazine. since my front sight seems to have "bent" somehow and has gotten a bit crooked and loose, i'm going to try these out. it says if after 60 days you don't like them they'll take them back, and they're only 60 bucks or so. I'll let you guys know how they are.

http://www.speedsights.com


Please do! :thumbsup:

--Ray

[revel8]

ordered. hopefully i'll them in time for the weekend. i'll keep you updated ray.

[gary newport]

I put a set on my G17 last week and shot a little with it over the weekend -- not enough to form a definitive opinion. However, I do have some initial impressions to share.

First, alignment (for elevation) seems a bit unnatural since it requires putting the bases of the the three triangles in a line, rather than the top edges of conventional sights.

Second, alignment for windage (centering the front sight) is a bit iffy -- it is easy to have the front off-center to the right or left.

These sights might be useful for fast shooting at very close range but I require more than that. I'll take them to the range again, but I suspect that they won't be staying on my G17 for long. Too bad, really.

[revel8]

well, thats good they have the good return policy. I hope they honor it if you or i don't end up liking them.

[free1486]

Hello, I'm the inventor of the Speed Sights. I believe I know what's behind Gary's issue with the sights and wanted to offer a tip that might be helpful.
Speed Sights were designed to work in a whole different way than traditional sights. It may be that your well trained eyes are still "looking for" the pattern they are familiar with so it feels "unnatural" when you first try them out.
The Point to Point system that Speed Sights are based on eliminate the need to align this surface with that surface or to guess when the two gaps between notch and post may be lined up.
Another way to say it is don't be concerned about lining up the bases, just lock your focus on the tip of the front sight, your peripheral vision will lock in the pattern as soon as the points touch.
Sure, the bases need to be aligned, but that comes naturally by keeping focused on the front point and letting your peripheral vision get an automatic "pattern lock" on the triangles. Don't use the line up of the bases as the primary tool for checking alignment.
Just "Touch the points...pull the trigger", try to resist the impulse to look at the bases or lines.
Now, most folks experience Speed Sights as feeling natural and easier to use; the quotes on our "user experiences" link on the speedsights.com website are from real people.
We just got an email last week from a guy who has been using Speed Sights every weekend for the past year shooting IDPA and told us, "...these are by far the best sights I've ever shot with..."
But occasionally we hear from experienced users that their eyes are still "looking for" the familiar pattern of their previous sites, just like they have been trained so well to do.
Thanks for checking out the sights, I appreciate any comments as it helps to be able better explain the system to other folks thinking of trying it out.
Good luck on the range!
Don

[revel8]

thanks Don. I placed an order two days ago. I haven't been shooting that long so I think i'll do well with them. perhaps the other guy is an experienced shooter used to traditional sights. i'll let you guys know either way.

[mercury0_0]

Very interesting sight system. Right now I have Tru-glo TFO's on my G20C. If they made the Speed Sights with Tritium and Fiber optics like the Tru-glo's then I would definitely make the purchase. I'm looking forward to more reviews from GT members. revel8, I'm hoping to see a nice review with pics.:cool:

[gary newport]

Hello, I'm the inventor of the Speed Sights. I believe I know what's behind Gary's issue with the sights and wanted to offer a tip that might be helpful.
Speed Sights were designed to work in a whole different way than traditional sights. It may be that your well trained eyes are still "looking for" the pattern they are familiar with so it feels "unnatural" when you first try them out.
The Point to Point system that Speed Sights are based on eliminate the need to align this surface with that surface or to guess when the two gaps between notch and post may be lined up.
Another way to say it is don't be concerned about lining up the bases, just lock your focus on the tip of the front sight, your peripheral vision will lock in the pattern as soon as the points touch.
Sure, the bases need to be aligned, but that comes naturally by keeping focused on the front point and letting your peripheral vision get an automatic "pattern lock" on the triangles. Don't use the line up of the bases as the primary tool for checking alignment.
Just "Touch the points...pull the trigger", try to resist the impulse to look at the bases or lines.
Now, most folks experience Speed Sights as feeling natural and easier to use; the quotes on our "user experiences" link on the speedsights.com website are from real people.
We just got an email last week from a guy who has been using Speed Sights every weekend for the past year shooting IDPA and told us, "...these are by far the best sights I've ever shot with..."
But occasionally we hear from experienced users that their eyes are still "looking for" the familiar pattern of their previous sites, just like they have been trained so well to do.
Thanks for checking out the sights, I appreciate any comments as it helps to be able better explain the system to other folks thinking of trying it out.
Good luck on the range!
Don

Thanks for weighing in. I will give your sights some more trigger time, while trying to keep your suggestions in mind. I mentioned in my post that my shooting experience with these sights was brief (part of one night, shooting steel, rather than paper). After making sure they shoot to POA on paper, I'll shoot some steel and/or cardboard at speed with them.

[ljnowell]

Thanks for weighing in. I will give your sights some more trigger time, while trying to keep your suggestions in mind. I mentioned in my post that my shooting experience with these sights was brief (part of one night, shooting steel, rather than paper). After making sure they shoot to POA on paper, I'll shoot some steel and/or cardboard at speed with them.
Any update on this? Just kinda curious.

[revel8]

yes, I've shot about 200 rounds with them. very pleased. i think the single strongest thing about them is simply being able to choose your front and rear colors. everyone's eyes are different, I seem to like the white rear and green front. target acquisition is very quick. they aren't "bullseye" sights, but then again, I'm not shooting a long-slide 1911 tack driver either.

I'd say, get them ! a 100% improvement over the stock sights for sure! pics up soon. they do a great job with the instructions and shipping was very quick (2 days) via priority mail. if you have factory polymer sights, they are very easy to change over with just basic tools and a vise.

[free1486]

Gary, Revel8, thanks for your comments, glad my explanation of how the Speed Sights work was helpful.
Revel8, could you possibly describe for us the technique your eyes naturally went to when shooting the Speed Sights? Did you find yourself focusing just on the tip of triangle, the whole pattern...or? If someone asked you, "How do you use these sights?" What would you say to them?
For instance, when I shoot them, I find my eyes zooming in on the front triangle and get this feeling I am physically pushing the point into the target. After awhile they almost seem like they are shooting themselves; after a mag I just have this memory of this big bright triangle hammering into the target.
I'd really appreciate hearing any descriptions of people's experiences as it would help in describing to shooters how they work or perhaps to improve them for Generation 3.
Thanks!
Don

[free1486]

Regarding being able to pick you colors on the Speed Sights; we found the high contrast between front and rear really did make a difference. One novice shooter during an early concept test shot was shooting about a 6" group at 7 yards with the Speed Sights set to all white front and rear. Then we switched to a colored front sight and immediately on the next mag his group tightened to about 2-3" and then he started to shoot into a 1 inch hole just before he ran dry.
We call this the "VizioNomics" of the system. Like ergonomics, but for the eyes. Our eyes are designed to seek out repeating patterns and high contrast in colors and brightness. The sharper and brighter these patterns and contrasts are, the easier (and faster) it is for the eye to sort them out.
Traditional style competition sights like the Heinie or Warren try to achieve this with extra flat black posts and thinner front sight so there is more light to contrast to the black. But this is dependent on there being light there to do it and there is no Point to Point pattern lock to tell you exactly when they are aligned...you have to guess. And why use black as part of the sight picture? The eyes are attracted to brightness, that's why we provide the bright, pointed Triangles to draw in the vision like a magnet.

[revel8]

yea the triangles are alot easier to get a quicker sight picture.
all my shooting tends to be draws from the holster defensive shooting, so i dont really focus on the sights, I aquire the target and then bring the sights up to my line of vision. the shapes make it much easier to "know" you are on target.

Don, I would really like to see some night time inserts that current users could buy in the future. these sights are not visible in a dark room. great job on the sight design!

[gary newport]

Any update on this? Just kinda curious.

Sadly, not yet. Perhaps I'll be able to do something with them this weekend.

It is obvious that these sights will be quick to acquire. They will have to satisfy two additional criteria to remain on my gun. First, they will have to shoot to POA at 25 yards. Second, they need to allow for decent groups at that distance.

[Defensor Pacis]

I am seriously considering the XS Big Dot Sight Sytem, but came across this post and I am interested to see what further reports are made.

Thanks for your comments.

DP

[rat5545]

I got a set of these sights the first time they were listed on Ebay. Installation was easy found a little two sided tape on the end of a unsharpened pencil made the front sight wedge real easy to install. They are easy to place on target, once you get use to these it's hard to use anything else. I now have three sets of these sights. Great combat sights, they are fast on target and that front sight really comes back into play fast on follow up shots.

[gary newport]

I got a set of these sights the first time they were listed on Ebay. Installation was easy found a little two sided tape on the end of a unsharpened pencil made the front sight wedge real easy to install. They are easy to place on target, once you get use to these it's hard to use anything else. I now have three sets of these sights. Great combat sights, they are fast on target and that front sight really comes back into play fast on follow up shots.

How about accuracy and POI at 25 yards? Has anyone checked this out with these sights?

[free1486]

Thanks to everyone for your comments and questions. Here's some more info that might be useful.
As far as POI at 25 yards, the Speed Sights are sighted in closer to the factory Glock, using a center hold, at combat shooting ranges. Using the same center hold they may shoot high for you at 25 yards.
What we have found is that because of the highly precise pointed front sight, it's much easier to exactly adjust your point of aim up or down the few thousandths of an inch it takes to adjust POI inches down range. That's the fast solution to most POI issues.
We've found it of course varies somewhat with ammo, the individual shooter's grip and eye and any after market barrels or other equipment.
Most of our competition customers say they really like them and have no complaints, one guy said they shoot too low, another said they shoot too high.
The important thing to remember is to keep focused on the front sight and let your peripheral vision tell you when the Point to Point pattern locks in.
If your eyes are really used to another sight picture, you might start with a more slow, deliberate course of fire until it your eyes recognize the new pattern, then let loose gradually to higher speeds.

Don
Advanced Design

[free1486]

The pointed front sight and Point to Point pattern lock gives the Speed Sights alot of inherent accuracy. Groups should be tighter at any range.
At really close ranges and CQB speed, the eyes can lock in the whole bright, interlocking pattern over the target as you bring it into your line of vision.
At longer distances or where greater precision is required a more deliberate focus on the tip of the front sight works.
Old style notch and posts can't offer this, as the front sight may be much wider than your intended point of impact and you have to guess.

We are working on some really revolutionary Tritium materials as well as the new generation of light activated materials like FN and Ameriglo are using. Too soon to call yet, though, we'll certainly let everyone know.

Don
Advanced Design

[revel8]

sounds good Don, keep up the good work.

[Leibster]

Guys,

Speed Sights is a competitor to us here at SureSight. Nevertheless, I felt it appropriate to comment that I have had interaction with Don over at Speed Sights, and am pleased to report that he is a very nice guy, and a pleasure to deal with. I haven't yet tried his sights, but his demeanor and character make him a pleasure to have as a "friendly competitor". I wish more of our competitors were as nice as he is!

Just thought I'd weigh in,

--Chaim

[ljnowell]

Hello, I'm the inventor of the Speed Sights. I believe I know what's behind Gary's issue with the sights and wanted to offer a tip that might be helpful.
Speed Sights were designed to work in a whole different way than traditional sights. It may be that your well trained eyes are still "looking for" the pattern they are familiar with so it feels "unnatural" when you first try them out.
The Point to Point system that Speed Sights are based on eliminate the need to align this surface with that surface or to guess when the two gaps between notch and post may be lined up.
Another way to say it is don't be concerned about lining up the bases, just lock your focus on the tip of the front sight, your peripheral vision will lock in the pattern as soon as the points touch.
Sure, the bases need to be aligned, but that comes naturally by keeping focused on the front point and letting your peripheral vision get an automatic "pattern lock" on the triangles. Don't use the line up of the bases as the primary tool for checking alignment.
Just "Touch the points...pull the trigger", try to resist the impulse to look at the bases or lines.
Now, most folks experience Speed Sights as feeling natural and easier to use; the quotes on our "user experiences" link on the speedsights.com website are from real people.
We just got an email last week from a guy who has been using Speed Sights every weekend for the past year shooting IDPA and told us, "...these are by far the best sights I've ever shot with..."
But occasionally we hear from experienced users that their eyes are still "looking for" the familiar pattern of their previous sites, just like they have been trained so well to do.
Thanks for checking out the sights, I appreciate any comments as it helps to be able better explain the system to other folks thinking of trying it out.
Good luck on the range!
Don
Don, If you are still seeing this post: I just got my new issue of American Handgunner and they have a nice article on your new sights discussed here. I like the pictures in the add, it gave a nice sight picture comparison and I must say I am curious to try yours. Have you heard from anyone using them in IPSC or anything of the such yet? Just curious.

[revel8]

i saw that review as well, before that, i didnt know they existed.

[free1486]

Thanks for the backup, Leibster, I can say the same thing about you. Life can get so damn unpleasant, I always appreciate it when I can deal with people who try to conduct themselves with honor...and I try to do the same.

[free1486]

ljnowel, you asked about competition. There is one Speed Sights user who I recently heard from, he bought his Speed Sights a year ago and says he's been shooting IDPA every weekend and they are "by far the best sights I've ever shot with." There are similar comments on www.speedsights.com 'user's experience' link. We haven't got any specific comments about IPSC at this point, I'll certainly let you know, but if they work for IDPA...
Thanks for your question.

[free1486]

ljnowel, you asked about competition. There is one Speed Sights user who I recently heard from, he bought his Speed Sights a year ago and says he's been shooting IDPA every weekend and they are "by far the best sights I've ever shot with." There are similar comments on www.speedsights.com 'user's experience' link. We haven't got any specific comments about IPSC at this point, I'll certainly let you know, but if they work for IDPA...
Thanks for your question.

[free1486]

ljnowell, I posted a reply to your question earlier but for some reason it didn't appear on the thread here. Anyway, yes we have heard from some competition shooters. An IDPA guy who bought 2 sets a year ago just wrote in recently and said he'd been shooting IDPA every weekend for the last year and "they are by far the best sights I have ever shot with". There are some other similar comments on the www.speedsights.com website, too. We haven't heard anyone specifically comment on IPSC, but we'll keep you posted. Speed Sights are officially approved for IDPA, by the way, and the approval letter also said they looked "really intriguing" and "might be very appealing to their members". So we hope to be hearing from more competition shooters.
Don

[revel8]

you guys should make a mailing list or something so we know when and if those night sights come out

[CaneyCat]

I want to get me a set of speed sights for my G23!

[free1486]

Sure, Revel8, anyone who wants to be notified by email about our nightsights could send a note to: ade9500@aol.com

Anyone know where the delete button is on the post editor to get rid of the above duplicate posts? They didn't post, then posted all at once.

Thanks
Don

[SpringBreak'92]

It looks like the Speed Sight front sights were designed with being snag proof in holsters in mind. I have a Hi Viz front sight that is so block that it snags on my inside the pants holster. The only way to get the gun out is to pull hard and fast.

[free1486]

Speed Sights are designed to have a snag free draw. They are actually a bit lower than the factory Glocks. Speed Sights can also be cocked one handed; the back of the rear sight has a flat edge that will easily rack the slide on the corner of a table, wall or, most convenient of all, the top edge of leather belts.
We wanted a sight that was did everything you needed it to do: one you could see easier, shoot better with, fit in any holster and look good while it was doing it.
On that Hi Viz; have you tried gently rounding over the leading edges with a fine grit sandpaper? Maybe a 400 grit or so? Maybe that would help. God forbid your gun get stuck when you need it most.

[ripplingh2o]

Don,

Are your Speed Sights one size fits all (Glocks) configuration? Realizing they're primarily a CQC style sight maybe the caliber is moot.

[free1486]

Yes, our current version is one size fits all which works for most situations most of the time but sometimes we'll be asked to make a custom height for someone that really likes the sight picture but wants them sighted in higher or lower. Everyone's grip, eyes, style, ammo is different so there are going to be variations. We are working on our next generation which should be adjustable and work for different brands as well.

[Polle]

Go with suresight...

[ViperR]

Hey Free,
How about sending someone here on the forum a free (no pun) set to try out and report. Before spending the $ and being biased because of the expence. Reading all the threads on sights, everyone seems to love what they bought.

[gary newport]

Hey Free,
How about sending someone here on the forum a free (no pun) set to try out and report. Before spending the $ and being biased because of the expence. Reading all the threads on sights, everyone seems to love what they bought.

Not quite everyone.

[free1486]

Gary,
It sounds like the sights still aren't working for you. Go ahead and wring them out more if you want but if you really are convinced they're not for you...we do honor our refund policy; just send 'em back and we'll refund your purchase price, including the original priority mail shipping fee. We have confidence in our sights and alot of people do like them, but...not everything can work for everybody. That's what's great about American creativity and the free market. More choices that work for more people.
We have a generation 3 and several different styles being worked on, perhaps you'd like to make some suggestions. We always appreciate getting feedback from shooters that might clue us in on future improvements or innovations. Thanks for trying them.

[free1486]

ViperR,
Thanks for the suggestion; free or not, folks do seem pretty honest about reporting back with their experiences. Like we said in the last post, we've had alot of good feedback but not everything will work for everyone and we like to hear ideas for improvements, too.

[gary newport]

Gary,
It sounds like the sights still aren't working for you. Go ahead and wring them out more if you want but if you really are convinced they're not for you...we do honor our refund policy; just send 'em back and we'll refund your purchase price, including the original priority mail shipping fee. We have confidence in our sights and alot of people do like them, but...not everything can work for everybody. That's what's great about American creativity and the free market. More choices that work for more people.
We have a generation 3 and several different styles being worked on, perhaps you'd like to make some suggestions. We always appreciate getting feedback from shooters that might clue us in on future improvements or innovations. Thanks for trying them.

If someone were to spend a lot of time with the sights at short range, I suspect they would work fine. However, they shot several inches high at 25 yards -- and the groups weren't all that good either -- on my G17.

Maybe I'm just so used to a more conventional sight picture or maybe I'm just impatient. In any event, I suspect that I'm going to replace them with my current favorite sight combination. Ironically, that sight combination has the same front and rear colors as the Speed Sights came with -- orange on the front and white on the rear (many other color combinations are possible with the Speed Sights)!

I would suggest some type of adustability for elevation (the rear sight is drift-adjustable for windage) to address issues like mine. One option would be to have different heights available for the front and/or rear sight.

If I do remove the sights, how should I go about removing the front so as to not damage it?

[free1486]

Gary,
Thanks for the comments; we are working to make our next generation available in different heights or height adjustable.
If you need to remove the front sight, it's easy to take it out without damage; looking inside the slide from the bottom, just pop out the locking wedge by inserting a sharp object through the barrel hole, like an exacto blade, large pin, sharpened nail, small knife tip...then, take a flat bladed screwdriver and gently push one of the two "ears" of the snap and push it inwards, then rotate the screwdrive blade on top of it and push down and it should pop right out. You could also use needle nose pliers to squeeze the two snap ears together, then push them down into the hole in the slide until they pop out.
There's probably a few different ways to do it, but basically once the wedge is out and one side of the snaps is pushed inwards and down it comes loose.
What brand of sights are those that you mentioned, the ones that are also orange on the front, white on the rear?
Thanks

[gary newport]

Gary,
Thanks for the comments; we are working to make our next generation available in different heights or height adjustable.
If you need to remove the front sight, it's easy to take it out without damage; looking inside the slide from the bottom, just pop out the locking wedge by inserting a sharp object through the barrel hole, like an exacto blade, large pin, sharpened nail, small knife tip...then, take a flat bladed screwdriver and gently push one of the two "ears" of the snap and push it inwards, then rotate the screwdrive blade on top of it and push down and it should pop right out. You could also use needle nose pliers to squeeze the two snap ears together, then push them down into the hole in the slide until they pop out.
There's probably a few different ways to do it, but basically once the wedge is out and one side of the snaps is pushed inwards and down it comes loose.
What brand of sights are those that you mentioned, the ones that are also orange on the front, white on the rear?
Thanks

I have a Glock steel white-outline rear sight and an Ameriglo LumaNova (or LumaSquare?) front sight with an orange square dot on several of my Glocks. I like this combination a whole bunch and plan to put it on several other Glocks.

The orange on the front sight really grabs my eye (as does the orange triangle on the front Speed Sight) and is highly visible under a broad range of lighting conditions, even without "charging" it from a light source (it glows if you expose it to a light source).

Having a square dot on the front works well with either the square white outline or the square notch in the rear sight. Since the LumaNova is skinnier than the factory front, nice "light bars" are visible on either side of the front sight with a well-lit target, and the white outline can be used just like the "light bars" in a low-contrast situation.

[ViperR]

Hey Free,
I kind of like your sights. I'm very accustomed to "gunner-snipe" sights from a modified S&W 39 from years ago. I like the triangle set-up of the gunner's without a front sight and was wondering if anyone ever came up with a concept simular. your's seem the closest.
Vipe

[free1486]

Gary, that sounds like an interesting combination to use the square Ameriglo orange and the square Glock factory sight. That gives you brightness and some symmetry for lining things up. The Speed Sights are actually designed to also work with the Glock rear sight, replacing the white dot. Perhaps you'd find that interesting. You don't get the point to point lock up but you'd get the precision of the front triangle and you'd still have your adjustable white outline rear. Of course it wouldn't glow in the dark, but might be interesting. Let us know if you try it.

[free1486]

ViperR,
The "gunner snipe", I think I've heard it called a "gutter snipe", too, is an intersting idea. Kind of funnels your eye right to target. Our front triangle is sort of an "inverted" version in some ways. I wonder if you could paint the rear of the "gunner snipe" with something to brighten the outline up?

[gary newport]

Gary, that sounds like an interesting combination to use the square Ameriglo orange and the square Glock factory sight. That gives you brightness and some symmetry for lining things up. The Speed Sights are actually designed to also work with the Glock rear sight, replacing the white dot. Perhaps you'd find that interesting. You don't get the point to point lock up but you'd get the precision of the front triangle and you'd still have your adjustable white outline rear. Of course it wouldn't glow in the dark, but might be interesting. Let us know if you try it.

Since I will have to install a Glock rear sight anyway, I'll pause my sight conversion at that point and give the Glock rear/front triangle a try!

[CaneyCat]

<TABLE id=Table7 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="98%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=main_bg width=4></TD><TD class=main_bg vAlign=top width=362>I just got a Blackhawk Sportster SERPA Holster and I have the stock glock sights on my G23 and notests there is not a hole lot of room between the front sight and the top of the holster, and a some point I want to a set of speed sights and I was wondering if the speed sights will fit in the holster? I did not know if the speed sights were taller than the stock sights, so I thought I would ask.<TABLE id=Table10 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=leftnav colSpan=2></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[revel8]

caneycat, they'll fit.

[CaneyCat]

Thanks!

[ViperR]

Well, if someone is not happy with their SpeedSights, I'll trade them even for a set of 1/2 life Mep's 6.5 rear & fronts for them. I miss the Gunner's (or Gutter's) type of sights from ago and wish to try them out . Money is tight now, but I'll ship them out and include funds for return postage.
Vipe

[free1486]

ViperR, if your still looking for some Speed Sights at a good price, there are a couple of sets up on Ebay, where you may be able to pick one up for only $47.00 or so. You can also email ade9500@aol.com and ask about discounts, like factory seconds, that might just have a small cosmetic scratch or the like.

This Ebay link is good for another day or so. If it's past, you can do an Ebay search under "Glock pistol" or "Glock sight" or email ade9500@aol.com to see if there are any more auctions going on.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130263812883&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123