AmeriGlo I-Dot/Pro: Opinions?

JBarbaresi · 06-09-2011, 09:32

A brief history... I put some AmerGlo Operator NS on my old Gen3 G19, and after my experience with the company I have nothing but praise for them. The fit and finish were excellent, installation was no issue (as with most Glock sights), the sight picture was great in both day and night, and most of all the Ameriglo customer service was awesome. Last year I picked up a Gen4 G19 and after deciding it would become my new daily carry I opted to go with a set of XS Bigdots on it. They too have been great for their intended purpose and are extremely quick when used in a SD/carry role. However, having sold my Gen3 G19 in favor of the shorter frame Gen4 I now find that I don't enjoy "plinking" and target shooting as much because the Bigdots are not as accurate [for me] at ranges beyond 10-12 yards.

So here I am, getting ready to purchase another Gen4 G19 to use as a "range" shooter, and need to get some sights for it. I think I've read every thread and post on GT that mentions the I-Dots, as well as on several other forums, and have yet to find a negative opinion or someone who has them and doesn't like them. At this point I am about 95% sure I want to go with I-Dot Pros, but I guess I am just looking for a few more opinions from those who have first-hand experience shooting with them. To me it seems like a great compromise between fast target aquisition while still maintaining the ability to shoot out to further distances. The 2 dot tritium sighting system and Hack front sight would also hold some commonality with the Bigdots I intend on keeping on my carry G19.

I've never used a "U" shaped rear notch sight, but as I understand it serves to eliminate all of the unecessary "hard angles" that can distract your eye from proper sight alignment, which makes sense now that I think about it. Although I did read one person's opinion on the matter, I'm also wondering if it's everyone's experience that the higher sights are still hitting Point of Aim? Any issues with the orange paint of the Hack front fading or erroding from cleaners and solvents? Any other experiencese, opinions, pictures, useful information, etc... would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from some of you expert AmeriGlo aficionados out there.

edrex · 06-09-2011, 16:09

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm a fairly new shooter and just had the I-Dots installed last weekend...
I probably read all the same threads about these sights as you did, and I was sold. Ordered them and had them installed last week. I've only been shooting once with them on, and did about 200 rounds. I really like them so far. Easy to see, good in light or dark. Not as good in low light though. There is definitely a point where its too dark to pick up the orange very well, but not dark enough to see the glowing dots. YMMV
Also, and I'm gonna give it time before I make this decision, I might switch the rear to a blank sight (no dot). I found when drawing in the dark the rear sight can be a little distracting, and also was sometimes hard to differentiate from the front sight. Again, I'm a new shooter and maybe will get more used to this... but since the focus is always on the front sight I think it might be better to have it clearly stand out.
Overall, I'm really happy with them.

JBarbaresi · 06-09-2011, 18:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by edrex

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm a fairly new shooter and just had the I-Dots installed last weekend...
I probably read all the same threads about these sights as you did, and I was sold. Ordered them and had them installed last week. I've only been shooting once with them on, and did about 200 rounds. I really like them so far. Easy to see, good in light or dark. Not as good in low light though. There is definitely a point where its too dark to pick up the orange very well, but not dark enough to see the glowing dots. YMMV
Also, and I'm gonna give it time before I make this decision, I might switch the rear to a blank sight (no dot). I found when drawing in the dark the rear sight can be a little distracting, and also was sometimes hard to differentiate from the front sight. Again, I'm a new shooter and maybe will get more used to this... but since the focus is always on the front sight I think it might be better to have it clearly stand out.
Overall, I'm really happy with them.

thanks for the feedback, glad to know you like them as well as everyone else. did you know they offer a rear sight with a yellow dot instead of green for the exact reason you stated about being able to differentiate in darkness? i had the green front and yellow rear combination on my operator sights and i liked it, i'd probably go with the same combination on the i-dots. if you haven't had your sights that long and want to try out the yellow rear, it can't hurt to call ameriglo and see if they would be willing to swap it out for you. wouldn't be the craziest thing their customer service has done for its customers.

edrex · 06-09-2011, 20:36

I knew about the yellow rear, but found a really good deal on the green/green with cheap fast shipping so I went for it. I'm gonna take some time with them and see what happens before making any changes. Like I said, only shot with them once so far.

HGun17 · 06-10-2011, 05:26

Scroll down the link and I have pics of my Ameriglo Pro Operator sights on my 17 and I couldn't be happier with them. It's almost like a one dot rear in a way because your only looking for that white dot up front.

http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/show....php?t=1344997

GRT45 · 06-10-2011, 09:53

edrex, thanks for the excellent observations. I think your comments will be very helpful to inform shooters trying to cut their way through the jungle of night sight options.

I especially appreciate your observation, as a fairly new shooter, about the issue of differentiating front sight from rear in darkness when both are the same color tritium and equal size. Some will say that it can be easily overcome with training in low-light conditions. However, it's enough of a problem for police departments to take it seriously according to Massad Ayoob and they worry that officers don't train enough to master it. If they consider it a risk, how much more should civilian shooters be concerned when we are much less likely to put in the time for training under low-light conditions.

Before switching to a plain black rear sight, consider the benefit of having something on the rear sight to index front to rear sight for precision shots at longer ranges in darkness. It's not so important at ranges under 7-10 yards which is probably the upper limit of most SD shootings. However, in low-light training, I really appreciate tritium on the rear sight at 15 yards and beyond for my eyesight. I rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

On the other hand, I've grown to really dislike distracting rear sights with two lamps and highly-visible outlines in normal light. I much prefer a simpler, single lamp on the rear sight without an outline that nearly disappears in normal light, regardless of the brand of night sights (AmeriGlo, Warren, Sevigny, etc.). Green tritium on the front sight and a single amber dot on the rear sight is working the best for me.

If you decide to go with a plain black rear sight, be careful to select one designed for the taller Hack front sight (.220") that came with the I-Dot Pro set.

The Retired Sarge · 06-10-2011, 10:53

Take a look at Trijicon's new Heavy Duty NS with the luminesent front yellow ring. They have become my preference in NS. Bill

up1911fan · 06-10-2011, 11:37

I love a U-Shaped rear sight. No experience with the I-Dots, but I love the Warren Tactical sights on my G19. Plain black rear with a tritium front.

JBarbaresi · 06-10-2011, 21:21

can anyone with the i-dots comment on the point of aim/impact?

Tiro Fijo · 06-12-2011, 19:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBarbaresi

can anyone with the i-dots comment on the point of aim/impact?

Loaded question. With what load? Every gun shoots different as does every load. Mine are POA at 15 yds. but I use 9mm 115 gr. +p+.

I have the I Dot Operator sights on a Gen4 G19 and love them. HOWEVER, they excel at being able to "acquire" rapidly. I would not recommend them for someone who only range shoots and wants absolute precision. They are IMO a sight better suited to CCW and for someone in IDPA or GSSF shoots. Excellent sight for rapid target acquisition and do not have the downside of the large X Dot type sights that "blob" out the target past 7 or 10 yds.

JBarbaresi · 06-27-2011, 19:53

just in case anyone is searching for the same thing, i ended up picking up the I-Dot Pros and installed them last week. these are hands down my favorite sights i've ever owned, quick on target and i love the sight picture. the front sight absolutely glows out in sunlight, it is very attractive to the eye as a front sight should be.

GRT45 · 06-28-2011, 07:03

JBarbaresi, thanks for photographing and posting your set of pictures of the AmeriGlo I-Dot Pro sights. Your pictures are the most accurate depiction of the sights I've seen at Glock Talk and will be very useful to others.

500WE · 06-28-2011, 14:46

I installed a set of I Dot Pros back in December on a then new G23C RTF2. They worked just fine and POI matched POA very closely out to 20 yards or so with 180 grain loads.

Years ago I found it necessary to have the guys at Mag-na-port change out the factory red/orange insert in my issue S & W 66 for a yellow /green color to help me in low light conditions.

I found that the orange ring of the front I Dot washed out for my sight condition as did the orange of the Smiths.

Enter the Ameriglo late release - GL-212-GR and GL-220-GR front sights which are a green Tritium dot surrounded by a lime green Luminova glo ring.

The 212 is a .165" height and the 220 is a .220" height. I just replaced the orange circle I Dot front sight this afternoon with the proper height (.220") with the lime green ring - now I can really pick up the front sight in low light conditions before my eyes adjust to the diminished lighting. It seems that the older one gets, the longer it takes for "night vision" to adjust.

No longer a problem.

Ameriglo done good!!

GRT45 · 06-28-2011, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by 500WE

Enter the Ameriglo late release - GL-212-GR and GL-220-GR front sights which are a green Tritium dot surrounded by a lime green Luminova glo ring.

The 212 is a .165" height and the 220 is a .220" height. I just replaced the orange circle I Dot front sight this afternoon with the proper height (.220") with the lime green ring - now I can really pick up the front sight in low light conditions before my eyes adjust to the diminished lighting. It seems that the older one gets, the longer it takes for "night vision" to adjust.

I wasn't aware that AmeriGlo offered a .220" ProGlo front sight with a green tritium lamp and lime green photoluminescent ring. I may try one just to experiment. Thanks for the heads up.

It makes sense that the green outline is easier to spot in transition from normal light to low light since the human eye is most sensitive to the green wavelength (see spectral sensitivity chart below).

Spectral Sensitivity Diagram of the Human Eye

CoGT3 · 07-23-2011, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by 500WE

Enter the Ameriglo late release - GL-212-GR and GL-220-GR front sights which are a green Tritium dot surrounded by a lime green Luminova glo ring.

The 212 is a .165" height and the 220 is a .220" height. I just replaced the orange circle I Dot front sight this afternoon with the proper height (.220") with the lime green ring - now I can really pick up the front sight in low light conditions before my eyes adjust to the diminished lighting. It seems that the older one gets, the longer it takes for "night vision" to adjust.

No longer a problem.

Ameriglo done good!!

This sounds great! I looked at ameriglo's website, they seem to have info up on the .165" sight, but not the .220" sight.

Two quick questions:
1) Where did you order the .220" front sight?
2) Any chance you could get a picture for the rest of us? They do not have pictures on their website?

Thanks,
Matt

500WE · 07-23-2011, 15:35

It was on the website for a short time until recently. Give them a call at the contact number from the site. You are looking for the GL-212-220-GR.

CoGT3 · 07-23-2011, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by 500WE

It was on the website for a short time until recently. Give them a call at the contact number from the site. You are looking for the GL-212-220-GR.

Thanks for the quick reply. I will give them a call on Monday.

CoGT3 · 07-25-2011, 09:52

I called Ameriglo today. They do not have the .220 sight in stock, and more importantly it does not sound like they plan on making any more.

May have to give the orange version a try instead.

JBarbaresi · 07-25-2011, 13:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoGT3

I called Ameriglo today. They do not have the .220 sight in stock, and more importantly it does not sound like they plan on making any more.

May have to give the orange version a try instead.

who did you talk to? rick just emailed me a link and said they added it back to their website. i just ordered one.

here's the link, it is item GL-212-220-GR-C, 4 up from the bottom.

https://www.ameriglo.net/catalog/sig...s/front-sights

500WE · 07-25-2011, 14:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBarbaresi

who did you talk to? rick just emailed me a link and said they added it back to their website. i just ordered one.

here's the link, it is item GL-212-220-GR-C, 4 up from the bottom.

https://www.ameriglo.net/catalog/sig...s/front-sights

I'm glad thats back up - I just received three last week that I ordered on the 5th

CoGT3 · 07-25-2011, 20:12

Truly bizarre. I don't remember the name of the lady who answered the phone. But at first she told me they did not exist, and then after some looking around confirmed that they did exist. She then preceded to me that they had made one batch which were sold and had no intentions to make any further.

I just went to the website and placed my order. Funny thing is, it was not there this morning when I looked up the phone number on the website.

Oh well, orders is in, and the wait begins

JBarbaresi · 07-25-2011, 20:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoGT3

Truly bizarre. I don't remember the name of the lady who answered the phone. But at first she told me they did not exist, and then after some looking around confirmed that they did exist. She then preceded to me that they had made one batch which were sold and had no intentions to make any further.

I just went to the website and placed my order. Funny thing is, it was not there this morning when I looked up the phone number on the website.

Oh well, orders is in, and the wait begins

yeah, i emailed them back just to confirm i wasn't going crazy and hadn't overlooked it before. he said he literally just added it back to the website.

JBarbaresi · 07-28-2011, 14:37

just got my GL-212-220-GR-C front sight today, it didn't take but one glance to see that this is far superior to the GL-212-220-OR front sight (picture posted above). don't get me wrong, the orange proglo is fantastic, but the green proglo is just that much better. in direct sunlight the outer ring looks yellow. indoor lighting or dim lighting and the whole ring actually glows just as bright as the tritium front dot in the same color green. i would venture to say it is just as bright as a fiber optic.

the lime green proglo is a definite winner, especially when paired with the i-dot rear. i don't know why ameriglo is not offering this as an option with the i-dot pro set. i think it would be a top seller.

i'll try to get some pictures up later after the loctite has a chance to set a bit. thanks for the suggestion 500WE, and thank you for yet another great product AmeriGlo.

500WE · 07-29-2011, 07:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBarbaresi

just got my GL-212-220-GR-C front sight today, it didn't take but one glance to see that this is far superior to the GL-212-220-OR front sight (picture posted above). don't get me wrong, the orange proglo is fantastic, but the green proglo is just that much better. in direct sunlight the outer ring looks yellow. indoor lighting or dim lighting and the whole ring actually glows just as bright as the tritium front dot in the same color green. i would venture to say it is just as bright as a fiber optic.

the lime green proglo is a definite winner, especially when paired with the i-dot rear. i don't know why ameriglo is not offering this as an option with the i-dot pro set. i think it would be a top seller.

i'll try to get some pictures up later after the loctite has a chance to set a bit. thanks for the suggestion 500WE, and thank you for yet another great product AmeriGlo.

Ditto and you're welcome!!

JBarbaresi · 07-29-2011, 16:28

these were taken outside with indirect sunlight. i wanted to get a couple pictures of how bright the lime green/yellow appears in direct sunlight but i missed my opportunity while the sun was directly above. i'll try again tomorrow.