TruGlo’s Tritium Brite-Site for Duty Use

TruGlo Rear SightFriends don’t let friends go on duty with stock Glock sights. Look around and you’ll see the friendless ones.  For goodness sake, get those plastic things off your pistol!  Tell your co-workers.  Mine were switched out steel tritium night sights posthaste.

I have nothing against the “dot and U” Glock sight picture.  I have shot quite well with the plastic and paint atop a Tenifer slide.  However, my issues are twofold.  First, there is zero durability in a standard set of Glock sights.  They cannot take the abuses of police duty use, period.

Our guns get banged around miserably in uniform, and just somewhat less so in plainclothes.  A handgun is a tool of the profession and must stand up to the rigors thereof.  Having one or both sights knocked off or out of alignment could be fatal in a critical incident.  And in the event you are forced to run a Glock’s action with one hand, the fragile rear sight will not work against a gun belt, holster, or boot heel.

Secondly, the ability to acquire a target in low light or no light is not optional on the street.  Even those working day hours will find themselves in dark places on calls.  We need tritium night sights on our guns.  There are many good brands from which to choose.  I purchased set of night sights made by TruGlo.

Although my personal Glocks wear Meprolight night sights, for my current duty gun, a Gen 4 Glock 27, I decided to try TruGlo’s Brite-Sites.  I bought a TruGlo archery sight for my latest bow and I liked its quality.  I was also tempted by a very low price.

TruGlo is better known for its fiber optic gun sights, but these require some ambient light to be reflected by the tubes.  They will not give you service in total darkness or very little light.  Tritium is the way to go.  And I get hypnotized by the cool green glow, anyway.

When I decided to put night sights on my issued duty gun, I went the proper route for my agency.  Prior to any action, I sent a Request for Firearms Modification form sailing up the Chain.  After securing a few signatures of those with pay grades above mine, I got the final blessing in writing from our Assistant Chief.  He threatened to send me back to Mids to use the sights properly.  Just kidding!

After consulting with a department armorer, the TruGlos were installed.  The rear sight drifts on with a Glock sight pusher.  The rear is also held in place by a hex head set screw on top.  The front sight bolts on with a 3/16th inch socket, but there is a very tight clearance between the bolt head and inner edge of the slide.  A special driver can be purchased to get that front sight tightened right.

TruGlo Front SightThe TruGlo Brite-Sites are constructed of CNC-machined steel.  Tritium vials are borosilicate glass tubes lined with phosphor, which reacts with the tritium gas to produce radioluminescence.  Since the tubes themselves are breakable, having a steel housing to protect them is preferred.

All things being equal, I would have loved to have gotten night sights issued on my Glock, but that was not an option.  I ended up finding the Brite-Sites on sale at Amazon for $50.88.  See what I mean about the tempting price?  With shipping, I was out the door for under fifty-three bucks.

Some would balk at paying for their own night sights on an issued weapon, but I think of it as renting them for 10 dollars a year for the next five that I will use the gun.  No sweat. I was happy with my TruGlos last week when we did some dicey low light room clearing on an undercover sting.

Think of your stock Glock sights as a safety concern or a piece of equipment that could threaten your life.  Changing them out with solid, well-illuminated night sights will give you just one less thing to worry about in a dangerous job.

Randall

This entry was posted in Firearms and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to TruGlo’s Tritium Brite-Site for Duty Use

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *