a_j
01-21-2006, 02:37 AM
Well y'all, I decided to volunteer my USP to test out some sights from TruGlo, their TFOs. (BTW, I've got no affiliation with the company.)
A little background - Unsatisfied with the factory std. 3 dots, and a fan of fiber optic sights on other guns I've used, but at the same time wanting night sights for better defensive options, I came across these. Available for some time now for Glocks, the theory behind these is that during low light, a tritium vial inside the fiber optic acts as a secondary light source, rather than a point of focus of it's own as with other night sights. Therefore, the same sight picture is there whether light or dark, and transitions between lighting conditions are smoother.
First off, removing the factory sights. These buggers were in there tight! I used a brass punch I fashioned from stock from the hardware store. Tips: I ended up covering the tip with a bit of masking tape to avoid brass marks, and I also covered the surrounding area on the slide with tape just in case I slipped. Also, they weren't budging at all, so I applied a little heat from a lighter to the sights - not enough to get them too hot to touch, but just enough to warm them up so that they'd "squirm" a bit. The thought was to get them to just start to expand a bit in relation to the slide to break them loose. Freedom! They then punched out with normal force. The following photo shows little humps on their dovetails, no doubt this is why they are so tight.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8576/dsc011232ei.th.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011232ei.jpg)
(I apologize in advance for any blurries, my camera doesn't excel at low-light or close-ups)
Onto the new ones!
*Fit and finish - 3 out of 5
Well, they say on the packaging that they are CNC machined. Technically, yes, they are, but they look like they are cast, then milled to finish. As a result, the front dovetail was a bit off, I had to take a few passes to the bottom with a file, and got it to where I could get it in with the punch without pounding on it, which I didn't want to do due to the tritium vial. A few small, gingerly taps and it was in place and felt just right.
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2096/dsc011201fe.th.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011201fe.jpg)
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2162/dsc011218kf.th.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011218kf.jpg)
The rear, on the other hand, required quite a bit of fitting. Meant to be drift adjustable, and held locked with a set screw, the dovetail on this one was a bit too big, and the angles were off. So not only did I have to true up the bottom and bring it down to size, I also had to true up the front angle by taping the underside of the sight for protection and using a triangular file to correct the angle. As always with filing and fitting, slow and steady wins the race, but I won't get into a filing tutorial here. Suffice it to say, if you've never filed and fitted steel parts before, this would be a job for a smith. For me, I was taking my time, and the rear took about an hour to fit. I fit the rear a little looser, so that without the setscrew I could use my thumb, with all it's force, to shift it a tad. (This ended up working well for me at the range.) Now that there are installed, there is a bit of a gap between the bottom of the sight and the slide, which opens up when the setscrew is tightened. Ironically, due to the skewed angles, this gap would've been even bigger had the sights dropped right in.
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/1829/dsc011141mt.th.jpg (http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011141mt.jpg)
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/9287/dsc011194qc.th.jpg (http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011194qc.jpg)
So here's the finished sights:
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3302/dsc011121nx.th.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011121nx.jpg)
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8006/dsc011131if.th.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011131if.jpg)
Not the sexiest sights in the world, I'll admit. And given the quality, putting them on my HK felt a bit like putting spinners on a BMW.
*Performance - 4 out of 5
Given that the sights dictate a somewhat small fiber optic insert, and they are only open on the top, they are a bit sensitive to what/where the light is coming from for illumination. They seem to do best with ambient light, and not direct room lighting, although at their worst, they're no worse than the standard sights. In total darkeness, they show a bit better than other conventional night sights I've seen, and the dot is the dot - no big dot in the day and small dot in the dark. They do transition well between lighting conditions.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/160/sights4bq.th.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sights4bq.jpg)
So I did 300 rnds at the range with them, and I ended up drifting the rear a bit to compensate for my shots going a bit left, as they did with the standard sights too. (Probably me, but if I can 'dial it out' with my sights, why not). POI/POA was equivalent to to the HK sights - although the TruGlo front is shorter than stock, the rear cancels it out so it's still a cover the dot affair, as opposed to being able to align the sights "pumpkin post" style. I ended up not loctiting either front or rear (yet) as I don't usually carry and my guns are range and nightstand queens. They stayed put and didn't budge during all the firing, and after a couple of dozen rounds I started to get used to them. Strangely, with these I wasn't grouping quite as tight as I did on my last outing, but I was grouping more consistently, with no flyers. But this is where you get into trying to determine what is the operator, and what is the equipment. I'll live with them for a while and see how I settle into them and how they hold up. And no holster issues with the front sight in my Galco Fletch.
*Total 3.5 out of 5
Pros: Better consistent sight picture across varied light conditions, front sight easier for my eyes to pick up quickly, excellent brightness in certain lighting
Cons: While not bad, workmanship could be better, and requires fitting
In conclusion: They may not be the perfect sights, but they're not bad, and I may not find the perfect "5 out of 5" sights for me until I make them myself. I'm going to give them a chance. An unique alternative to straight night sights or fiber optics. If you're interested, maybe find a Glock buddy who has them for you to try. Available direct from TruGlos web storefront for $99, www.truglo.com (http://www.truglo.com)
A little background - Unsatisfied with the factory std. 3 dots, and a fan of fiber optic sights on other guns I've used, but at the same time wanting night sights for better defensive options, I came across these. Available for some time now for Glocks, the theory behind these is that during low light, a tritium vial inside the fiber optic acts as a secondary light source, rather than a point of focus of it's own as with other night sights. Therefore, the same sight picture is there whether light or dark, and transitions between lighting conditions are smoother.
First off, removing the factory sights. These buggers were in there tight! I used a brass punch I fashioned from stock from the hardware store. Tips: I ended up covering the tip with a bit of masking tape to avoid brass marks, and I also covered the surrounding area on the slide with tape just in case I slipped. Also, they weren't budging at all, so I applied a little heat from a lighter to the sights - not enough to get them too hot to touch, but just enough to warm them up so that they'd "squirm" a bit. The thought was to get them to just start to expand a bit in relation to the slide to break them loose. Freedom! They then punched out with normal force. The following photo shows little humps on their dovetails, no doubt this is why they are so tight.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8576/dsc011232ei.th.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011232ei.jpg)
(I apologize in advance for any blurries, my camera doesn't excel at low-light or close-ups)
Onto the new ones!
*Fit and finish - 3 out of 5
Well, they say on the packaging that they are CNC machined. Technically, yes, they are, but they look like they are cast, then milled to finish. As a result, the front dovetail was a bit off, I had to take a few passes to the bottom with a file, and got it to where I could get it in with the punch without pounding on it, which I didn't want to do due to the tritium vial. A few small, gingerly taps and it was in place and felt just right.
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2096/dsc011201fe.th.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011201fe.jpg)
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2162/dsc011218kf.th.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011218kf.jpg)
The rear, on the other hand, required quite a bit of fitting. Meant to be drift adjustable, and held locked with a set screw, the dovetail on this one was a bit too big, and the angles were off. So not only did I have to true up the bottom and bring it down to size, I also had to true up the front angle by taping the underside of the sight for protection and using a triangular file to correct the angle. As always with filing and fitting, slow and steady wins the race, but I won't get into a filing tutorial here. Suffice it to say, if you've never filed and fitted steel parts before, this would be a job for a smith. For me, I was taking my time, and the rear took about an hour to fit. I fit the rear a little looser, so that without the setscrew I could use my thumb, with all it's force, to shift it a tad. (This ended up working well for me at the range.) Now that there are installed, there is a bit of a gap between the bottom of the sight and the slide, which opens up when the setscrew is tightened. Ironically, due to the skewed angles, this gap would've been even bigger had the sights dropped right in.
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/1829/dsc011141mt.th.jpg (http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011141mt.jpg)
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/9287/dsc011194qc.th.jpg (http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011194qc.jpg)
So here's the finished sights:
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3302/dsc011121nx.th.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011121nx.jpg)
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8006/dsc011131if.th.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc011131if.jpg)
Not the sexiest sights in the world, I'll admit. And given the quality, putting them on my HK felt a bit like putting spinners on a BMW.
*Performance - 4 out of 5
Given that the sights dictate a somewhat small fiber optic insert, and they are only open on the top, they are a bit sensitive to what/where the light is coming from for illumination. They seem to do best with ambient light, and not direct room lighting, although at their worst, they're no worse than the standard sights. In total darkeness, they show a bit better than other conventional night sights I've seen, and the dot is the dot - no big dot in the day and small dot in the dark. They do transition well between lighting conditions.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/160/sights4bq.th.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sights4bq.jpg)
So I did 300 rnds at the range with them, and I ended up drifting the rear a bit to compensate for my shots going a bit left, as they did with the standard sights too. (Probably me, but if I can 'dial it out' with my sights, why not). POI/POA was equivalent to to the HK sights - although the TruGlo front is shorter than stock, the rear cancels it out so it's still a cover the dot affair, as opposed to being able to align the sights "pumpkin post" style. I ended up not loctiting either front or rear (yet) as I don't usually carry and my guns are range and nightstand queens. They stayed put and didn't budge during all the firing, and after a couple of dozen rounds I started to get used to them. Strangely, with these I wasn't grouping quite as tight as I did on my last outing, but I was grouping more consistently, with no flyers. But this is where you get into trying to determine what is the operator, and what is the equipment. I'll live with them for a while and see how I settle into them and how they hold up. And no holster issues with the front sight in my Galco Fletch.
*Total 3.5 out of 5
Pros: Better consistent sight picture across varied light conditions, front sight easier for my eyes to pick up quickly, excellent brightness in certain lighting
Cons: While not bad, workmanship could be better, and requires fitting
In conclusion: They may not be the perfect sights, but they're not bad, and I may not find the perfect "5 out of 5" sights for me until I make them myself. I'm going to give them a chance. An unique alternative to straight night sights or fiber optics. If you're interested, maybe find a Glock buddy who has them for you to try. Available direct from TruGlos web storefront for $99, www.truglo.com (http://www.truglo.com)