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I am looking for night/SD sights and was considering the XS 24/7 big dot sight system. I was wondering if anyone had these and if they like them. I was kinda thinking that the "big dot" would be just that. i dont want it to be to big, cause I would like to be able to see around the darn think for range plinking and stuff like that. I know they are a for cry from bulls eye sights but would like to be able to use them effectively at the range.

Pictures would be nice too if you have them on any of your pistols.

I have the Ashley Big Dot sights (non-tritium) on a G17. The front sight provides rapid acquisition and stands out very well. No photos available.

found this video on them if any one would care to watch.

I've had the tritium big dot on my carry gun for years. I wouldn't have anything else on a personal protection weapon.

The dot comes in two sizes (big dot and standard). If you shoot at the range very often and distances exceed 20 yards, then you'll want the standard dot. The big dot covers up too much target at longer distances and shooting 6 'O Clock only works well out to a certain distance.

I have the smaller sight on my wifes SP-101 and I am about to put a Big Dot on my Daughter's Para Carry 9.

Unless you are just totally fixated on your target or threat, you can't miss the big dot when you bring the pistol up. You may not see the rear sight clearly, but you're not gonna miss the front one. For close up work 3'-15' I focus on the target and just get a "ghost picture" of the front and rear sight. It works well.

I didn't use the express rear sight on my P-13, I chose to keep the tru-dot I already had on it.

I can post pics later today if you want, but all the info (and images) are available on their website.

Have had them on two diff 1911's and love them! Fast and accurate enough at engagement distances. They're not a target sight, but they work well for me. Did I mention how FAST the sight pic acquisition is? Well worth the $$ IMHO.

Well, the security dept. I work for FINALLY finished getting the big dot sights installed on all of the dept.-issue Sig 229's. We LOVE them. Put it this way--when only one or two of the guns had them, we had a little friendly competition going at shift change to see who would get to carry those weapons.

At the range, I have found them very much preferably to the factory Sig sights as far as target acquisition. When we do straight from holster to target for our qualifications, it makes it a lot easier to get on target quickly. Mind, we're not talking about long distance here--3, 7, and 15 yards.

I have a set on an XD9 if you'd like to try before you buy. Send me a PM and we can see if we can set up a range time.

I used to have multiple pistols with the XS big dot front sight but over time, with practice, I outgrew them. I prefer the XS small dot front sight now because it's just as easy to pick up but doesn't cover as much of the target.

HighVelocity wrote:I used to have multiple pistols with the XS big dot front sight but over time, with practice, I outgrew them. I prefer the XS small dot front sight now because it's just as easy to pick up but doesn't cover as much of the target.

And they do cover the target beyond about 20-25 yds.

After that you need to adopt a 6 O'Clock sight picture.

The guy in the video shooting the Pepper Popper at long distances didn't impress me. Easy to do shooting 6 O'Clock and holding over. But try to shoot head shots (quickly) on an IDPA target at "distance" and see how well that works. You can't even see it, unless you drop sight way under it.

The small sights would be better for this as HV points out.

thanks all for the help. what is a six o'clock sight picture mean? hold under the target your trying to shoot?

I know a lot of folks who like the XS sights. However, I find the XS sights too coarse for my tastes. As Flintknapper pointed the sights often cover targets at longer distances but I find they often cover smaller targets at shorter distances too. Since we are talking about a gun used for self-defense, I think having sights that provide a good balance between high visibility and precision is critical. Where you land along the scale between bright, coarse and easy to see sights versus dark, narrow and highly precise sights is entirely up to you.

I'd suggest checking with some buddies or even asking around on the forum to try out a few guns with XS sights. After you've tried them out for yourself, you'll be able to make an informed decision. My personal preference is Trijicon sights or Trijicon inserts in other metallic sights like those made by Novak, Heinie or Warren. You may decide the XS system is the best thing since sliced bread or you may decide it's crap. Either way, you won't really know how you feel about them until you try them for yourself.

9mmGuy wrote:thanks all for the help. what is a six o'clock sight picture mean? hold under the target your trying to shoot?

You got it! Bullseye guns and other target pistols are often setup so that the shooter simply holds the entire black circle of his target above his front sight. On a clock, that obviously would be at the six o'clock position and that's how the system got it's name. As an example, many bullseye shooters will zero their 1911's for a six o'clock hold on a six-inch circle at 50-yards or a 3-inch circle at 25-yards. This system works well in situations where you are shooting at known distances and the targets are always the smae size relative to a given distance. It starts falling a part in defensive situations though where target size and distance are variable and often not known.

G.C.Montgomery wrote:

9mmGuy wrote:thanks all for the help. what is a six o'clock sight picture mean? hold under the target your trying to shoot?

You got it! Bullseye guns and other target pistols are often setup so that the shooter simply holds the entire black circle of his target above his front sight. On a clock, that obviously would be at the six o'clock position and that's how the system got it's name. As an example, many bullseye shooters will zero their 1911's for a six o'clock hold on a six-inch circle at 50-yards or a 3-inch circle at 25-yards. This system works well in situations where you are shooting at known distances and the targets are always the smae size relative to a given distance. It starts falling a part in defensive situations though where target size and distance are variable and often not known.

Yup,

Same thing for the rear express sight. It sounds simple to rest the front sight on top of the shallow "V", but I found in practice...it is too easy to get off to one side and not realize it.

That is why I stuck with my Tru-Glo rear sight. I have many years experience "bracketing" the front sight in the notch of the rear, so I didn't want to "mess up" what I'd trained myself to do "automatically".

I really like the front sight...especially in low light conditions with use of a flashlight. Just a "little bit" of residual light on that big white dot really makes it stand out. To me, that is its greatest value.

As much as I wanted to like the XS system....it did not work for me. The best thing I ever did for my shooting was to first practice, and then get rid of those awful sights!

I completely agree that they are wonderful in low light conditions with a flashlight. I used mine in a night training class and it looked like a neon pie plate on the end of my gun.

I did shoot a 1911 9MM with the small XS dot and it was really nice.

Jason

G.C.Montgomery wrote:I'd suggest checking with some buddies...

already on the calender to go out with a work buddy who has some other night sights. I think some of the people on here can read minds!

jbirds1210 wrote:I did shoot a 1911 9MM with the small XS dot and it was really nice.

Jason

yea i think i will get the smaller one. like some others and i said in my original post i was expecting the "big dot" to be to big...