Picking your Perfect Co-Witness Sights

Whether it’s Costa Ludus, Optics Ready Stealth, or Suppressor Height, Night Fision has sights that work well with most pistol/optics combination. Once you determine whether you want a very low co-witness, a lower 1/3, or an absolute co-witness, its time to shop for sights that accomplish that.

With the large variety of after-market slides available for Glocks and now more frequently Sig Sauer P320’s, we at Night Fision see a variety of depths to which there is a cut, or mill, into the slide for the optic. Because the depth is not universal, it’s important to measure how deep down off the topline, or top-strap, the cut goes. Knowing your milling depth is one of three measurements that help you better shop for the perfect sights. Some business will let you know to what depth they mill for optic cuts if you’re sending your slide to be cut.

Top: A Sig Sauer P320 style slide with a Sig Romeo optic directly mounted to the slide. Above: A Sig Sauer P320 slide with a Leupold Delta Point Pro optic mounted with a slim adaptor plate. 

The next element isn’t always present, but can influence how high your optic sits: a plate. Just like the myriad of slide options there are a number of plates on the market to help better mount your optic to your slide of choice. A thicker slide will push your optic higher up, and thinner plate (such as a sealing plate) will effect the height the optic is pushed upwards less. Many reputable plate manufacturers can accurately tell you the thickness of your plate.

Finally, the most obvious element? The optic. As optics become more common, more companies are producing pistol optics. The section of the optic you should measure is the rear section, which for most optics is where the battery is housed.

Above: A few of the most popular optics we hear being paired with our sights. Swampfox Sential, Trijicon RMR, Holosun 507c, and Leupold Delta Point Pro. 

While the battery housing is fairly similar in height on the Holosun and Trijicon optics, the Leupold Delta Point Pro has more height in the back. If you have a Delta Point Pro, it’s generally found that you’ll need Suppressor Height to make it over the tall battery housing at the rear for a co-witness.

So what do you do with all these measurements? Well if you take your Optic height, add in any plate thickness if you have one, and then subtract you milling depth, you should have an approximate number of the height at which you optic sits above the top-strap of your pistol. If you search for blade heights that are *just* over that number, they will more than likely be a low co-witness like our Costa Ludus sights are sitting at. With a number much greater than the optic height sum, it’s likely they will sit similar to Suppressor Height.

This guide is meant to help you better choose your favorite new sights. Arming yourself with information, measurements especially, can greatly help you shop, or help us do our best to suggest an ideal set of sights for your needs.

Optics Ready Stealth Series VS Suppressor Height Sights

What’s the Difference between the new Optics Ready Stealth Series and Suppressor Height sights?

(Glock 17 MOS with Trijicon RMR)

Since Night Fision launched the Optics Ready Stealth Series, many customers have inquired about the difference between these and the original suppressor height sights. While both were designed to be taller than the OEM replacement height sights, they do still have their differences.

Allow us to explain…

Suppressor Height Sights

(Glock 17 MOS with Trijicon RMR)

Night Fision’s Suppressor Height sights are taller versions of the regular height, OEM replacement sights. Our suppressor heights come with our patented Perfect Dot ring around the tritium in the front sight.

These sights are tall enough to aid in shooting with a suppressor on your pistol. They were originally designed to be a lower 1/3 co-witness, although many red dot optics are evolving by shrinking in size. Consequently, with some of the slimmer optics models, these sights may provide some interference in the red dot window.

(Glock 17 MOS with Trijicon RMR)

The Stealth Series

(Glock 17 MOS with Trijicon RMR)

Night Fision’s Stealth Series was created to provide shooters using red dots with a non-distracting, lower 1/3 co-witness with most leading optics. The goal here is to simultaneously provide the shooter a top-notch tritium backup sight picture without interfering with the primary optic’s red dot reticle.

In order to achieve this, we established a number of key feature changes:

• Domed Lenses – Night Fision’s new patented domed lenses are on the entire system to achieve a superior tritium appearance.

• Shorter Height – Th overall heights just barely reach over the top of the red dot battery box and will not distract the shooter from the red dot window.

• Machined Serrations – Serrations  on both the front and rear sights to reduce glare which is distracting when focusing on the target.

• Wider Rear Notch – the wider notch in the rear sight allows more daylight around the front sight and ultimately, faster target acquisition.

• Set Screw – The addition of a set screw improves the ease of self-installation.

(Glock 17 MOS with Trijicon RMR)

Sight configurations are a highly personal selection process. Night Fision’s goal is to provide enough options for its customers to successfully find what works best for their own eyes and shooting style.

(Glock Sights Order: OEM Height, Stealth Series, Suppressor Height)

Canik Pistol Review

Check out this article written by Student of the Gun’s Paul Markel about the latest Canik pistols:

Expert Review

I received two sets of Glock front and rear sights one green, one red and the AR-15 front sight. I threw the set of red on a Glock 45 gen 5, and the green on a Glock 26 gen 4. Installation of the sights was just as easy as you would think with a standard rear sight pusher and front sight tool taking less than two minutes per. The AR-15 style sight is compatible with AR-15 and AR-10 front sight posts. This was also very easy to install using a standard front sight tool. Walking the old blacked out one out throwing it in the trash and installing this bright tritium green front sight. This sight was on a basic build that I would use for the heavy Pacific Northwest weather (heavy rain) and jungle environment focused. That being said red dots and variable optics take a beating with all the rain and brush getting moisture in all the areas you don’t want it. Having reliable, accurate, and easy to see at night sights are a must in these conditions. The perfect dot provided easily better visibility in daylight operations as well as night. Turning a gun that would have been otherwise difficult to use for a go to AR. My primary EDC is a Glock 45 gen 5, and back up is a Glock 26 gen 4. I made sure I went to the range after swapping the sights to see how easy it is to acquire these tritium sights. Having tight groups at 25m with little effort on having to shift focal plane from sight to target because of the clarity of these sights. Asking the range officer if I can turn off the lights and keep a background light on the target to test these sights out at night was a must. To my dismay I had a tighter group focusing on a black circle with these sights than when I had the lights on. I believe this was due to the fact I was very confident in my ability to acquire these sights coming from concealment and getting a quick snap shot sight picture. These two pistols will be my primary carries for a long time to come due to the fact I can shoot them just as good during the day and night. I have full confidence in this manufacturer to continue to make great products. My only recommendation would be to make sights similar to the AR-15 for the AK-47 as well. Having been in multiple countries with AK’s as primary weapons, having a set of sights, and an AK front sight tool to switch them would be way more ideal than trying to fit it with a rail and an optic.

-Brent

Background:

Ten years in the United States Army serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and having held several positions including, Sniper, Sniper Team Leader, Weapons Instructor, Designated Marksmanship Instructor, Concealed Carry Instructor, and Night Vision Instructor. Also having five years in the tactical industry ranging from nylon to manufacturing of parts and full weapons systems.

The Night Switch – Tritium Safety Selector

The Night Switch is the first of its kind tritium safety selector lever for the AR-15 platform. Many people have asked what the purpose is for a product like this. Student of the Gun’s Paul Markel put together a great post on the Night Switch. See this post here:

https://www.studentofthegun.com/articles/guns-gear/night-fision-night-switch-what-why/

1911

On March 29, 1911, the greatest fighting pistol ever to be issued was officially adopted by the United States military. The M1911 or Government model has fought in every single conflict that our men have participated in for over 100 years. Currently the U.S Marine Corps issues an updated model 1911 called a M45A1. The pistol has been knocked off or built under license in countries ranging from Philippines to Norway. The Philippines still makes them the same way Colt engineers showed them how to in the 1920’s.

Fifteen or so years ago I acquired a stainless Springfield G.I. grade 1911 made by Imbel in Brazil. This gun now has 25000 rounds or so through it and various configurations. I have owned over 100 other 1911 pistols but this one will always stay with me. I run the old piece in an OWB leather Galco rig. I expect I will carry this gun on and off until the day I depart this earth.

Since I love these pistols so much, I have been wanting to get a 1911 project going at Night Fision. Two things happened that helped make this a reality. Night Fision has recently begun shipping Perfect Dot sights using Novak bodies. If you carry a quality 1911, more than likely the cut on your slide was developed by Wayne Novak. These sites are built like a tank and Novak makes them the best. 1911 shooters can now purchase Novak cut sights and reap the benefits of our advanced tritium insertion technology. I can now get Perfect Dot sights on my 1911 and my Browning Hi Power.

The Colt 1911 has been around now longer than anyone has been alive. With a million or so sold every year this pistol isn’t going anywhere. If you have a 1911, do yourself a favor and put a set of Night Fision Novak Perfect Dot sights on it.

-Jacob Herman

Where Did Night Fision’s Name Come From?

Night Vision – Quite simply, is the ability to see in low-light conditions.

In nuclear chemistry and physics, nuclear fission is either a nuclear reaction or a radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts.

Tritium is an uncommon product of the nuclear fission of plutonium-235, uranium-235, and uranium-233.

Night Vision + Nuclear Fission = Night Fision

Night Fision brings over 25 years of manufacturing experience with Tritium to the firearms industry.

Night Fision sights pack 30% more Tritium into every sight so you are prepared for any lighting scenario.