Without question, the speed with which LE agencies have adopted optics is testament to the advantage they offer: more visual information that yields better decisions. It’s no surprise that optic window size is a major part of the selection process. But often, there is less attention paid to the co-witness sights that can sometimes occupy half of the entire optic window.

Suppressor height sights are often still paired with optics. To understand why the suppressor height sight is still often front of mind when choosing co-witnessing sights, we have to rewind to when shooters—both professional and non-professional—started taking what was a solution for CQB rifle work and using it on pistols. Around 2009 the Trijicon® RMR™ started to show up on pistols. The little electronic optic was a great solution to the larger optics seen on competition pistols (optics on handguns is absolutely not a “new” thing–but durable, compact optics were), and more durable in some ways than the options at the time. The smaller footprint meant more holster options, less to get caught on while in the field, and a less delicate window and housing. So many of the complaints addressed for professional use, the firearms community began to move towards an optics sighting solution, led by individuals in the military, LE, defensive firearms instruction, and competition professionals. Performance increased, accuracy and speed developed sooner with new shooters, the intuitive and instinctual focal plane response to stress no longer needed to be trained out—and instead, the threat-focus could now be an asset used by Firearms Instructors working with students who had optics on their pistols.

As optics popularity grew, the aftermarket and firearms manufacturers responded with support for this “new” sighting system.  However, one vital piece to the system was left by the wayside: the back-up sights.