Fiber Optic Sights

[dross]

Just bought a pistol: CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow CUSTOM 9mm 3-18 Rd Mags *NEW* : Semi Auto Pistols at GunBroker.com

It has fiber optic sights. Are these durable? They look so vulnerable. Should I replace them or do I worry too much?

 

[wtburnette]

Tagging for interest. I'm considering putting a FO front sight on my CZ 75B, so I'm curious what thoughts are posted.

 

[AllenM]

The sight will be plenty durable enough and the rods are cheap and replaceable.
I dont care for them much for shooting for accuracy...... only because it takes away from being able to focus on the top edge of the sight. But if you are shooting outdoors and want to speed up your shooting it is much quicker to pick up on the fly.
Unless you plan on doing bullseye shooting I would leave it in.

 

[Grelber]

I have Dawson fiber optic front sights (the smaller diameter and probably most fragile version) on my guns and I keep a cut to length piece of fiber and a cigarette lighter in my range bag.

When one breaks (rarely but it does happen), no big deal, finish what you are doing by just using the sight without the fiber and then it is a 2 or 3 minute fix to install a new piece.

Mine will get dull after a while from powder residue & cleaning oils & etc so my plan is to swap them out as a maintenance thing.
The gunsmith article contributor for Front Sight magazine (USPSA) wrote a bit about care and feeding of different sight systems in the latest issue, he recommended replacing f/o to get maximum effect before going to an important match and explained why they can get dull over time. Given that the fix is very cheap and very easy I thought it sounded like good advice.

All that said, a lot of folks will probably never mess with them and not have any problems.

 

[davedolli]

They are great for 65 year old eyes!

Dave

 

[croy]

I've seen several fall out, I probably wouldn't put them on a carry gun over a set of trijicons. They would be great for competition shooting.

 

[IndyGlockMan]

FO sights are great outside in the sun or even partial sun
However, some can be hard to see in a dark indoor shooting range. Especially red.
I had a G34 with Warren sights (red) and they stunk indoors.
Green or yellow may be more suitable.

 

[jonjon]

I like it on my Springfield mod 2 it's just on the front

 

[Cowboy1629]

My competition guns have fiber optic sights. I have a couple of Glocks with the TFO's that have held up well for carry. I'm not so sure I would want the exposed FO on a carry gun because they do become brittle with age.

 

[blueboxer]

My two cents, from a guy who uses blacked out rears and fiber fronts on all his guns. Fibers are awesome for shooting fast, and they are cheap. Personally I have not had a rod break, but I have had rods become dull from powder or cleaning solvents as others have mentioned and I replaced them at that point. Be careful with the solvents you use, as some can bubble or warp the rod. To protect the front rod I have either used 10-8 sights which have three metal bands over top of the rod, or dawson sights that sit the rod halfway down into the metal base. Both have been great. Particularly with the 10-8 sights, whenever they get dirty or loose and I go to replace them it takes WAY more effort to remove the rod than I thought. They will be quite secure in those formats if you install the rod properly.

Pro tip on fibers: if you run a green one and a light for home defense it will actually be more visible than tritium since tritium is overwhelmed by the bright weapon light while the fiber catches backlighting. Try it.


I have the same shadow by the way, but all black Great pick!

 

[throttletony]

I have Dawson fiber optic front sights (the smaller diameter and probably most fragile version) on my guns and I keep a cut to length piece of fiber and a cigarette lighter in my range bag.

When one breaks (rarely but it does happen), no big deal, finish what you are doing by just using the sight without the fiber and then it is a 2 or 3 minute fix to install a new piece.

Mine will get dull after a while from powder residue & cleaning oils & etc so my plan is to swap them out as a maintenance thing.
The gunsmith article contributor for Front Sight magazine (USPSA) wrote a bit about care and feeding of different sight systems in the latest issue, he recommended replacing f/o to get maximum effect before going to an important match and explained why they can get dull over time. Given that the fix is very cheap and very easy I thought it sounded like good advice.

All that said, a lot of folks will probably never mess with them and not have any problems.

^^ this^^
Depending on exactly which fiber optic it is, they are generally very serviceable in the event that they break. I love them for the quick acquisition and brightness. I have a set of Hi-viz (brand) on my Ruger GP100 and the "light pipes" (fiber optic rods) are pre-cut and have a barb detent ring that a little spring holds tight and can be switched in a matter of seconds if one breaks. Other ones, like the Dawsons mentioned above, can be ineserted and then melted to fit/stay. Either way, if you prefer the speed of running fiberoptics, leave em on.

What would you potentially switch them out for?