Night sights are pistol sights with small glowing vials, so you can still see the sights in dim light. The glow comes from tritium, a form of hydrogen that gives off weak radiation, and it fades over the years. Trijicon, a major maker, warrants its green lamps for 12 years of glow, and after that the dots dim enough that you will think about replacing them.
This post explains how night sights work, how long they last, what to think about before you buy a set, and what it costs to have a set installed at Lakeside Munitions. It is general information, not a recommendation for one brand.
What Night Sights Are and How They Work
A night sight is a normal iron sight with a tiny sealed glass tube set into it. The tube holds tritium gas, which makes it glow. Because the tritium gives off weak radiation all the time, the dot glows with no battery and no need to charge it in the light.
The glow does not light up your target. It only lets you find the sights in low light. In bright light you see the sight as you always do, and the dots are harder to notice.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says tritium has a half-life of 12.3 years. Half-life is the time it takes for half of the tritium to decay. That is why night sights dim as they age: there is less tritium left to make light.
How Long Do Night Sights Last?
Plan on about 12 years. Trijicon, a major maker, says on its warranty page that the green tritium lamps in its Bright & Tough, HD and DI night sights are warranted to glow for twelve years. Yellow rear lamps carry the same 12 years, and orange lamps carry 5.
The same page gives two points worth knowing:
- Fading is expected. Trijicon says gradual fading that follows the normal pattern is not covered by the warranty.
- Lamps can be replaced. It offers relamping for sights that are out of warranty if you request new lamps.
Because 12.3 years is the half-life, a set at that age gives off roughly half the light it did when new. That is our math from the half-life figure, not a statement from a maker. The sights do not stop working at 12 years. They fade, and you decide when they are too dim for you.
Trijicon also says many of its products contain tritium and fall under Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules, so only the company may take its sights apart. If a night sight fades, do not try to open it. Get a new set or ask about relamping with the maker.
What to Ask Before You Buy Night Sights
Not every set fits every gun. Before you spend money, check these.
- Does the set fit your exact gun? Sights are made for specific guns. The seller or the maker’s fit list will tell you if a set is made for yours.
- What color are the lamps? Trijicon’s warranty page lists green lamps at 12 years of glow, and orange rear lamps at 5. Colors can change how long the glow is warranted, so ask.
- Front only, or front and rear? A glowing front dot only is simple. A set with glowing rear dots too gives you a full line of dots to line up. Which one you like is a personal call, so look at a few if you can.
- Fixed or adjustable? Many handgun sights are fixed, so you move them by drifting, not by turning a screw. See how to adjust iron sights for how the direction rule works.
- How old is the set? Tritium starts fading the day it is made. Ask when a set was made, and look at the date on the packaging if it has one.
Use caution with a used or very old set. If the vials are well past the 12-year mark, expect them to be dim.
Can Lakeside Install Night Sights?
The short answer is that sight installs are on our posted list. Lakeside’s posted gunsmithing price list has a Handgun Sight Install at $40. Night sights are handgun sights, so that is the line that applies. The list has no separate line for night sights, so call or walk in with your gun and the sights to confirm they fit the job before you count on it.
A few details from the gunsmithing page:
- Posted prices are for a firearm in factory condition. If other changes have been made to the gun, we look at the job first, and the cost may vary.
- If you buy an item from Lakeside Munitions, we install it for free.
- The work is light. We do not do complex machining or permanent structural changes. If your slide would need to be cut to fit a new sight, ask before you buy, because that is the kind of job that may not be done here.
- Gunsmithing is walk-in, no appointment needed, and the work is done at the shop, not shipped out.
If you would like to know what is on the shelf, ask the counter. We do not list specific sights on this page.
After the Install: Check Where It Shoots
New sights can shoot to a different spot than the old ones. Do not assume the gun is on target the day you pick it up. Make a trip to the range part of the plan, and bring enough ammunition for a few groups.
Fire a small group at a distance you trust. The Army’s rifle manual, TC 3-22.9, says shooters should show they can group tightly first, and that sight changes are made from the center of the group, not from a single stray shot. That is a rifle manual, but the idea carries over: shoot a group, find its center, then move the sight. The move itself follows the direction rule in how to adjust iron sights.
Are Night Sights Worth It, and What Next?
That depends on how you use the gun. A set costs money and adds a part you may have to replace someday, so it helps to know why you want one. If you shoot in dim light, or keep a pistol for use in the dark, a glowing dot helps you find the sights fast. If you shoot mostly in daylight at a range, you may never notice them.
Weigh the cost against how you use the gun, and remember the clock: the glow fades, and a set bought today is at about half strength in roughly 12 years.
Next step. If you have a set in mind and want to know if it can go on your gun, bring both in, or call first. See the gunsmithing page for the price list and the rules for what we take on. You can also send a message with your gun and the sights you are looking at. We are at 211 Atlanta Rd in Cumming, open Tuesday through Friday 10 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 5.
