I have had 2 sets for a while on glocks and the dots are quicker for me. But for accuracy the tip of that front diamond works great for shooting at distances.
Speed Sights - for real or gimmick?
okay, everybody in the PPQ forum seems to love these, so i thought i'd give them a chance. well, not everybody; nothing is unanimous, but you know what i mean...
i got the green front with tritium on both front and back. out of the box, that green front sight looks gigantic. once you push the gun out to arm's length, though, it's not an issue. i don't know if it would necessitate a new holster.
i didn't know what to expect on aim, so my first mags were a bit...fluid, shall we say. i assumed i should focus on the top point of the diamond on the front sight. problem is, i was worried about lining things up with my peripheral vision. lining up traditional sights is easy, since you just line up the tops of the front and rear blades, and you're only concerned with one dimension - horizontal. to line these up, you have to be aware of the alignment that is both to the side AND down. so, of course, i start overthinking this and my brain goes into overdrive: "okay, focus on the tip. no no, line up the diamonds...the tip is coming off target...WHAT ARE YOU DOING? line 'em up!...STAY ON TARGET...no, look left, LEFT...c'mon, FOCUS!...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?...crap. just forget it. let's go get a beer".
stoopid brain.
after two mags, i noticed my focus was starting to shift. i was looking more at the center of the front diamond. that helped me a lot with the alignment. i could still put the top point of the diamond on the center of the target. doing that, my third mag was pretty good. good enough to be encouraging. ran out of time and had to leave.
day two - naturally came back to that 'center of the diamond' focus. the speed sights feel more normal now. shot a hole in the paper at 7 yards with 13/15 in the red. i've never done that before. at 10 yards i'm putting 11/15 in the red. this is pretty lame for the majority of you, but again, it's a new best for me. one real flier on the 15 yard target, but the other 14 still would have been center mass. had to leave after a short time again, but i walked out saying "holy cow".
tritium is fine. gave it the dark closet test; no problems there. good visibility.
one thing i think someone else noted - they're not the best in low light. specifically, when there's no backlighting. i turned the lights in the great room on, and the kitchen lights off, and stood in the kitchen dry firing with all the light in front of me and none behind me. the diamonds disappear. now you have to line the tip of the front diamond with the rear sight, but the rear doesn't have two pointy topped diamonds; they are flat on top. so instead of lining up three 'doghouses', which wouldn't be so bad, you line up a point and two flat spots on either side. i think this will take some practice. it's a different look in low light from regular sights. i'm going to need to work on this.
so do i like these? you betcha. a lot. i was feeling comfortable with them the second day out. i was shooting better than my old sights. these things are easier to see and therefore easier to aim and shoot than the Meps i had on this gun. and they seem more precise. there's a learning curve to them, but if i can show improvement in two days, anyone can. next time i get to the range i'm gonna turn off the lights in my station and work on the 'dark' scenario. still, next week i'm gonna order some for my Sig P365.
okay, enough. me an' my brain are going for a beer...
i got the green front with tritium on both front and back. out of the box, that green front sight looks gigantic. once you push the gun out to arm's length, though, it's not an issue. i don't know if it would necessitate a new holster.
i didn't know what to expect on aim, so my first mags were a bit...fluid, shall we say. i assumed i should focus on the top point of the diamond on the front sight. problem is, i was worried about lining things up with my peripheral vision. lining up traditional sights is easy, since you just line up the tops of the front and rear blades, and you're only concerned with one dimension - horizontal. to line these up, you have to be aware of the alignment that is both to the side AND down. so, of course, i start overthinking this and my brain goes into overdrive: "okay, focus on the tip. no no, line up the diamonds...the tip is coming off target...WHAT ARE YOU DOING? line 'em up!...STAY ON TARGET...no, look left, LEFT...c'mon, FOCUS!...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?...crap. just forget it. let's go get a beer".
stoopid brain.
after two mags, i noticed my focus was starting to shift. i was looking more at the center of the front diamond. that helped me a lot with the alignment. i could still put the top point of the diamond on the center of the target. doing that, my third mag was pretty good. good enough to be encouraging. ran out of time and had to leave.
day two - naturally came back to that 'center of the diamond' focus. the speed sights feel more normal now. shot a hole in the paper at 7 yards with 13/15 in the red. i've never done that before. at 10 yards i'm putting 11/15 in the red. this is pretty lame for the majority of you, but again, it's a new best for me. one real flier on the 15 yard target, but the other 14 still would have been center mass. had to leave after a short time again, but i walked out saying "holy cow".
tritium is fine. gave it the dark closet test; no problems there. good visibility.
one thing i think someone else noted - they're not the best in low light. specifically, when there's no backlighting. i turned the lights in the great room on, and the kitchen lights off, and stood in the kitchen dry firing with all the light in front of me and none behind me. the diamonds disappear. now you have to line the tip of the front diamond with the rear sight, but the rear doesn't have two pointy topped diamonds; they are flat on top. so instead of lining up three 'doghouses', which wouldn't be so bad, you line up a point and two flat spots on either side. i think this will take some practice. it's a different look in low light from regular sights. i'm going to need to work on this.
so do i like these? you betcha. a lot. i was feeling comfortable with them the second day out. i was shooting better than my old sights. these things are easier to see and therefore easier to aim and shoot than the Meps i had on this gun. and they seem more precise. there's a learning curve to them, but if i can show improvement in two days, anyone can. next time i get to the range i'm gonna turn off the lights in my station and work on the 'dark' scenario. still, next week i'm gonna order some for my Sig P365.
okay, enough. me an' my brain are going for a beer...
1 - 20 of 24 Posts
Cover the target or not?
Just put a set of Speed Sights on my M2 45 and only had chance to fire half a mag off back porch at a box out in yard. Sighted at emblem in center of box and all rounds grouped way low.
Do you guys cover the center of the target with the front sight? Hoping to get more time in today or tomorrow while wx eases up.
Just put a set of Speed Sights on my M2 45 and only had chance to fire half a mag off back porch at a box out in yard. Sighted at emblem in center of box and all rounds grouped way low.
Do you guys cover the center of the target with the front sight? Hoping to get more time in today or tomorrow while wx eases up.
I have had 2 sets for a while on glocks and the dots are quicker for me. But for accuracy the tip of that front diamond works great for shooting at distances.
interesting. i haven't shot them enough to compare speeds yet. but i have noticed i'm getting quicker with these as i adjust to them. i'll keep track of that and compare when i have some more time with these sights; right now, they're already much more accurate than what i was shooting
Just put a set of Speed Sights on my M2 45 and only had chance to fire half a mag off back porch at a box out in yard. Sighted at emblem in center of box and all rounds grouped way low.
Do you guys cover the center of the target with the front sight? Hoping to get more time in today or tomorrow while wx eases up.
the very top tip of the center diamond goes directly on the point you want to hit. it's sight picture #2, basically. and you have to line the three diamonds up.
like that. how far were you shooting?
No gimmick. The three diamonds take the traditional three dot system and add a top finer aiming point as well as more precise alignment points. This system is long overdue.
SpeedSights are for real, the one issue with them has nothing to do with the sight but With the shooter. Normal 3 dot sight picture of the 3 dots in alignment horizontally and the front sight centered on the bullseye is different than SpeedSights. SpeedSights are designed for the 3 diamonds to be aligned horizontally but the top point of the front diamond centered on the middle of the bullseye. Giving you an unobstructed view in obscured by the front sight. As far as shooting “way”, low keep 2 things in mind, most guns are designed to have the sights accurate at 25 yards, most of us shoot at 10 or less. Bullet impact will be low at less than 25 yards. The other thing I am often guilty of is not keeping the sights level with my eyes. I sometimes let the gun droop when I’m tired which throws my sight picture off..
Hope this helps, I do highly recommend SpeedSights they do make a difference.
Hope this helps, I do highly recommend SpeedSights they do make a difference.
Wow in the time it took me to write the above post Mystro posted a better one.
Well done.
Well done.
We hit the same nail on the head.Wow in the time it took me to write the above post Mystro posted a better one.
Well done.
I think part of the reason i am quicker with the dots now is my eyes are getting older (54) and the 2 little diamonds tips on the rear that line up with the front post is out of focus me. I have some .50 reading saftey glasses coming in just for this reason. .50 is stronger than i wanted but for testing it will do the job of bringing a little better focus on rear diamond i think. I like these sights a lot and i am glad we can get them for the PPQ now. I think the PPQ would be incredibly accurate with speed sights.interesting. i haven't shot them enough to compare speeds yet. but i have noticed i'm getting quicker with these as i adjust to them. i'll keep track of that and compare when i have some more time with these sights; right now, they're already much more accurate than what i was shooting
I think part of the reason i am quicker with the dots now is my eyes are getting older (54) and the 2 little diamonds tips on the rear that line up with the front post is out of focus me. I have some .50 reading saftey glasses coming in just for this reason. .50 is stronger than i wanted but for testing it will do the job of bringing a little better focus on rear diamond i think. I like these sights a lot and i am glad we can get them for the PPQ now. I think the PPQ would be incredibly accurate with speed sights.
i'm 64 and wear bifocals. getting the 'feel' of these might take a little time, but i'm convinced they're worth it. i don't have a problem lining things up now
the very top tip of the center diamond goes directly on the point you want to hit. it's sight picture #2, basically. and you have to line the three diamonds up.
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like that. how far were you shooting?
BTW, I was using light reloads and that may have contributed to the first few being low at the longer range. It was about 15-20 yards. Today I had chance to run a couple boxes thru the 45 at my usual distance of 7-8 yards and it grouped right at POA. Seemed much easier on my old eyes, no more probs aligning up front between slot in the rear. I like it a lot.
BTW, I was using light reloads and that may have contributed to the first few being low at the longer range. It was about 15-20 yards. Today I had chance to run a couple boxes thru the 45 at my usual distance of 7-8 yards and it grouped right at POA. Seemed much easier on my old eyes, no more probs aligning up front between slot in the rear. I like it a lot.
you don't know 'old', whippersnapper. enjoy the gun...
you don't know 'old', whippersnapper. enjoy the gun...
LOL, how about 84, pushing 85?
if you're 84, then i bet you LOVE how big these diamonds are. LOL
I think part of the reason i am quicker with the dots now is my eyes are getting older (54) and the 2 little diamonds tips on the rear that line up with the front post is out of focus me. I have some .50 reading saftey glasses coming in just for this reason. .50 is stronger than i wanted but for testing it will do the job of bringing a little better focus on rear diamond i think. I like these sights a lot and i am glad we can get them for the PPQ now. I think the PPQ would be incredibly accurate with speed sights.
You’re still a baby, there is hope in the future. I am 73 and will have cataract surgery tomorrow, I’ve been using these sights for about 6 months with good results. One of the great things about these sights is that it is so easy to align the rear. Many guns have 3 dot sights with a very wide gap between the rear sight posts so you have to make sure the sights in line and the gaps are equal. The SpeedSights have almost no gap, all you pay attention to is the points of the diamonds. Basically if you can see 3 complete diamonds aligned vertically you’re good to go. No need to equalize the gap, if you can see the diamond of the front sight it is centered.
Keep the faith my friend, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Smoke & Caine: I do love the larger sights and have to use my left eye, which is 20/20, right eye is not so good, although both had cataracts removed 3 years ago. Grateful for what I have and still enjoying life. lol
Like you I am right handed and left eye dominant. Just had cataract surgery on my left eye yesterday so that could change in the future. A little trick I learned to help with that the problem of double vision shooting cross eyed, is to position your body so you can turn your head slightly to the right. When shooting with both eyes open the bridge of your nose will block out your the input or the right eye making it much easier to eliminate the double vision. Of course this doesn’t help with long guns, I don’t even bother with iron sights on rifles going with red dots on my CZ Scorpion and 4x scope on my AR 15.Smoke & Caine: I do love the larger sights and have to use my left eye, which is 20/20, right eye is not so good, although both had cataracts removed 3 years ago. Grateful for what I have and still enjoying life. lol
Its going to be interesting to see if I after the right eye is done I revert back to being right eye dominant.
Thanks for the great post! I just received my speed sights in the mail today...
Were they easy to install yourself?
Were they easy to install yourself?
For all those who have trouble seeing the sights these are shooting glasses with the bifocal on top. The link below is for the manufacturer but the glasses are available on Amazon.
http://https://sspeyewear.com/collections/bifocal-tactical
If this link doesn’t work the site is SSP Eyeware.
http://https://sspeyewear.com/collections/bifocal-tactical
If this link doesn’t work the site is SSP Eyeware.
1 - 20 of 24 Posts
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