Tritium night sights are unarguably the most popular aftermarket pistol accessory of the 90s, and Trijicon is the biggest name in tritium self-luminous sights. These sights work by using tritium, a radioactive substance that provides the energy source for producing the glowing effect. They are self-contained and do not require to be exposed to light before use. The typical service life of the Trijicon Night Sights is about 10 years.

Using a patented design, Trijicon night sights are the brightest night sights on the market. They are available in green only.

The HK USP was the first pistol designed for the Trijicon round sight assembly, thus the factory drilled holes that hold the existing white rods in place are compatible with Trijicon insert model HK01, which is a 3-dot set. Installation is a matter of having your gunsmith replace the existing white rods in the sight blades with the self luminous Trijicon sight assemblies.

Full replacement sights are available as well. Model HK06 is the full replacement sight for the USP, Model HK05 is for the P7 with short rear dovetail, and Model Hk04 for the P7 with long rear dovetail. All are 3-dot sets.

Models HK03 and HK02 are front posts for all HK rifles, carbines, and sub-machine guns.

Trijicon night sights comply with ANSI-N540 for leak testing. According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it would take the simultaneous rupture of 10,000 Trijicon night sight assemblies in a 10ft x 10ft room to potentially constitute a radiation health hazard.

My Take on Night Sights

In general, anything that will help you see better at night increases your odds in a self-defense situation. However, there appears to be a phenomenon where glow-in-the-dark sights often cause the shooter to concentrate more on the sights than the target in a low light situation. In fact, many defense related firearms instructors say that the untrained shooter responds more quickly with standard sights than with self-luminous sights in a low light situation. However, with proper training, research indicates that self-luminous sights are every bit as fast as conventional sights but are five times more accurate!

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