Sight options USP9

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Rohann

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Hi folks,

So: Trijicon, Meprolight, or fiber optic?

Trijicon is pretty expensive. Meprolight is considerably more affordable by comparison. Essentially looking for something that will work in the dark, as I think it's not responsible to even entertain the idea of employing something in a defensive situation if one can't see the sights.
 
Trijicon HD but my personal choice is the one with tritium on the front sight only.

I think Truglo has a tritium/FO combo. That has merit for both day and low light use. I've never tried it myself though.

Bear in mind the thicker the front sight post to accommodate the tritium vial and FO, the more the gun is suited for defensive purposes than pure accuracy at longer distances. At least in my experience. YMMV.
 
Good point. I have sharp eyesight at closer distances so I'd likely not need a large front sight post.

Trijicon would be my go-to but at around $200 it's pretty pricey considering they're irons.
 
Nobody needs a wide front sight post. Unfortunately it is what it is to accommodate the tritium and FO elements. Especially the tritium vial. You can get very slim FO only sights like Dawson Precision but they are useless without a light source.

Trijicon is still the standard imo for Pistol tritium sights. They do last a long time. About 12-15 years in my experience.
 
There is a limit to how small you make the front tritium sight. The smaller the vial, the less the perceived glow for some people. Most defensive use tritium front sights are quite wide due to the big tritium vial, like the HD ones. So you can pick them up fast in poor light.
 
Still trying to figure out what the ideal combo is -- handheld light, WML and nightsights, or if I should bother with this route at all or just keep a shorter shotgun around.

If the former, I certainly understand the benefits of a handheld light, so I'm unsure how useful a WML is especially since it's not like we have CCW here.
 
The one bad thing about a WML is you may end up pointing a firearm, loaded or not, at something/someone you may not want to point a gun at.

The bad thing about a hand held is you need to get it and the gun and you need 2 hands to operate. There is also a high chance that you are shooting one handed unless you practice the Chapman technique, which needs a fairly small light to do properly.

If you don’t use a flashlight, at least get tritium sights but have some means of target identification. If you dedicate yourself to a flashlight, be it WML or hand held, your stock sights may do as they are nicely outlined when your flashlight is on. But if you practice in the intermittent on/off light technique, you may still want tritiums.
 
Still alive said:
The one bad thing about a WML is you may end up pointing a firearm, loaded or not, at something/someone you may not want to point a gun at.

The bad thing about a hand held is you need to get it and the gun and you need 2 hands to operate. There is also a high chance that you are shooting one handed unless you practice the Chapman technique, which needs a fairly small light to do properly.

If you don’t use a flashlight, at least get tritium sights but have some means of target identification. If you dedicate yourself to a flashlight, be it WML or hand held, your stock sights may do as they are nicely outlined when your flashlight is on. But if you practice in the intermittent on/off light technique, you may still want tritiums.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. Given the fact that I'll (probably) never be shooting in twilight or in the dark outside, it may not be necessary. I'll experiment with the sights and a flashlight while it's dark. Has anyone tried glow in the dark paint?
 
Luminescent paint works to an extent. The problem is the glow isn’t sharp. It also needs light activation which means you need a light source nearby, preferably a high intensity light. It can take a while for the paint to activate. In your situation, turning on a bedside light and holding your gun under it to activate the paint isn’t an ideal scenario! Depending on the paint, you can light it up before you go to bed, store it and hope it stays glowing for the night. You would have to do this every night. For what it’s worth, tritium is more predictable.
 
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Trijicon HD for a general use iron sight. I've got them on my USP-SD on the right (Glock 19 with Ameriglo on the left).
 
Since you said defensive use I'm assuming you're thinking in your home, static position to defend family, and not trying some solo house clearing foolishness. In that case, ditch the idea of a pistol and get a reliable shotgun. Reasons as follows:

1) Properly loaded at close range they have significantly more stopping power than a handgun.
2) Properly loaded there is less over-penetration concern.
3) Faster into action if following all storage laws. This will matter, ask Gerald Stanley.

If you're dead set on using the USP in a potentially life threatening scenario, why cheap out on the tools that will let you use it effectively? You generally get what you pay for, so spend the money on the Trijicons. $200 will be a drop in the bucket compared to the legal fees anyways.
 
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