Thoughts on the XS Sight Systems

A

Astute Observer

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
78   0   0
Location
Calgary
Hey all, soliciting opinions here...

I'm looking to replace the sights on a Glock 48, and I'm considering XS sight systems.

Either of these two, the "Big Dot" or the "Standard Dot"...

Any thoughts on this system of aiming? The general consensus says it's faster, but I've seen different reviews on Youtube - some say it's less accurate than a traditional set of sights, others say it doesn't impact accuracy negatively.

https://www.xssights.com/DXTGlock43BigDot_it-1206136.aspx?CAT=8632
Yqr0UNZ.jpg

or
https://www.xssights.com/DXTGlock43StdDot_it-1206137.aspx?CAT=8632
Ljn4Ftd.jpg
 
Not a pistol guy... but, those are types of sights are an “express” type. Used for quick acquisition. Not for punching paper. If your practicing “defensive” shooting it’s the way to go. If your punching paper for groups I’d go with a different system.
 
I was wondering the same thing.

I realize that watching YouTube brings an American self defence aspect; whereas, we Canadians target shoot and are looking for marksmanship rather ringing steel targets at rapid speed.

Are these sights cheap or just not that easy to line up?

Thx
 
These come & go in popularity. Everyone I know who switched to them eventually went back to traditional sights, they are fine at close ranges on larger targets but at 15-20 yards you give up a LOT of accuracy. A wide rear notch with a thin front post is just as fast and can offer a lot more accuracy potential.
 
These are coarse sights designed for quick sight acquisition. If you are the match type that is obsessed with accuracy these are some of the worst options available.

They were designed to similar ends as the trijicon HD sights. Quick aquisition for practical usage. I personally prefer the HD but a buddy of mine has these on his g19 and 17 and is frighteningly quick with them.

Build quality they are built well.

Hope this helps.
 
Always wanted to try a set of XS sights, but the coarse aiming has kept me away. I like stretching the legs on pistols by shooting 50-100, and prefer fine front posts for that purpose. I've tried a ton of different sights on my Glocks, and have settled on the Trijicon HD XRs as a nice blend that gives quick acquisition and fairly precise aiming at distance.
 
Last edited:
diananike said:
I agree.
Not precise enough for harder shots.
And no faster than a nice set of conventional sights.
Get a set of night sights that have a nice wide rear and you'll be good to go.
Click to expand...

exactly, no good for shots needing accuracy at any distance and not any faster, as advertised, at speed pace. If they were any good you'd see the top shooters on the planet running them, they don't, for a reason.
 
I have them on ALL my pistols, but I believe they work the best on a Glock. The combination of the grip angle with the large front sight and shallow V rear sight equates to extremely fast target acquisition in my experience. I don't believe they are designed for professional target shooting, in fact it's quite possibly for the opposite, people who aren't that good of shooters or who don't have time or money to practise, but the concept of these sights is to get you instinctively on target FAST. Keyword being instinctively, as they kind of rewire your thought process about sight alignment in my opinion. I don't try to put a whole mag's worth of bullets through one hole at 100 paces like some, so I can't comment on their effectiveness for that application, though I have seen a video online of a guy "debunking" claims they weren't good for long range or accuracy, and his shooting was pretty impressive. Maybe he would have done as good or better with traditional sights, who knows. All I know is they work very well for me and the kind of non-competitive recreational shooting I do, and I am very guilty of listening to the whispers of the mag dumping encouraging voices in my head, and when I do I can also hear the ping of the steel plates I'm firing at so something must be working right. I am also a fan of these sight for a shotgun. YMMV.
 
Slavex said:
exactly, no good for shots needing accuracy at any distance and not any faster, as advertised, at speed pace. If they were any good you'd see the top shooters on the planet running them, they don't, for a reason.
Click to expand...

I thought top shooters these days are running red dots no?
 
I really like the XS sights. They are fast, and it just makes more sense to me that lining up two dots is faster and easier than three dots.

If you need to shoot with a high degree of accuracy, perhaps they take more effort and concentration than other systems, but it can be done. Just not the best for it.

I have a Small dot Express sight on my one 1911 that my wife likes to shoot...but she really dislikes the system, so back to a two-dot rear sight it goes.
 
The "non-tactical" versions with just a straight white line are OK for general use. i've made up a couple of my own on a sloped front sight with s very thin strip of Scotchlite white reflective tape. But as others have noted, the "Big Dot" ones are really a specialty item for close-range fast acquisition in self-defence scenarios.
 
yeah sure there are some running dots, but the best iron sight shooters, like maybe Eric Grauffel for instance, don't run those garbage sights, for a good reason, they suck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom