Faded Night Sights or What is Tritium, Solid or Gas?

[BrianSH]

As the night sights dim into obscurity on my G26 from age, I was wondering about the tritium vials embedded within the sights. Is the tritium a liquid, or gas? - Brian

[jhrosier]

tritium is a gas.

[BrianSH]

Thank you. - Brian

[Booger Bill]

I dont know but I have this Lew Horton one of three hundred S&W 66-3 that has the Tritium front sight. It long ago has lost it`s glow. I worked 32 out of 35 years on graveyard as a guard. It made a lot of sense back then. I never sent the sight to be refreshed or whatever or however they do it as I am long retired. On this one I could probably knock the site out of the dovetail and see if they could recharge or replace it. I just never got to it but now you have me thinking.

[7.62 Precision]

I know some stuff about night sights if you ever need some advice on them.

[AJMD429]

Just don't break the vial, as I believe the substance itself is toxic if inhaled/ingested, due to emitting beta particles. Fortunately the half-life is short enough and 'hydrogen' is eliminated rapidly enough from the body, that it is nowhere as dangerous as other beta emitters.

[mohavesam]

Tritium is a gas. A radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Let's go back to 8th grade science class...
Tritium decays and in the process releases energy, noticeably the light emitted by looking into the end or lens of a small glass tube. It has a half-life of approx 12.3 years, which to the shooter simply means that the brightness decreases by half in twelve years.

This is why you can buy a "police trade-in" gun with Tritium sights that are "dead" insofar as useable brightness - they're past the useful life of the gas and must be replaced (or simply painted & used as iron sights).

[Booger Bill]

The best night sight I ever seen was at a gun show many years ago. The guy that made them had a table set up with a dark blacked out box to demo-straight a s&w model 19. It had a battery under the stock and when you gripped the gun you automatically depressed a button on the left grip with your third or fourth finger that activated the front sight that had a bright red insert. It was a blue gun and he had epoxied a small wire that was close to the same color as the gun over the top of the frame and in the grooved rip on top the barrel. While not perfect it wasn't bad and almost not noticeable. He would do your gun but at that time only for LEO. The guy was a cop somewhere around LA. This was almost 40 years ago or so. Not long ago on another gun chat site someone bought a revolver with it and they were wondering who done it. I instantly recognized it. It really worked great. I wish someone would make them again but maybe there would be a patent on it or whatever. He would be like me in his 70`s or so by now.
I spent about 32 of 35 years as a graveyard guard and they make a lot of sense to me. In fact many years ago I read the stats on gun fights and I believe the vast majority of them are at night.

[7.62 Precision]

The tend now with a lot of trainers is to steer people away from night sights. I wrote an article about the subject recently:

http://thinkingoutsidethewire.com/train ... s-useless/

[Booger Bill]

I have no experience being in a actual gunfight at night or day. I do have experience in working in the dark for a solid 32 years as a armed guard on graveyard shift. The job had me spend a lot of time prowling unlit factory buildings and around them. Also I had assignments guarding our stuff in the middle of the uninhabited desert at night with no lights at all. This wasn't in a building but outside. The vast majority of that time I didn't use a flashlight much. Several reasons for that, the biggest reason was I didn't want to let the world know where I was. It`s the difference of being the target and being the ghost in the dark. Hunted or hunter. I dont recall ever being "surprised" but did surprise many. That type of assignment gets you to thinking about night sights. Your eyes do adjust to the darkness far more than most would suspect. I dont know what the statistics of actual gunfights are in the dark as opposed to day but I suspect they are high. I have several handguns with tritium sights. A S&W 66-3 that has long ago lost most of it`s glow and a Sig P 238 that is newer and still works. I am not sure if the Sig`s sights are Tritium or something else but they work.
I dont see any downside. I do see the upside even if the event never happens. It`s comforting to believe that you could see the front sight in the dark.
I totally disagree that night sights are only good for a few minuets of twilight. Mine glow in total darkness if they are still good.
There are assumptions here. I was the guard on patrol and did the surprising. Most people reading this aren't a guard or cop but want a gun to defend themselves from the thug or surpriser that initiates any action. Odd`s are I or say the car theif`s eyes are already adjusted to the dark where as say some home owner who hears noise outside in the dark and steps out from a lit house to outside at night. Big difference on advantage.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

These are my favorite. Fiber-op in front of tritium. You are using the same sight picture day or night.

[piller]

Whatever you decide to do, it might not hurt to get a good flashlight to keep near the pistol. The LED lights are cheap and bright nowadays. Wal Mart (gag, Yuck!) sells an Ozark Trail 600 lumen light for about $25 in the sporting goods department. It uses 6 AA batteries, I think.

[Old Ironsights]

These are my favorite. Fiber-op in front of tritium. You are using the same sight picture day or night.

Those look cool.

When the Trijicon on my SP101 finally died, I replaced it with a light pipe (because I am almost never in dead-dark when needing to shoot (not being into late night anything except sleep), but those look like a win win.