TruGlo TRITIUM: The Elemental Night Sight

Is that four shell casings in the air? I’m getting slow.

Great sights lead to great shooting.

TruGlo is one of those great companies that makes a wide variety of different products for sportsmen. They went from being a company that made their name with fiber optics to one of the best night-sight manufactures out there.

For example, take their TRITIUM series of night sights. They are the most affordable night sights that TruGlo makes, but you don’t have to compromise on quality. The sights are machined from steel, making them virtually indestructible. Then TruGlo went above and beyond by Meloniting the sights with their “Fortress Finish.” This makes the sights not only tough, but rust-resistant as well. The tritium vials are protected with super tough sapphire glass face and have no exposed elements to break.

TruGlo night sights come with a 12-year limited warranty, but to make sure that you get the full 12-year life of the TruGlo sights, TruGlo recommends that, “Handgun sights must be installed by a trained gunsmith using a ‘sight press.’ All other methods will void this warranty.”

As someone who professionally installs sights, I can tell you that you never want to beat any set of sights onto your pistol. Using this method is not only sloppy but can damage your brand new sights, and scuff up your pistol … not cool. Although it is not beyond a capable DIY’er with the proper tools, if you have any doubts at all then contact a professional. If you need help locating a TruGlo authorized installer, just give their customer service a ring and they will recommend someone to you.

Traditional night sights are powered by a small amount of radioactive gas called tritium that is safely sealed in glass vials. This means that they glow day or night and do not require batteries or a separate light source to glow. These sealed green glowing vials have a service life of approximately 12 years. This means that your sights will glow 24 hours a day for the next decade and beyond. Remember that radiation decays over time, so as you get closer to the 12-year birthday, they will be half as bright as when they were new.

The TRITIUM TruGlo sights have the smallest footprint in the TruGlo night sight family. They fit nicely on the smallest compact pistol, like the Hellcat, all the way to the largest, like the XD-M 10mm and more. The front sight has a nice short nose so you will get practically the same sight radius as factory sights. And don’t worry, the sights use a snag-free design so they should all work nicely with almost any holster.

TruGlo makes three versions of their tritium only sights, so let’s take a look at them and what makes each version unique:

• TRITIUM Model: TG231X MSRP: $81.99
• TRITIUM Pro (white) Model: TG231X1W MSRP: $95.99
• TRITIUM Pro (orange) Model: TG231X1C MSRP: $95.99

All three versions use the same night sight vials, so they are the same in that respect. The TRITIUM model has really nice fine white lines that encircle all three aiming dots front and back. It features a nice slick look that does not get in the way. The two TRITIUM Pro versions add a front sight “Focus Lock” ring. Basically, the front sight glowing dot is encircled in a larger high-visibility ring. You have your choice of either a white or orange front sight ring with these. The orange color is similar to the blaze orange used on safety vests. Both of these contrasting rings are great and aid in faster sight acquisition, potentially increasing accuracy and shooting speed.

In the TRITIUM Pro versions, TruGlo takes advantage of the big front sight dots and cuts a U-shaped notch in the rear sight. You still line up the three dots, but the front sight sits nicely in the U-shaped sight picture. To make the front sight even more visible, the rear green dots are housed in black rings. These black rings nicely contrast with the front and make the rear dots nice and crisp.

One cool thing that I like is that the rear sight has an angled front face that makes a hook for emergency one-handed slide operation. Great for those users that work in hostile environments and depend on getting the pistol reloaded, even if injured. TruGlo’s attention to detail extends to the shooter’s side of the rear sight as well. They cut serrations into the rear faces around the dots to further cut down on glare, making the aiming dots distinct and clear.

When it comes to my carry pistols, I always install night sights on them. It is easy to see why night sights are the number one upgrade most people make to their pistols. Night sights give you the ability to properly aim your pistol in different lighting conditions. TruGlo’s quality and carefully thought out features give you an edge whenever you need to see your sights — day or night. That performance advantage is why I personally love TruGlo products.

The great thing about TruGlo is that they make different night sight options for most of the popular pistols that are available. So no matter what you decide to carry TruGlo probably has an option for aftermarket sights. Great sights help lead to great shooting. If you can aim without having to work at it, the pistol becomes an extension of the shooter. The act of hitting your target just becomes second nature. Take a look at all the different things TruGlo makes, check out their website at: www.truglo.com

–James “the XDMAN” Nicholas  Mr UnPewFessional Himself!