Editor's Note: This feature first appeared in The Tactical Wire and kicked off considerable conversation there. We think you'll find it food for thought-and conversation- as well.

Why white dots on the rear sight when your attention is supposed to be on the front sight?

So why do we have three-dot sights on today's pistols? It starts out early in modern handgun history when sights were an afterthought; people shot handguns with one-hand by custom and competition rules (sometimes by necessity) and "real combat shooters" all shot by "instinct." Some time passed before the question of using sights at speed arose. This gave target style sights, big and blocky as they were, the big boost. Durability and portability weren't big points for early sights except for the high fixed Micro sights - those for 1911 primarily.

XS Sights is one solution with the highest level of front sight visibility. Photo: XS Sight Systems.

Revolvers, more commonly used for interpersonal confrontations, got the practical adjustable sights first: the S&W Micrometer sights, the Colt Accro- and Elliason sights (both of the Colt sights used on autos as well). Tricky pistol-plumbers like Armand Swenson put the S&W revolver sight on 1911s. S&W advanced down the field with their premium holster gun sights - red ramp up front with a white outline. When I was young, I found the red difficult. With age, that improved. S&W continued that line of reasoning with the Model 645 with its red ramp and white outline. The time for such sights was passed and the "three dot sights" took over. Featuring a white dot up front with a pair of white dots aft, they put twice as much eye-drawing power to the rear sight as the front. It's what everyone wanted while no one articulated while they were good. Simply stated, we need to see the front sight the best. When time is short, as it is in the defensive context, it's to the front we must look - that sight rests over the muzzle, telling us where the gun was when we mashed the trigger. Complicating the rear sight is of dubious use.

We've made extensive use of the Heinie Slantpro "Straight-8" sights, like these from Brownells.

Ashley Emerson saw this and responded with the sights from dangerous game rifles - express sights. Naming the handgun (and shotgun) versions in a similar fashion, he had XS Sights which are made to this day. They serve the purpose of quick, accurate shooting by minimizing the rear sight and maximizing the front. Dick Heinie worked along similar lines in a different fashion. By stacking a tritium vial in the front sight over a tritium rear vial at the base of the rear notch, he had the "Straight 8." When time is pressing, the dots go over the threat. It's quick and uncomplicated. Trijicon also advanced the game with their HD sights. Using unoutlined tritium aft, the front sight has a band of orange or yellow photoluminescent paint around the front tritium element. In conditions less favorable to the glow of tritium, put the colored dot on the threat and control the trigger. There are many terrific sights out there made by several great companies. Just nose around and you'll find them. I've used these and a few others. You just need to find the ones that fit your needs.

The large rear notch with the photoluminescent paint around the tritium in the front sight make the Trijicon HD sights very useful.

I'm just as happy with a plain black rear sight with a glowing dot on the front sight. What to do if you have three painted white dots on your sights? It happened to me recently at a Gunsite get-together. Jeff Quinn, also in attendance, had a black permanent ink marker. He blacked out the rear sight dots on my holstered pistol while I loaded magazines. I excised the white dots on his rear sight while he was loading magazines. Problem solved. XS Sights Heinie Sights Trijicon HD Night Sights -- Rich Grassi