Quick Tip: Adjustable Sights on an EDC Pistol

[@ScottAT]

Remember- the BMCS adjustable rear sight is actually called The Bob-Mary Combat Sight. Quality Adjustable Sights are more than adequate on a carry gun. Kensight makes an incredible array of adjustable sights that will not “fail you” for example.

[@Paladin1873]

I love dual color fiber optic sights. I'm not crazy about tall sights. It's one of the reasons I never bought a Hi-Power with adjustable sights. They look fragile and can snag on anything. During the golden years of Jeff Cooper action shooting I had a couple of Colt 1911 pistols (45 ACP and 38 Super) fitted with S&W adjustable revolver rear sights. The slide was machined to accept them in the same manner as on a revolver and the front sight was replaced with a ramped blade. This created a very trim, low profile setup that I still use today, though it sure would be nice if I could fit them with fiber optic dots.

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

Nothing like the sight picture of old school low mounted Bomar sights on a 1911.

[@jwilsonhandmadeknives2760]

i didn’t have the cool guy low mounted Bomars. I had the decidedly unsexy high mount. I remember people making fun of my ugly sights and how big they were. And here we are 25 years later with people putting red dots the size of a mail box on their subcompact carry pistol LOL.

[@bradthornton6953]

All my carry guns have fixed sights, night sights to be exact. Don’t like adjustable sights for carry. I’ve bumped the adjustable sights while carrying in a holster on a revolver before and it shifted the point of aim substantially (S&W 686).

[@Paladin1873]

I've got one Heritage revolver with fixed sights that shoots six inches to the right, making it pretty useless. I consider it an anomaly, but I bought a second one with adjustable fiber optic sights. What an amazing difference it makes.

[@Matt_justlikethat]

Isn’t it great to be able to make the adjustment according to ur needs/point of impact…👍

[@roykiefer7713]

I have been shooting regularly for sixty years and I “grew up” - and have carried for many decades, but less in the last twenty years - Smith N Frame and Ruger revolvers, all with excellent adjustable sights. I prefer adjustable sights, principally for the rescan already mentioned, specifically different carry ammunition. I replace my carry loads about every six months, when I do so I usually purchase a few hundred rounds of whatever really top-tier JHP is on sale. There are point of impact differences, which may seem inconsequential at three or five yard, but which can be important at twenty of thirty yards.

[@ShowemRight]

There's nothing like adjustable sights especially on a 9mm caliber firearm. I am Superbly accurate using my BERSA Thunder Pro XT, more so than my BERSA TPRC. For one, my Pro XT has the LPA adjustable rear, and the TPRC has some fixed rear sights. With my BERSA Pro XT, I can put 5 shots on paper at 60 feet inside a 4 " group, and with the TPR9C, I can get about 4 or so out of 5 with a 6" spread if I'm lucky at that distance.

[@shastaham7630]

I agree that adjustable sights can be advantageous, even on an EDC gun, but i don't believe Bomar and similar Snag-a-Matic sights are the answer.

[@tomahawk1911]

I had those exact LPA fiber optic adjustable rear (green), front (red), installed on my Sig Sauer P320 Carry Tactical. Very happy with them. Fast to pick up, easy to line up, worth the money, to me.

[@kevinkarl5085]

Different strokes for different folks I suppose. Some people even carry without a round chambered. I don’t happen to be one of those people but to each his own.

[@Nickrioblanco1]

I have a 3rd generation Smith & Wesson handgun which I carried many years ago. The fixed sight were consistently low. I thought I could compensate for that (and I could at the range). But shooting at some varmints raiding my trash cans, showed me when you're in a hurry "Kentucky Windage" doesn't work well. Unfortunately I was unable to find adjustable sights for that firearm. I ended up going through a few fixed sights to find ones that worked. I dislike fixed sights because " only accurate rifles (or pistols) are interesting ".

[@dalestark3343]

I'd say adjustable sights on any gun is a must for me. I'd recommend them to anyone.

[@joejohnson4183]

The advantage to an adjustable sights on an EDC is because different ammo with different grains impacts differently . So while your favorite non adjustable gun shoots perfect with range ammo , with duty ammo it impacts differently , hence the need for adjustable sights .

[@roykiefer7713]

Absolutely correct.

[@senioMseD]

I like the point you made but I have to ask, do you not use your duty ammo when you’re at the range?

[@joejohnson4183]

@@senioMseD Oh hell No , when good duty ammo is a little under a dollar a round in 9mmm and over a dollar a round for 45acp , while practice ammo is under .40 cents a round , which would you shoot ? I fire just enough of my hollow points to know where they impact so if I need to adjust I am aware of that . And I do that because my carry firearms are fixed sights while my hunting revolvers have adjustable sights .

[@joejohnson4183]

@@tabooretka Hey dipstick , everyone should know where their EDC handgun prints with different loads such as practice vs street load . If you cannot understand that it is quite apparent you have limited knowledge of firearms . Maybe your EDC should not be a firearm but a less than lethal for the sake of the publics safety .

[@joejohnson4183]

@@tabooretka You definitely have a problem with reading/ comprehension because if you bothered to read my comment it concerns the ability of adjustable sights to sight in with different loads whereas with non adjustable sights you have limited if any adjustment if your loads are not to point of aim . And it is apparent you have never practiced on shoot/no shoot courses or hostage targets . There is a time for precise shooting so go back and learn some more tactics junior .

[@blackjack3599]

I got fixed sights that overhang on the back of the slide a little. Seeing that Sign gives me some comfort over how ridiculous my gun looks

[@blackcellagent]

I just want to first say, to each their own. Everyone should utilize whats best for them and makes them the best they can be! Also train, train, train! My first observation is that those sights look to have a potential snag factor when concealed carry. Again, before I get hounded, train to clear your garments you wear and you won’t have an issue.

[@ironmikehallowween]

I like both for different reasons and for different purposes.

[@ThePatriotParadox]

After learning how to shoot with irons and getting acceptable accuracy out to 25 yards then going to RDS and gett great accuracy out 50 yards and learning how to pick up my dot, it being so much faster and accurate (for me) it's hard to go back. Still WOULD like to get one dedicated iron sight pistol.

[@GNpatent]

Adjustable sights will get you killed in the street. When you need them most they'll snag on your garment, destroy your zero, and they'll be off by so much that you'll shoot your own ear off. Got that advice from my old pal One-ear Wendell.

[@Crangaso]

I personally don't like adjustable sights on an EDC pistol.

[@derweibhai]

I use a P-210 as a Law Enforcement Duty Pistol. I am careful with the rear sight (holster covers). That gun can hit anything I can see within any reasonable distance.

[@bertg.6056]

It might depend on what someone considers to be a "reasonable distance".

[@derweibhai]

@@bertg.6056 3-400 yards on a man sized target with a clear backstop. Here in Nebraska being engaged by someone with a rifle is a distinct possibility. There isnt always time to go back to the car for a long gun.

[@bertg.6056]

@@derweibhai I guess you consider that a "reasonable range" for pistols.

[@derweibhai]

@@bertg.6056 👍🙂

[@prezmil4282]

Being good for competition shooting is not the same as being good for self defense. One scenario you get to check and make adjustments before shooting , the other that extra time could be life or death.

[@jonduncansakurawallknifegarden]

No one is adjusting during a comp or a fight - this is merely for different loads. Different grains and loads have different ballistics and the sights need to be adjusted, prior, for set load. Not during a comp or during a fight would anyone start to make adjustments and would be able to check. During comps we can’t load the gun until we make ready. I think many things that are done in competitions, especially uspsa, are good practice for knowing your gear and using it effectively for many different situations like a home invasion. Just my two cents.

[@prezmil4282]

@@jonduncansakurawallknifegarden Cool story but point still stands ,which is shooting at paper or some other inanimate objects will not be the same experience with an active threat. Maybe you have some weird reflexes that allow you time to adjust your sights in the middle of a gunfight and not be harmed, maybe you’ve never even been in one. I’m just saying the reasons I don’t see the logic from a SELF DEFENSE perspective. Do you though it’s your life. 👌🏽

[@JohnMR730]

@@prezmil4282 Cool Story Bro; did you even read his comment? He explicitly said "No one is adjusting their sights during a comp or a fight". ffs Its literally the first sentence. And as far as practicality, well, if you would have read the second sentence in his comment you would have figured that out too. Defensive loads can shoot very different from range loads, so being able to have a sight preset for both your training ammunition and carry ammunition can be useful. The entire purpose of adjustable handgun sights are for impact shifts of different ammunition types and brands, NOT range or windage adjustment.

[@statikpunk]

I think every gun no matter purpose should have some adjustability in the sight. Right down to the smallest belly guns . They don't have to be target setups but some adjustability would be good. I realize that it's going beyond their intended purpose but with modern manufacturing, why not. I would gladly pay an extra hundred bucks for a slightly adjustable rear sight on my j frames. But maybe that's just the hand loader in me screaming out.

[@Paleasseater4ever]

Same problem with Sig compatible firearm I own. At close distance very nice but from far away they just don’t work as good. Please let me know if those adjustable sights work for you. I saw the same ones last time on the web, but couldn’t find any good reviews on KZbin.

[@redcat9436]

Adjustable sights on a carry gun are fine.

[@j.c.delich5520]

If you can't get on target with fixed sights and different heights, get out the file. Adjustable sights are nice as well, but particularly when one might use different loads with a pistol.

[@brianmoore1164]

I far prefer adjustable sights on handguns. If you change ammo types or brands, being back in the center is only a few clicks away. I have never had a set fail me and I have hundreds of thousands of rounds shot through handguns in my life. Quality adjustable sights are just not the weak point that the internet would have you believe.

[@shaynelhta]

Doesn't brownell's sell a non-adjustable backup iron set to go with your adjustable set?

[@alifr4088]

Well yes carrying mauser c96 as an EDC technically count as having "adjustable" sight albeit for a very ridiculous range

[@brettphillips3091]

So you're really using a gun set up for competition as a carry gun.

[@Z7d3nR4]

Why would we not use adjustable sights on an edc?

[@ericsmith5919]

The reasoning is that any time you increase the number of moving parts, you increase the chance of failure. It's not likely, but it is theoretically possible for adjustable sights to come loose or get knocked out of alignment, and the various bumps and jolts that occur when you carry a gun every day provide more chances for that to happen.

[@johnburnett5377]

Because they can snag on things at most inopportune times, and the more moving parts you have, the more likely things are to break or malfunction.

[@FishFind3000]

My s&w 357mag has adjustable sights. They would come loose all the time until I loctited them in place effectively making them fixed.

[@Z7d3nR4]

Thanks guys. Your answers make good sense.

[@kentuckyboy541]

I'm 46 going on 80. I don't see the need for adjustable sights on a defensive pistol. It's very unlikely you'll even look at them in the unfortunate event you need to defend yourself.

[@diegomontoya796]

If you can't hit a 15 yard target without aiming you really need to go shoot about 50,000 rounds.

[@Hunterlewis675]

You are not going to use sights in a personal defense scenarios

[@wellfuckyoumr]

Seems like a big ol hook to get stuck on clothing. Obv for comp, who cares but CC, it makes no sense really.