The move to the semiautomatic pistol brought with it sights that are black on black, three dots or dots on top of bars--sight systems that I fear are too complicated for the human eye to use when engaged in a life-or-death fight. I have thought about this a lot over the last few years, and it has led me to take a hard look at the sights that are available for the semiautomatic pistol. Current pistol sights fall into five categories: factory sights, night sights, express sights, fiber optic sights and single-dot reflex sights.

The face can be seen at this point, allowing him to visually ride the sight to the target.

Factory sights are the traditional three white dots, dot/bars or dots in a white bracket that come on the gun from the factory. These sights are either metal or plastic, and the white dots are put in place with paint.

Night sights are similar to factory sights but are equipped with a radioactive isotope known as tritium, which glows in the dark. These sights can be obtained in three-dot configurations as well as dots and bars with different colors for front and rear.

Express sights are a large round front sight combined with a rear sight that is a shallow V in shape. The large dot is placed in the middle of the V for proper alignment. These sights are also available with a tritium bead in the middle.

The latest addition to the combative pistol sight market is the fiber optic sight, which uses a piece of synthetic material that comes in a long, slender configuration called a "light pipe." This pipe catches available light and transmits it to the end point, which is what is seen in the face of the sight. This makes the sight glow brightly, catching the eye and bringing it to the sight. How much the sight glows depends on the diameter and length of the pipe as well as the color and how translucent it is.

A series of fiber optic sights in reduced light. Note that they glow better than one would think. The secret is how much of the pipe can receive light. The more open, the more potential damage. The Hi-Viz fiber optics on the right are totally encased in polymer, while Ameriglo (second and third from left) uses a steel cage.

The single-dot reflex sight is something that is normally reserved for competition, but with the introduction of the light and compact J Point sight from J.P. Enterprises, the pistol-mounted reflex sight for combat may have arrived.

Over the last year I have collected sample sights from most of the major manufacturers and have placed these on both real and Airsoft guns and have used them in training courses and basic police academy programs. Since Airsoft guns do not have the same front-sight attachment capability of their real counterparts, the sights were ground flat on the bottom and glued in place. This enabled shooters to use the same sight picture on the same-style gun in mock gun battles as they had in range training.

The live-fire drills were the same as I described in the beginning of this article. They involved drills in which the targets moved, fell over, pivoted, twirled, rotated, charged or required the shooter to move from target to target, requiring them to shift the focal plane. They also included such fundamental drills as one shot from ready, one shot from the holster, one shot/reload/one shot, Bill Drills and an El Presidente.

The force-on-force drills were basically building-search scenarios in which the shooter had to clear a building, encountering both armed and non-hostiles along the way. Such scenarios required the person doing the searching to shift his focal plane continuously in order to negotiate rooms, doors, stairwells and hallways looking for threats and then get on the sights for accurate shots.