ETexPops Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Noob here with a brand new XD9 Tactical. Right off the bat I have a question about the sights. My 61 year old eyes don't pick up the white dots too well so I'm thinking about fiber optic sights (at least for the front). Wondering what sights you XD shooters like best. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Pops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETexPops Posted April 16, 2010 Author Share Posted April 16, 2010 Should have added I have TFO's on other XD's and like them pretty well. Hoping someone would chime in with info on other fiber optic sights; like Dawson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckaroo45 Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 I'm a 60 something with eyes on the downhill side. Most of my shooting is done at our weekly Thursday evening outdoor matches. I shoot an XDM 40 in Limited with Truglo Tritiums front and rear, an XD 9mm in Production with HiVis front and a Stainless Taurus 1911 in Single Stack with Novak FO's. Nearly any fiber beats standard white dots for me. I even shot a 12 paper target stage one down last nite with the 45 Taurus . Couldn't have done it without the FO's. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ah that I were young enough to have focus now that I see the use of it. - Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hueycrew Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Front: Red Fiber optic from Dawson. Rear sight. Warren Tactical plain black. That is whats on my XD9 Tactical. Plan to do the same with my G35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETexPops Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 Buckaroo I know what you mean; ANYTHING beats the white dots for older eyes. Hueycrew, thanks for that suggestion. I was leaning toward the red fiber optic Dawson front but wasn't sure about the rear. The Warren Tactical looks like a good option. Red against the black background ought to work for me. Guess my next question is why the Warren rear sight and not a black Dawson rear? Notch width? What makes it better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hueycrew Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 (edited) I like the shape more than the traditional squared edges. Wide notch is nice too. I don't think the front is a Dawson. With the Dawson sight sets the front and rear are taller. The Warren is a lower profile. Warren Tactical series This link should take you to a good photo of the sights. Edited April 18, 2010 by hueycrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETexPops Posted April 18, 2010 Author Share Posted April 18, 2010 Thanks Hueycrew. Found that on Pistol Gear's site last night. Good to know that the Warren is low profile and think I am going with that set up. Shot a steel challenge today with a Buckmark with a red fiber optic front site. Did pretty well but after the shoot was over went back out and shot a stage with my other Buckmark with a green fiber optic; picked up that sight much better. Maybe it was because it was overcast; just don't know. Guess I will give the red front a shot and if it doesn't work I can try the Hi Viz that Pistol Gear offers to go with the Warren Tactical rear. Thanks for all the pointers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hueycrew Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Tex, Get the trigger job done too. Go to the Canyon Creek link in BE Vendors Tent. Rich D. replaced my sights and did the trigger job too. Best $$ spent. My XD9 Tactical is the "go to" Steel Plate and USPSA Production gun. I like the Red FO over Green, just my preference. FO rods are easy to change anyway. -huey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD Niner Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Front: Red Fiber optic from Dawson. Rear sight. Warren Tactical plain black. That is whats on my XD9 Tactical. Plan to do the same with my G35. I have the same setup on my Tactial. I put TFO's on my Service XD but for me they are just too wide for competition. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD Niner Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Tex, Get the trigger job done too. Go to the Canyon Creek link in BE Vendors Tent. Rich D. replaced my sights and did the trigger job too. Best $$ spent. My XD9 Tactical is the "go to" Steel Plate and USPSA Production gun. I like the Red FO over Green, just my preference. FO rods are easy to change anyway. -huey +1000 on Rich's Canyon Creek trigger job. You'll swear it is a different gun when he sends it back to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETexPops Posted April 19, 2010 Author Share Posted April 19, 2010 Call me crazy (or at least ignorant or uninformed) but I have no problem with the XD trigger. I have an XD9sc and XD45c and after 400-500 rds the triggers became bearable and a few hundred more I grew to like them. Kinda why I got the tactical; don't have to get used to another platform. As I get into competition I realize I will probably want to have some trigger work done but for right now I'm gonna run it like it is (once the new sights are on it). 2 votes so far for Canyon Creek trigger jobs. Wonder when someone will say go with Springer? Bet I get lots more advice now that triggers have been brought up and I appreciate all that's offered. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max It Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 HI Tex, I am a few years older and I shoot Steel Plates also with my XD9-Tactical. I took off the tritium sights (they were on the gun when I bought it) for Dawsons. Which are great outdoors. But before I changed them I sprayed them with sight black from Brownell's. Now that I have taken off the trit's I sometimes use white out on the front one indoors. All fine. Happy Shooting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justsomeguy Posted September 13, 2010 Share Posted September 13, 2010 Im late to this party but ok... Here's the thing: If you get new sights you will most likely send the gun out to have them installed. On an XD the sights are pretty hard to do at home 'cause they are pressed in REALLY firmly by the factory. Soooooo... if you're gonna spend the money to send the gun to someone to have the sights installed (and Springer IS a good choice) then you should at least consider having a trigger job done at the same time. You will never be sorry you got a trigger job at the same time. I am your age and I got Dawson's front and rear FO's with the adjustable rear. Now, you can get it with fiber optic front and rear, or plain adjustable rear with FO up front, but if you play around with your ammo choices, and you will, then adjustables are something to keep in mind. Yes they stick up a bit more, but they are really nice sights! Sights are a personal preference though and you will have your own. Opinions are cheap and so not worth much, but that is mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETexPops Posted September 13, 2010 Author Share Posted September 13, 2010 Had a local smith install the Dawson FO front and worked well. After shooting several USPSA and IDPA matches with it I was quite happy with the green front sight. In a moment of weakness last week I bought a XDM40 with PRP combat trigger and bunch of extra stuff (like a 9mm conversion barrel). This weekend I let a female friend shoot the tactical in a local IDPA match. She liked the gun so much she didn't want to give it back, I gave her a price, and walked away without a gun but a check to almost cover the cost of the new pistol. The new pistol has Dawson adjustable night sights and if they don't work for my old eyes I have all these suggestions to fall back on for future reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangertim Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I've never dealt with Canyon Creek, but I had Springer Precision do a competition trigger job on my 5in XD, 3#, and put Dawson sight on it and it's absolutely awesome. Makes it hard to believe it started as the same gun as my XD subcompact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunshrink Posted September 26, 2010 Share Posted September 26, 2010 I started out with Dawson and from a personal standpoint they didn't work for me. Went to TFO front and Warren on the back and that has worked very well for production shoooting. Only problem was one match when the front sight tube fell out and I had to finish the maatch with a blank front. Then ssince most of the matches are in light I did not need night sights and went with hivis. That iss what I have on there now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryff Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Noob here with a brand new XD9 Tactical. Right off the bat I have a question about the sights. My 61 year old eyes don't pick up the white dots too well so I'm thinking about fiber optic sights (at least for the front). Wondering what sights you XD shooters like best. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Pops I use a Heinie rear sight (all black) and a red Dawson fiber optic. That front sight is very easy to find quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bsbllrooster Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 A cheap fix would be to black out the dots with some black paint of a sharpie. Or as other have said, the Dawson FO sights seem to be popular. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Hello: I just installed a Heinie sight set. The front has a fiber insert and the rear is all black. The front is a little too wide I think but I will try it first before milling it thinner. The rear gap is 0.125" which looks good to me These sights sit very low on the slide which I like also. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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