If you only pay attention to social media and the gun blogs and magazines, you’d probably assume that virtually everyone is now carrying an optic-equipped pistol. Can you really even operate without a red dot on your carry gun? The answer is still very much yes. And despite what influencers and other would have you believe, far more gun owners carry and shoot pistols that are not equipped with an optic. It may be hard to believe, but good old iron sights are still the most popular choice.
So if you’re going to carry a gun with iron sights, it makes sense to equip your pistol with the best self-defense irons for the job. For a lot of us that means a large, prominent front sight that’s illuminated with tritium that gives you an aiming point in any light…or no light at all. XS makes a huge range of sights for all kinds of guns, but they’re probably most famous for their Big Dot pistol sights and they’ve my favorite for a long time now.
A few years back XS began offering tritium-equipped versions of their sights as well and their DXT2 Big Dots are everything I want in a carry pistol sight. Well, they were until they rolled out the new DXT2 PRO version this month.
With the DXT2 PRO version, XS has upgraded the tritium vial for longer life (the tritium has a 12-year warranty) and uses a new surface finish for more corrosion resistance. But the biggest attraction for me is that these are the first Big Dot night sights with a green insert. I like green dots better than red dots and green irons better than…any other color. The human eye is more sensitive to green light than any other color and XS had only offered yellow and orange versions until now.
The DXT2 PRO sights have a small vertical tritium vial in the rear sight as well, giving you two low light alignment points. If you’d rather not have tritium in your rear sight for some reason, XS has you covered with their DXW2 Big Dots.
It doesn’t take much range time to see the speed advantage you get with Big Dot “express” sights. Grab a shot timer and see for yourself. Your eye naturally acquires the Big Dot — usually without even thinking about it — on the draw.
I’ve done A/B testing with them in the past and while I was skeptical at first, the results showed me that I clearly shoot better and more accurately at defensive distances with a Big Dot front sight than I do with standard irons. Your mileage may vary, but I’d be surprised.
XS is only making the DXT2 PRO sights in a standard height version for GLOCK pistols now, but look for that to change as time goes on. I’ve been using Big Dots for years and that’s not going to change.
Specifications: XS Sights DXT2 PRO Big Dot Night Sights
Fits: GLOCK pistols
G17, 19, 22, 23, 24, 26, 28, 27, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 45, & 47
G20, 21, 29, 30, 30S, 37, 40, & 41
G42, 43, 43X, & 48
Price: $153.99
I have their sights on a 92A1 and they are every bit as good as Dan says they are.
No complaints for the Ruger sp101 version beyond make sure you get the right sku or be really handy with a drill.