Have you ever experienced the low light conditions that cause hardness to shoot accurately?
Only adding tritium sights will make it more extraordinary.
However, do you know how long the tritium night sights last?
And what do you need to consider before getting the set of night sights for the gun?
Tritium Sights?
Tritium sights are composed of tritium gas, which is one of the radioactive hydrogen isotopes. It is installed for visible lighting.
The Tritium is the energy source for the self lumination, and it will emit the electrons and interact with phosphor, then the lights will be released.
This perfect pistol night sight is a reliable illumination source in the dim light getting to supplement human night vision.
These sights are simple, durable, and compact, which shines brightly when used in complete darkness.
How Long Do Tritium Night Sights Last?
The Tritium in the vial will last for 12.32 years. Every year, the decay rate of the Tritium is 5% making the radioactivity of the isotope reach a half-life of 12 years. Hence, it will have a shorter half-life than the radioactive elements.
The lesser amount of Tritium is used for the gun night sights, and because the function is visible under the dim light, the usable life is longer with the 4-5 half-life range until it dies.
What Affects The Tritium Sights Lifetime?
Quality
The night sights manufacturers claim that they provide the brightest sights and understand that what you buy depends on the low intensity. However, for more prolonged use, you should buy from the brand that provides a high level of Tritium thanks to 5% / year decay of the gas.
Usage
Because the Tritium is the independent light source, it does not require batteries or any charger, and it will not have a switch for controlling the energy usage of the front and rear sight.
The Tritium works when exposed in half as bright as the daylight. Besides, it consumes minimal energy.
The tritium sights’ lifetimes are affected by the night sights. The darkroom, which vies the max glow of front and rear sight, will provide the tritium sights the usage which can affect its lifespan.
Comparison of Tritium night sights vs. Fiber Optic Sights
Tritium night sights are always compared with the fiber optic sights when the shooter wants to make the upgrade on their pistols. This is because tritium night sights are designed for durability and visibility in low light conditions. While the fiber optics sights are built to be invisible in the bright light, they are an excellent option for sport shooting.
Tritium night sights:
Pros
-Glow in the low light
-Use high contrast glow dots for offering high visibility in the bright light
-Being durable
-Glow for over 10 years
-Features the 25K+ round service life
-Work well even in the cleaning agents which contain Acetone
Cons
-Being expensive and translucent in the bright light
Glow intensity dims overtime from 10-12 years
-Designs require more steel for protection making it taller and wider than the normal sights
Fiber optic sights
Pros
-Great and high visibility in the bright light
-Provide many diameter and color options
-Easy to change rods and low cost
-Low profile
-Simple design driving down the cost
Cons
-Only work with bright light, cloud reduces the brightness of sight
– Fibe rod is fragile, cannot hold up to multi drops or high round count shooting
-Rods are not resistant to clean solutions
In general, the fiber optic sights are perfect for sport shooting, and small diameter rods will allow better precision shooting. The rod will light up the same as the light bulb outside. The tritium night sights are ideal for low-light and defensive shooting. Hence, it can find the front sight easily and quickly.
