Sights

Iron sights aren't a downgrade from optics — they're a different tool, and for a lot of use cases (backup sighting under a red dot, a duty or defensive handgun, a lever gun or shotgun that will never wear glass) they're the primary tool. Extreme Reloading stocks fixed and night sights, fiber-optic sights, and co-witness sight sets for handguns, rifles, and shotguns, in stock and shipping in 24 hours from a veteran-owned shop.

Fiber-optic vs. tritium night sights

Fiber-optic sights use ambient light to glow brightly in daylight — fast to acquire, but they fade in low light since they need light to work. Tritium night sights glow from a self-powered radioactive isotope, giving a visible dot in complete darkness with no ambient light needed, at the tradeoff of a dimmer daytime picture than a good fiber-optic. Some sights combine both — tritium insert surrounded by a fiber-optic ring — for a strong sight picture in both daylight and darkness. Which to choose comes down to primary use: a daylight-focused hunting or range gun benefits from fiber-optic; a defensive or duty handgun benefits from tritium or a combo sight.

Co-witness height for red dot backup

If you're running a red dot on a rifle or pistol, "co-witness" sights are cut to a specific height so your iron sights are visible through or below the dot's window as a backup if the optic fails or runs out of battery. Absolute co-witness puts the irons directly in line with the dot; lower 1/3 co-witness puts them below it, out of the way until needed. Match sight height to your specific optic mount — a mismatch means the irons either block the dot or don't align with it at all.

Handgun sights and dot-compatible cuts

Modern pistol sights range from standard three-dot fixed sights to suppressor-height sights (taller, to co-witness with a suppressor-height red dot) to sights cut specifically for slides milled for a red dot. Check your slide's specific cut and your intended red dot footprint before ordering — a sight built for one milling pattern won't necessarily fit another.

Rifle and shotgun irons

AR-platform rifles typically run a front post and adjustable rear aperture (or a fixed A2-style rear); other rifle and shotgun platforms use bead, ghost-ring, or rifle-style sight setups depending on the gun and its intended use (a shotgun bead for wingshooting is a very different tool than a ghost-ring sight for a defensive shotgun).

Brands we carry

XS Sights and Hi-Viz for fiber-optic and tritium sight sets, TRUGLO for a wide range of fiber-optic and night sight options, plus sights and mounting hardware from Magpul, TROY Industries, Midwest Industries, Leapers/UTG, Daniel Defense, Ruger, and CMMG. Filter by manufacturer on this page to jump straight to a brand's full lineup.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need night sights if I already run a red dot? Many shooters run co-witness iron sights as backup specifically in case the dot fails or the battery dies — it's a redundancy choice, not a replacement for the optic.

Will these sights fit my specific pistol? Sight fit depends on your slide's dovetail cut (or milling, for optic-cut slides) — check your model's spec before ordering, since sight sets are generally not universal across different pistol brands or even different models from the same brand.

How long do tritium night sights last? Tritium has a half-life that causes the glow to gradually dim over roughly 10-12 years — most manufacturers rate their sights for that range before the glow becomes too faint to be useful, at which point the sight itself (not just a part) needs replacing.

Not sure which sight setup fits your firearm and use case? Reach out — we're happy to help you get the right sights on target.