UPDATE: XS Sights renamed the RAM night sights, R3D Night Sights.

XS Sights recently released their RadioActive Material (RAM) 3-dot pistol sights that are designed to work both day and night. They are sold as a set with a front and rear sight, with red thread locker and a front sight screw, in the case of the Glock compatible version that I tested for the review. The RAM night sights differ from the factory night sights offered by Glock in several positive ways. They are slightly taller, more pronounced, and easily picked up for quick alignment with a positive front sight focus.

XS SIGHTS’ RAM NIGHT SIGHTS: SOME DETAILS & SPECS

The RAM night sights have two different front sight options for orange or green “Ember” Glow Dot housings that surround the tritium vial. These colored Glow Dot’s are photoluminescent and are constantly charged by the tritium, and should assist in low light conditions. The rear sights have several interesting features. The tritium vials are housed in blacked-out inserts, which displays an overall smaller dot compared to the front sight and provides a good contrast to the colored front sight. The rear sight is cut in a way to provide a 90-degree angle on the front to aid in one-handed reloads, while the rear of the sight is cut with an overhang to reduce any glare. The dimensions and model compatibility are listed below:

Front Blade Width 0.145” (3.68 mm)

Notch Width 0.170” (4.32 mm)

Height Varies by model

Glock

• 17, 19, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 31, 32, 33, 34,

35, & 36

• 20, 21, 29, 30, 37, 30S, 40, & 41

• 42, 43, 43X, & 48

Sig Sauer

• P225, P226, P228, P229, P320, SP2009 &

SP2340

Smith and Wesson

• M&P Full-size & compact

• M&P Shield

Springfield Armory

• XD, XDM, & XDS

FN

• FN 509

XS Sights also provided me with some background information into the torture tests they put their sights to.

• • Chemical resistance
  •  1-hour soak in pure acetone
• • High round count shoot test
  •  10,000 round shoot tests
• ▪ 1,000 rounds per day for 10 days
  •  1,000 round shoot tests in 25-minutes (1 round every 1.5 seconds)
• • 60 repetition drop test
  •  Ensures sights will stay on the pistols
  •  Ensures tritium vials will not fail
• • Gun powder residue protection
  •  Convex dot will resist gun powder residue buildup and is easily cleanable

XS SIGHTS’ RAM NIGHT SIGHTS: INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

As I looked through the clear blister packaging of the RAM sights, I immediately noticed the ninety-degree angle of the rear sight and I was intrigued, and a little nervous at the same time. I was looking forward to using the angle of the rear sight for one-handed reload drills, while also worried about what that same angle would do to my right love-handle due to my preferred everyday carry (EDC) method of using a trigger guard holster, which I wrote about HERE and HERE. The next thing I noticed was the bright orange insert in the front sight that also houses the tritium vial. By comparison, the tritium dots on the rear sight were quite small. I was also pleased with the addition of the thread locker (much more than needed) and the front sight tool.

XS SIGHTS’ RAM NIGHT SIGHTS: INSTALLATION

The pistol I chose to place the RAM sights on was my EDC Glock 22, 3^rd Generation in .40 S&W. The 16-year-old factory front sight was staked in place, as was common with that generation. Once that was removed, the base of the new RAM sight fit into the hole as designed. I placed a little of the thread locker onto the threads of the supplied screw and used the supplied front sight tool to screw the front sight into place and aligned it with the slide.

Photo of the supplied Glock front sight tool. The tool worked perfectly and cleared the slide’s machining.

To install the rear RAM night sight, I used the Duffy D.D. Machine rear sight tool.  The rear RAM sight was pretty tight, but it went on fine.  After the XS Sights were installed, I let it sit overnight, then confirmed I’d gotten them zeroed the next morning.

The Duffy D.D. Machine sight pusher tool is what I used to install the RAM Night Sights. Future review pending.

XS SIGHTS’ RAM NIGHT SIGHTS: RANGE TIME

The RAM night sights were a big improvement over my factory night sights. My accuracy remained about the same, but the bright, tractor-beam-esque front sight made it so easy for my eyes to pick up and focus on. Before installation, I wasn’t sure what to think of the black inserts on the rear sight, but it really seems to work in conjunction with the front sight as one more layer of contrast, which draws the eye even more to the front sight. I also used the rear sight to do some one-handed slide manipulation against my boot.

XS SIGHTS’ RAM NIGHT SIGHTS: OVERALL THOUGHTS

To clarify, XS Sights provided the sights to me free of charge for keeps, but I like to keep things objective. One potentially negative aspect of the RAM night sights is that the tritium dots of the rear sight are visible from the muzzle end via holes that were drilled completely through the rear sight body. My guess is that it aided the installation of the tritium vial. For those concerned, I’m sure those holes could be covered or lightly filled. Another aspect that I can’t fully comment on is the durability of the RAM sights’ finish. Since I evaluated these during the winter, I didn’t have much opportunity to sweat on them. I removed a spot of finish on the rear sight while using my sight press, by getting it too close to the bolt threads.

View of the RAM rear sight from the muzzle. I’ve seen many posts on gun forums that expressed concern about an intruder being able to pick out their location. This would most likely not come into play at all, but some people may care.

As for carrying the RAM night sights on my EDC against my skin, there were a few times I could feel the sights, but for a vast majority of the time, I didn’t feel them at all and my love-handle isn’t sore at the end of the day.

Overall though, I really like XS Sights’ RAM night sights. The size, height, brightness, and notch size all worked together to get on target quickly and keep the dominant eye focused where it should be. I don’t have access to shooting competitions, but I’m quite satisfied with the RAM night sights on my EDC pistol. You can check out XS Sights’ website HERE, or their RAM night sights page HERE. The MSRP is $140 for the set, and XS Sights also boasts a 10 year, no questions asked warranty.

The darkest photo was taken with a long shutter exposure but is very true to what the naked eye sees.

What do you think about the XS Sights RAM Night Sights?