Smith Tactics has released a new product, a Picatinny rail mounted flip-up front iron sight called Illuminator. As you know, the illumination of the majority of currently available front sights is achieved by fiber optic and/or tritium inserts. What sets the Illuminator apart is that it’s battery powered.

The Illuminator front sight is made of aluminum and has a hard coat anodized finish. The front sight post is made of stainless steel. The sight is powered by a single CR1632 battery. The light can be manually turned on and off or set to automatically activate when the sight is deployed. It is also possible to adjust the brightness by rotating the knob protruding from the left side of the housing. The battery life on the brightest setting is 70 hours.

An important feature of the Illuminator sight is that it is visible only from the shooter’s side. It can’t be seen from the front, sides or top of the gun decreasing the chances of compromising your position and location because of the glowing bead. The post is also adjustable both for windage and elevation. The adjustments do not require use of tools. The electronics of the sight are sealed and designed to be shockproof to resist impacts and the recoil of your gun. Here is a video showing how the Illuminator front sight works.

The Smith Tactics Illuminator front sight is available in red or green bead color options. The MSRP for either option is $99.99.

Tell us in the comments section what do you think about the Illuminator. Do you find it interesting enough to give it a try or would you rather stick to more traditional methods of front sight illumination?

If you want to learn about other products designed by this company, read our previous articles telling about their Lightning bolt release and Battle-Bar extended bolt-catch/release.

Images by Smith Tactics