XS Sight Systems' Big Dot Sights

The primary reason I got the Walther P99 is for self/home defense, especially when things go 'bump' in the night. With that said, the stock Walther sights are not night sights. If something was to happen, I would have a hard time properly aiming the P99 in low/no light situations. As such, I started looking for night sights for the P99.

I quickly found out that there are many brands available - such as Trijicon and Meprolight. While searching the Walther forums for night sight info, I stumbled on a sight called the Big Dot by XS Sight Systems. These were billed as combat sights that also happened to work in low light situations. I was intrigued by the 'combat sight' billing and eventually stumbled onto this YouTube clip:



After watching it, I was sold - a set of sights that can work in low light situations and help me with faster target acquisition during high stress situations (i.e., someone is possibly breaking into my home and I have to confront the individual). Unfortunately, the Big Dots (hell, almost all night sights) run over $100 and it was more than I wanted to spend. I spent the next few weeks monitoring the 'for sale' posts of one of the Walther forums and found someone selling the Big Dot sights!

I got quite the deal on the Big Dots - less than $30 shipped! The sights actually arrived earlier this week, but I haven't the chance to install them until today. Here are a few pics:



One thing I highly recommend when installing sights is to have the right tools. After I received the sights, I found out that I needed a very small & thin 3/16" nut driver to properly install the front sight. In addition, some thread lock is required to keep the nut from loosening up (from the vibration caused when firing the gun).

For the hex nut driver, I purchased a Hiviz Installation Tool; and for the thread lock, I purchased a small tube of Loctite Threadlocker Blue 242 (the kind that is removable with hand tools).



The installation tool was just perfect and made installing the sights a breeze. I did 2 drops of Loctite and that should be more than enough to keep the nut secure and in place. Now I just have to wait 24 hours for the Loctite to fully cure and I'm set.

Not a moment to soon either! I have my second handgun course on Sunday afternoon and I can't wait to try these Big Dot sights out.