Back when I first started carrying an autoloading pistol, most of them came with sights that were a pretty dismal affair. The front and rear sights were so small that you nearly had to carry a magnifying glass with you just to make sure the sights were still there. Given enough time--and a healthy set of eyes--you could eventually get the sights lined up and on target. But I'm telling you, it wasn't a very speedy proposition.

High-visibilty sights are a must for the defensive handgun. One option is TRUGLO's Tritium Fiber Optic (TFO) technology that combines tritium and fiber optic inserts.

On the other hand, there were various target pistols, the Colt Gold Cup comes to mind, that came with accurate and precise adjustable sights. I never could figure out why they put good sights on target pistols but not on fighting pistols. You'd think that good sights would be most important when you're facing a target that can shoot back.

Still, those adjustable sights weren't all that handy. To begin with, they were pretty fragile and would often go flying off after you'd run a couple of magazines of hardball through your gun. And they stuck out like a set of fins on a 1960s-era Cadillac. Naturally, they'd hang on holsters, shirts, coats, and just about anything else that got in the way.

Fortunately, handgun manufacturers have listened to their customers and are now offering defensive handguns with good sights. However, it might be worthwhile to examine what constitutes a good set of combat sights and to look at some of the better examples that are available to today's shooters.

To begin with, a combat pistol sight ought to be rugged. Just about anything that can happen to a handgun happens to fighting pistols. They can get dropped, knocked against things, thrown around, and even used as clubs. Some companies persist in building sights from aluminum or even hard plastic. In my view, these are pretty poor choices of sight material. The smart defensive handgunner will do very nicely with a set of hard steel sights on his pistol.

Within reason, combat sights ought to be large enough that a sight picture can be quickly obtained. The "Modern Technique of the Pistol" has taught us that sighted shots can be delivered quite rapidly. But to do this, the shooter has to be able to pick up his front sight in an almighty hurry. High-visibility sights are a must for the defensive handgun.

Defensive pistol sights should also be as smooth as possible, devoid of all sharp edges. This keeps them from snagging in the holster and on clothing. And it keeps them from cutting up the shooting hand when the shooter aggressively clears some sort of pistol malfunction.

Adjustable sights are not all that necessary on the combat pistol. The precise shot placement of the target shooter is not the task of the combat shooter. Sight manufacturers have done a good job of determining the exact height of front sight to use based upon the make and caliber of a chosen pistol. Fixed sights are just tougher and should be the sight of choice for the combat carry gun.

In spite of the fact that today's handguns come with very useful sights, the serious shooter may feel the need to install a set of aftermarket sights that come closer to suiting his individual needs. I've found that one of the leaders in the combat sight business is Novak's, Inc.

Novak's Lo-Mount Carry Sights give an excellent sight picture and are extremely smooth and snag-free. The company offers white dots on front and rear, tritium inserts, or just plain black. Recently, Novak's customized a Colt Combat Commander for me, and I had them install a plain black rear sight and a post front sight that has a gold dot on it. When I'm working on speed delivery, it seems that the gold dot draws my eye to the front sight a bit more quickly. You can order Novak sights for your own installation, or you can send your gun to them for the job and other custom features. By the way, a lot of the major handgun makers are offering their pistols with Novak's sights already installed at the factory. Companies like Smith & Wesson, SIG, Kahr, Nighthawk, and Rock River Arms are just a few that come to mind.