You may have heard me say that any pistol I regularly carry for self defense is goin to have XS Sights on it, preferably XS Big Dot sights (DXT2 or DXT2 PRO) . One question I often get about these sights is “how accurate are they or what size group can you get with that great big dot for a front sight?”
Since they are admittedly very different from the notch and post style sights most of use grew up using, it’s a fair question.
So I went to the range for the answer.
But first, today’s words of wisdom from the Bible:
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.
He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8 NLT
Ok, since the XS Sights DXT2 and DXT2 PRO sights are designed for “defensive shooting”, I decided to run the current Georgia Law Enforcement Qualification with them and see how well I could do with my trusty Big Dots on my Glock 19 Gen 4. (I have the DXT2 PRO sights on that pistol).
You can watch that video here: https://youtu.be/HOEcgUEMsEk
We’ll see how well I did with mine at the range in a minute but, just so we’re on the same page, we need to talk really quickly about accuracy and the role of sights in achieving an accurate shot. And I think we can agree to define accuracy as the ability to make a bullet go where you want it to.
First, lets be clear, unless they are loose or otherwise damaged, sights really have nothing to do with “accuracy” as defined. Their only role is to help you point the barrel of the gun so that the bullet goes to a specific place on the target, otherwise known as aiming the gun.
Accuracy comes from 2 basic things: 1) Using whatever sights you have to properly aim the gun at whatever you want to hit and 2) Not moving the gun while the bullet as you press the trigger. As my one of my Gunsite instructor said: “there are 3 basic marksmanship fundamentals: trigger control, trigger control and trigger control”. I’m not saying there isn’t more to the “martial use of a firearm”. But, from a strictly marksmanship standpoint, if YOU don’t move the pistol when you press the trigger the bullet is going to go where you had it aimed. And if you point it in the same place every time and don’t move it when you press the trigger, you’ll have a very small group size on the target.
Ok, so what about these crazy XS Sights Big Dot sights? Heck, before I met James Yeager I had never even heard of them. He recommended them and as soon as I tried them the first time I understood why. First of all, they are not intended to be high precision, slow-fire, bulls-eye competition sights. They are “gun fighting” sights, made to help you make faster, effective shots in a deadly force encounter. They were inspired by the “Express sights” often found on rifles designed for hunting dangerous game. When an enraged Lion or Cape Buffalo is charging toward you, you don’t want to be wasting time trying to line up the little post in the little notch. With the Big Dots you just “dot the I” and put the dot where you want to hit.
XS Sights DXT2 PRO Sight Picture
Another huge advantage these sights give you is that they are exceptional in low light conditions (which is when a LOT of self-defense situations occur. The front dot consists of a .188″ diameter high-contrast, photo luminescent “glow in the dark” circle with a tritium vial in the center – all surrounded by a steel housing. Yep, these sights are made of steel, no cheesy plastic. The low-profile “V” rear site has a vertical white stripe with a tritium vial in the center. That makes it very easy to “dot the I” even in very dim conditions. Of course it should go without saying that you need to be see well enough to identify your target (and what’s beyond) before taking a shot.
OK, so I’m obviously a big fan of these sights. But, since they are so different, how do you actually use them? Well, out to 15 yards you just line up the front dot with the vertical line on the rear sight (“dot the I”)and center the dot on your target where you want the bullet to go . Then, remember what I said about trigger control? If you can press the trigger without moving the gun, the bullet will go to where the center of the dot is aimed.
But, you might say, how can that be precise enough to make an accurate shot with that big of a dot? Well, first, our eyes and brain are very good at lining things like circles up. Second, the .188″ front dot only covers a 5″ diameter area of the target at 15 yards. A s the photos below show, anywhere in a 5″ circle is going to be a good shot in a self-defense situation. But to be fair, with good trigger control you should be able to do much better than that.
5 Inch Circle on Chest
5 Inch Circle On Face
Again, out to 15- 20 yards just center the dot where you want to hit. If your target is beyond that center the very TOP of the dot (after you “dot the I”) where you want to hit – similar to how you aim with traditional notch and post sights. That’s all there is to it. Except that pesky trigger control thing.
OK, that’s all well and good, but how do they actually perform in the real world? Well, as I said, I got myself some official S.Q.T A-1 Georgia Law Enforcement Qualification targets, Googled up the official testing requirements and went to the range with my trusty Big Dot equipped Glock 19.
I won’t bore you with the whole course of fire breakdown but it consists of 30 total rounds fired at 2 targets from 3, 7 and 15 yard distances. Each firing stage has a time limit, so you have to get on target fast. The total possible score is 300 with a minimum passing score of 240 or 80%.
As you can see from the targets below, I scored a 290 (97%), with only 2 shots out of the 10 point zone but still in the silhouette 5 point zone. Although I have to admit I am a little bummed at myself for the potential “dead grandma” shot to the ear that would have almost certainly continued on and possibly hit an innocent bystander. But, overall, I’m very happy with the sights. I was able to get consistently on target very quickly with the Big Dots. I just wish I could be as consistent with my trigger control.
I thought it was interesting that I shot the exact same qualification a few weeks earlier with my red dot equipped Ruger RXM and scored 5 points less with 285 points. Which only means I had a slightly better day the 2nd time around, but it does show that the Big Dots are very capable “fighting sights”.
So, as far as “real world’ accuracy, I would argue that XS Sights Big Dot sights (DXT2 & DXT2 PRO) provide a very clear, quickly identifiable sight picture. And, much like a red dot, they also really contribute to using target or threat focused aiming. That dots just stands out, even if you aren’t quite focused on it like the textbooks all say to do.
Bottom line, we started this article with the question: “How accurate are XS Big Dot sights?”). I think my results show THEY are as accurate as YOU can be in whatever situation you find yourself. And a true self defensive, lethal force encounter, you are almost always going to be the one doing the reacting, so the faster you can get your sights on target, the faster you can react. A 1/2 second could literally be the difference between life and death. I think you can see why I insist on having XS Sights on any pistol I carry for self-defense.
If you’ve wondered about XS Sights and how accurate they are, I hope this article has been helpful. And, whatever sights you use, I encourage you to grab a shot timer (or even a friend with a stopwatch) and test yourself.
Remember, Survival Is Not An Accident. Be Prepared
© Bryan Stevens 2025
