Enter the CAP Sight

The new CAP sight developed by Yours Truly...

I have long felt that part of being a combative firearms instructor was looking for solutions not just teaching established doctrine. The debate between point shooting and sighted fire has raged for over a century with no sign of resolution in sight (no pun intended). I think both doctrines are essential if you wish to truly master combative pistol skills. It has been my experience that point or target focused shooting starts to come apart around 12 feet, but inside this close distance having confidence in your ability to point and shoot with accuracy is huge. That said, being able to confirm weapon alignment visually is the greatest level of confidence, but under the stress and duress of armed conflict one must be enabled to do it…it won’t come without effort and preparation.

Having a front sight that is hard to ignore is a big step in the right direction. Coloring front sights is nothing new, though some lay claim to its recent popularity. Bat Masterson requested “tall and wide” front sights on his nickel plated Colt Peacemakers so he could “make use of them”. Point shooting c0-founder William Fairbairn had a brass shotgun bead placed on his 1911 and both John Shaw and Mike Plaxco told me of experimenting with colored front sights in the early 1980’s. In the first edition of my book Handgun Combatives I discussed using both paint and tape to highlight my front sites, something I started doing after attending Shaw’s Mid-South Institute for Self Defense Shooting (MISS) in 1991. The problem with paint and tape is cleaning solvents will break both down over time and the substance must be re-applied. Additionally, the tape/paint can chip or come loose when least expected.

I tried for years to get Trijicon and Meprolight to make a contrasting front sight only to be ignored. It was Rick Callihan at Ameriglo that finally took me seriously and created several front sights with contrasting Luminova colored front sights. My friend and master small arms instructor Ken Hackathorn liked the sights so much he had Rick create a sight set called Hack Sights which have proven to be quite popular. While these early sights were a step in the right direction I wasn’t quite satisfied and began a two year process to come up with what I thought was the optimum sight for fighting with a pistol. After much trial and error I created the CAP Sight. Rick wanted me to put my name somewhere in the sight’s name, but being a big believer in being verbally/visually descriptive I wanted the name of the sights to reflect their intended purpose. Thus the Combative Application Pistol sight was born. The following is the product descriptor that I wrote for Rick:

Combative Applications Pistol (CAP) Sight

Combative: “Ready and willing to fight” combined with Application: “Using for a particular purpose” (Webster’s Dictionary)

The Ameriglo CAP Sight is designed for semi-automatic pistols used for law enforcement, military or personal security situations. While they can be used for competition, this is not their intended function. The CAP sight is designed to be used in close quarter conflict where traditional sight alignment/sight picture will be problematic due to the stress and duress of the event.

The CAP sight was developed by retired law enforcement officer, author and trainer (2010 Law Enforcement Trainer of the Year) Dave Spaulding based on three decades of research into armed conflict.

Several shooters with a competitive background do not like the rear sight stating they need tritium dots for precise shots. While I disagree, there is NO problem here. The front sight will work with any Ameriglo rear, so tailor the sight for your real world of work or play. The CAP rear is designed to reduce optical confusion during crisis, simplifying the sight picture and enhancing one’s ability to reference the front sight in fast, pandemonium filled conflict. Using a pistol in a situation in which someone is trying to kill you offers a viewpoint that those who have not been there will not truly understand. That said, the experience is NOT recommended!

The first run of CAP Sights was sold to a large distributor to be placed on an exclusive run of handguns. This order should be filled in a few weeks with the CAP Sight being available for the Glock in mid-December. Look for them at www.ameriglo.com.

Dave Spaulding is the 2010 Law Officer Trainer of the Year and Law Officer’s Firearms columnist. A 28-year law enforcement veteran who retired at the rank of lieutenant, he is the founder of Handgun Compatives. He has worked in corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training and SWAT—and has authored more than 1,000 articles for various firearms and law enforcement periodicals. He’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives. Visit his web site at www.handguncombatives.com and like him on Facebook.