XS Sights DXT Big Dots

Recently we had a conversation with some of our industry friends who asked us if we would like to try out a set of XS Sight Systems “Big Dots” for one of our pistols. Well this was music to my ears since my only 1980’s Browning Hi Power Mk II was in desperate need of an upgrade.
The original sights on the BHP Mk II were classic ones that the previous owner the Israeli Defense Forces Sayeret Matkal had thoroughly beat on and had been smacked into a great many things it looked like. They had served the pistol well but it was upgrade time
Who is XS Sight Systems ?
XS Sight Systems started in 1986 when Ashley Emerson grew tired with the lack of sights that were on the market and teamed up with Ed Pastusek to create A&E Mfg which would go on later to become XS Sight Systems in 2002. Since it’s early days XS Sight Systems broke the mold and took a hard look at what was “normal” and worked to create something that was simple and worked well under all conditions for shooters everywhere
XS Sight Systems is based right here in the United States, deep in the heart of Fort Worth Texas. The company makes sights for 26 different brands of pistols alone covering just about everyone from Beretta, Glock, H&K, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, and even smaller brands like Sphinx, Makarov, Canik and Honor Defense. That’s a lot of coverage and I almost forgot to mention the No Questions Asked 10 year Warranty.

Initial Thoughts
When the sights showed up they arrived exactly how you would expect them to show up in a sealed package with clear instructions on how to install and what exact tools from Brownells would be needed on a normal installation. That however was not going to work for be because of how the front sight on my BHP Mk II was formed into the slide. My initial pre mailing inspection of the sights is that they were well made, evenly coated and REALLY bright when I left them out in the sun and took them into the garage. This is sorta the point of Tritium sights so I was pleased
The “Big Dot” sights were exactly that, very large. I chose these sights rather than the smaller dot because this pistol is essentially a range queen and 95% of the shooting I do is at 7-10 yards. Simple large dots work for me I just need to adjust to shooting a lollypop style hold over.

A Trip to Texas
Since I lacked a mill and the skills to install the sights I chose to ship them and my BHP slide to the person who initially did all the work on my pistol, Mr. Alex Hamilton of 10 Ring Precision in San Antonio, Texas. About a week after shipping the slide down south it was on its way back with my new XS Sights installed, with no refinishing needed. This was a small miracle but either way I was happy to have the sights and my slide on the way back North to Alaska. XS Sight Systems does offer installation services for users but I wanted 10 Ring Precision to put the final touches on a project that took me a long time to do the way I wanted it. It had nothing to do with my faith in XS Sight Systems.
Ready for the Range
The first range session with the XS Big Dots was a bit interesting since I had very little experience with a line or bar / dot system. My only experience was with a Kimber 1911 years ago that I tried to have customized and I hated it. Thankfully I did not experience that sort of nightmare with the XS Big Dots. No drama at the range is a good day indeed.
I was only able to put about 250 rounds of my standard 9mm plinking ammo, 115 grain full metal jacket 9mm from Union Metallic yellow box through my BHP Mk II the first time out. Some people really knock the old yellow box UMC but for me it’s been a perfect range round to test pistols and sub machine guns of all flavors.
The first few rounds I will admit were not where I wanted them, then I relaxed and remembered it’s simple “Dot the i” and then began to ring the Defense Targets RST target like normal. Like I said before I’m not the type of gun writer to never admit that sometimes I make mistake and the first few rounds it was obvious. That was totally operator error not the sights.

The front big dot is fantastic in it’s simplicity and very easy to pick up even if you happen to wear corrective lenses. The rear sight post lines up evenly and is a natural assist in sight alignment. This gets easier and easier the more you shoot the XS Big Dots and I imagine will be the same with the smaller dot and on other pistols.
The tritium on both the front and rear sights glow very well when charged up with a flashlight or daylight and are the brightest on the market. In factory field testing these sights have held up to more than 25,000 rounds and over a decade of use routinely. This type of testing and longterm durability is important to consumers everywhere.
Even after a relatively quick 250 round session I really began to wonder why I didn’t upgrade my tire old sights years earlier. I guess sometimes it does pay to procrastinate on gun projects. In all seriousness these sights helped turn a fun pistol to shoot into a great pistol to shoot. Simple and easy to pickup compared to the old beat up military sights.
Pass or Fail ?
That’s the real question everyone wants to know. Would I spend money on a set of XS big dots for my other pistols or rifles ? A very solid YES, would be my answer. Lets look at the list of reasons why we think the XS sights pass our criteria for what we would call a great product.
- Made in the USA
- Available in just about every pistol model that is popular
- Affordable
- Lots of options
- Allows for faster target acquisition
- Tritium (enough said)
I want to say that in terms of target acquisition, the XS big dots made it easier for me to gets rounds on target faster, and I’m a slow shooter by my own admission. Using these in just a short time just helps me relax as a shooter and can build confidence in new shooters. “Dotting the i” is a simple system and can be learned quickly. I can’t stress enough that for a CCW or sub 15 yards shooters these are a game changer.
More than Pistols
XS Sight systems doesn’t just make pistol sights, they offer shooters a wide range of products to cover shotguns, hunting and tactical rifles as well as a growing support of rifle mounts as well. One of the great things is that they provide support for smaller manufacturers as well as the “big boys and girls” of the firearms industry.
If you are interested in learning more about XS Sight Systems check out their link below. Read up on their “No Questions Asked- 10 Year Warranty”, their product lines and what they have coming in the near future. We want to thank XS Sights for working with us and look for the 2500 round update on the sights sometime this spring.
