When you need rapid sight picture acquisition in a high-stress, low-light home defense environment, TRUGLO delivers.

While defense professionals are quick to state their preferences as to what type of firearm is optimal for home protection, the reality is that most of use what we are comfortable with, be it a shotgun, pistol, or AR-15 style rifle. Some of us maintain ready access to all three.

[quotes quotes_style=”bquotes” quotes_pos=”center”]”Yet no matter which type of firearm you choose to protect your home, there are a couple of common denominators that should be factored in—stress and low-light conditions.”[/quotes]

Sure, you may be able to drill the 10-ring at the range with your weapon of choice, but will that proficiency translate once the fight-or-flight mode kicks in, your cone of vision narrows, and you’re trying to line up on an intruder in the middle of the night?

The fact is, not all firearm setups translate well across multiple uses or conditions. This is especially true when it comes to sight picture acquisition. In a defense situation, such as a 2 a.m. home invasion, you need to cut through the mental chaos and quickly engage the threat regardless of the firearm in your hands. The good news is, TRUGLO offers several options to help you do just that—whether your go-to is a shotgun, handgun, or rifle.

Defensive Shotgun Sights

If you rely on a shotgun for home defense, it’s likely an 18-inch pump you purchased specifically for this purpose. Good choice. You have a weapon that is easy to operate under stress, easy to maneuver in the tight confines of a home, and has the “umph” to get the job done. The only thing lacking, most likely, is a proper front sight.

The TRUGLO TFO™ Shotgun Front Sight is the optimal upgrade for your tactical shotgun. Utilizing TRUGLO’s patented tritium/fiber-optic technology, this sight is visible in all lighting conditions. The tritium glows in the dark with no need for batteries. In low-light conditions, where the tritium competes with ambient light, the fiber optic element provides the illumination. This is great when you are transitioning between lighting conditions, such as you have in a home environment. Another benefit of the TFO™ Shotgun Front Sight is that the robust housing conceals the tritium/fiber optic element from the target.

For those who have designated an older hunting-style shotgun as their home defender, you can still improve its defense capabilities for low-light conditions. The Home Defense Fiber Optic Universal Shotgun Sight is designed for quick and easy installation on plain-barrel (no rib) shotguns. This sight simply snaps over the barrel right behind the factory bead. It’s a simple solution for any “backup” defensive shotgun.

As a side note for those of you who have a Remington shotgun with dovetail sight mounts, TRUGLO recently introduced the TFX™ Pro Remington Shotgun Sights. This sight also uses the tritium/fiber-optic combo for “all light” visibility, but includes a white front focus ring surrounding the tritium/fiber-optic element (housed in a chemical and shock-resistant capsule for maximum durability).

Handgun Options

For their convenience, high-capacity, and close-quarter effectiveness, it’s little wonder that handguns are the most popular choice for in-home defense. Yet even in optimal lighting conditions, acquiring a proper sight picture with a handgun can be difficult under stress for those who have not spent a lot of quality time on the range. This is where a high-visibility sight such as the TRUGLO TFX™ or TFO™ series can help. The TFX™ line of pistol sights has become increasingly popular with law enforcement professionals.

This year, TRUGLO has expanded the line with the new TFX™ Pro. The TFX™ Pro comes with same front and rear tritium/fiber-optic elements, chemical and shock-resistant capsule, and CNC-machined steel housing as the original TFX™ sight system, but instead of a white front sight FOCUS•LOCK Ring, the TFX™ Pro features a high-visibility contrasting orange ring that further enhances low-light sight picture acquisition.

Another popular sighting option for defensive handgun owners is the TRU•POINT™ Laser/Light Combo. This is an ideal upgrade for home defense because it puts a bright, 200 lumen flashlight right on your pistol. There is no need to fumble for a flashlight when it’s right there on your gun. What’s more, an adjustable laser sight (switchable between green or red light) is integrated into the flashlight, providing you another sighting option. The TRU•POINT™ Laser/Light Combo secures to any pistol chassis with a standard Picatinny or Weaver-style rail.

Spot-On for ARs

While the ballistics of an AR-15 platform rifle don’t make it the ideal defensive weapon in a home or in close urban environments, its extended range and high-volume firing capability make it a desirable “homestead” defensive weapon—especially for those who live beyond the suburbs.

For the dual applications of defense and sport shooting, a red dot sighting system is ideally suited to the AR-15/MSR platform. For this, TRUGLO offers two new systems: the TRU•TEC™ 20mm and the TRU•TEC™ 30mm RED•DOT sights.

We say these sights are dual-purpose because a red dot-style sight is optimal for close-quarter defense situations. A magnified optic is a poor choice for close-range defense, and traditional A2-style open sights are challenging in low-light conditions. The TRU•TEC™ RED•DOT sights, on the other hand, provide excellent long-range accuracy for target shooting or hunting, as well as close-quarter sight picture acquisition and low-light visibility in a homestead defense environment. It’s the best of both worlds.

Both the 20mm and 30mm TRU•TEC™ RED•DOT sights feature a 2 MOA reticle, with digital push-button controls and multiple brightness settings to match the light conditions. Unlimited eye relief means its easy to get on target when you’re under stress and, of course, both mount to standard Picatinny or Weaver-style rails.

As you can see, an effective home defense firearm is more than the “spare” rifle, pistol, or shotgun you leave under the bed and hope you never have to use. To better serve you when stress is high and lighting conditions are anything but optimal, you need a sighting system built for the job. Fortunately, no matter which weapon platform you prefer, TRUGLO has the tools you need to get on target in any situation.