Tritium Sights

[sanddan]

I have a Kimber Solo CDP with tritium night sights. They don't seem to glow any more (1 year old) unless I set the gun in the sun occasionally. Is this normal or are they defective?

 

[Vegaman]

Not sure of the specific sights on your Kimber, but Trijicon warranties their tritium sightss for up to 12 years from the date of manufacture (depending on the color). That number seems based on the half life of tritium (12.5 years), so it sounds like you may have an issue, perhaps they installed old sights.

https://www.trijicon.com/na_en/support/warranty.php

 

[bofh]

From which manufacturer are the Tritium night sights? If there are from Kimber, contact them: Link Removed. Actual Tritium night sights contain, well, Tritium,with a half-life of 12.32 years (tritium loses half its brightness, so to speak, in that period).

 

[BC1]

Most tritium sights will weaken over time. usually 8-10 years.
.
Tritium illumination is the use of gaseous tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, to create visible light. Tritium emits electrons through beta decay, and, when they interact with a phosphor material, fluorescent light is created, a process called radio-luminescence. This is quite different from photo-luminescent materials. Photo-luminescent materials glow after "soaking-up" light. Tritium sights do not. Tritium sights will not strengthen after exposing them to light, as per se the numbers on a wristwatch which are usually photo-luminescent. Because tritium sights create light based on radioactive (beta) decay they weaken over time. I would simply replace the sights with a nice bright new set.

 

[ET]

I have them on my Kimber Ultra and still going strong... I would contact Kimber..

 

[sanddan]

Thanks for all the help. I'll try to contact Kimber.