If you mention sights from Trijicon, their HD and XR series will come up always. Trijicon does make good sights, there is no denying that fact. But do all the sights they make warrant the same attention? What’s the difference among them? Can you just blindly pick one and stick with it?
You probably could. But why would you do that? Don’t worry, I am not here to make you more confused.
Let’s talk about the two most wanted sights from Trijicon. Trijicon HD vs Trijicon HD XR. Two series of sights whose ultimate job is the same thing. Providing you flawless handgun experience.
How well do they do that? Let’s find that out.
Trijicon HD/ HD XR – Outlooks
Trijicon HD/ HD XR – Specs
| Specs | Trijicon HD | Trijicon HD XR |
|---|---|---|
| Mounting Type | Not Included | Not Included |
| Front Sight Size(WXH) | 0.122×0.283 inches | 0.144×0.268 inches |
| Back Sight Size(WXH) | 0.169×0.321 inches | 0.169×0.321 inches |
| Weight | 0.01 lbs | 0.11 lbs |
| Battery | Not required | Not required |
Trijicon HD VS HD XR – Differences
- HD XR is a lighter sight by a small margin.
- HD XR is slightly smaller in the front as well.
- Both of them come without mounts.
- HD Glock has Green and Orange colors compared to Green and Yellow in HD XR.
- HD XR has improved tritium fiber.
Quality
Trijicon HD: Build quality and tritium quality on this sight is just amazing. Trijicon knows how to work around tritium. The tritium fiber they use is high quality. They get extremely bright during the night time. The green tritium is easy on the eyes and quite easy to see. In the daytime, white light will help you focus during the day time as well.
Trijicon HD XR: HD XR is a prized possession of Trijicon. Whenever you see the term HD, it reminds you of the HD glass. But here, there is no glass involved. Tritium fiber is very bright. The size is perfect as well. You wouldn’t feel like your sight is obstructed due to this.
Durability
Trijicon HD: Weight distribution on this sight is beyond amazing. Unlike sights where the entire sight is made out of aluminum and glass lens, here this night sight is made out of two components. An aluminum cylinder that protects tritium. Where the aluminum sight is protected by rubber armor. Overall, it’s a durable sight made to last.
Trijicon HD XR: Just like HD is also made out of double materials. The tritium is protected by the aluminum cylinder. The aluminum cylinder is also protected by rubber armor. That armor is thick enough to protect it from scratches and cuts. Though you shouldn’t bring blades to it.
Performance
Trijicon HD: Night sights are supposed to improve your performance and that’s exactly what this sight does. It won’t make you John Wick all of a sudden, but it will improve your target practicing by a lot. The short-range performance of this sight is insanely good.
If you want to enable your Glock supremacy, you must buy this sight.
Trijicon HD XR: If you have read Trijicon HD XR reviews before or even looked at the reviews of buyers on Trijicon’s sight, you will know just how happy people are with this sight. No one would have thought that Trijicon would improve the HD series with another iteration. But I guess nobody saw this coming. The accuracy on HD XR is something to desire.
Short-range performance on the field is just simply amazing.
Size
Trijicon HD: As you can see from the specification chart, Trijicon HD is relatively smaller than HD XR. While the back-sight is the same. The front height is much lower here.
Overall, it’s a small and good-looking sight. Perfect size to use with any pistol you have on your hand. Trijicon offers massive support. Pretty sure you will find this sight for your desired pistol.
Trijicon HD XR: The rear sight is the same size as HD. But the front sight is slightly bigger. This does come with a bit of advantage. As it sits a bit higher on the gun, you can notice just how well it brightens up during the low light. It provides a bit of increased performance.
You might prefer a smaller height sight and that’s perfectly fine. But some don’t. If you don’t require a flush sight, then go with the XR.
Weight
Trijicon HD: It’s one of the lightest night sights available for your Glock. The sight weighs only at 0.01lbs. That’s crazy light. You won’t even notice that there is something on top of your gun. The weight balance between the front and back sight is quite nice as well.
Trijicon HD XR: It’s slightly heavier than the HD series but still not heavy enough to issue a warrant. You can put it on top of the gun and forget about the weight. Weight distribution between the two sights is quite nice well. Of course, you can use it with front sight only.
Trijicon HD/ HD XR – Videos
Trijicon HD VS HD XR – Summary
Trijicon makes great sight there is no denying that. Trijicon HD and HD XR both are great sights. When you compare them against each other, the difference between two of them is not that noticeable.
Both of these sights are great and will ultimately depend on your budget. You can’t go wrong with either and you won’t regret purchasing either.
While XR might be a bit better in most outcomes, doesn’t mean HD is behind by far.
Ultimately, competition is good for us consumers. We will keep getting good sights thanks to that.
Hi, I’m Brent Hansford. A writer turned hunter & now sharing my love for the sport through writing. As I practically breathe weapons, I firmly believe I’m capable of providing you with new knowledge about firearms and hunting. My mission is to help more people get better at hunting & master the weapons. Let me help with unleashing the beast within you!
