Tritium Sight failure..

[TacticalPizzas]

Anyone ever had tritium sights fail prematurely?? My gun was manufactured in 2016, it’s a CZ 75 SP01 Tactical, came with TRU DOT night sights from the factory. This morning I pulled it out of the holster and noticed that the front sight was completely dead, not even the slightest bit of output.

A while back I had a Ruger P89 with some 19994 dated trijicons that were pretty dim but still put some light out, so I know what dim ones look like. I can’t remember if any of it is under warranty. I bought the gun used a couple years ago so I don’t even know if it would be valid.

As you can see in the picture the rears are bright enough for my cell phone to pick up.
I posted a pic of the slide showing the manufacture date.

 

[TacticalPizzas]

Meant to ask if anyone else has has seen this happen?

Also, this gun is NOT abused at all.

 

[FrommerStop]

Well the half life is about 12 years and I assume that absence of light emission suggests a physical loss and not a radioactive decay of it.

Trijicon is generally considered to be the "best" trit sights. They have a 12 year lifespan according to their literature. All sights use Tritium, the decay of which cannot be controlled by any manufacturing process. Its half-life is 12 years, 3 months and illumination is reduced proportionally with the half life.

It is contained in vial. I have not been able find precisely how it is contained. Chemically it can used as a type of water, but I am not sure what chemical form it is in when placed in the glass vial that goes into a sight. Wiki say it is in gaseous form

During manufacture, a length of borosilicate glass tube that has had the internal surface coated with a phosphor-containing material is filled with radioactive tritium. The tube is then sealed at the desired length using a carbon dioxide laser. Borosilicate is preferred for its strength and resistance to breakage. In the tube, the tritium gives off a steady stream of electrons due to beta decay. These particles excite the phosphor, causing it to emit a low, steady glow.

Big question if it can leak out and I do not know.

Tritium Night Sights
Actually, it's a chemical mixed with the tritium and contained in a glass vial that glows when subjected to tritium's radiation. ... Novak Designs gets its vials from MB Microtec and then has the vials installed in its sights by Trijicon.May 2, 2018

 

[TacticalPizzas]

Thanks for the information man. I’m guessing the vial broke I just can’t figure out how. I guess the real question now is are they under warranty and if not what’s a good replacement lol

 

[wildrider666]

If you take it into pitch black environment, is there any noticeable illumination? I guess if you noticed the front "getting dimmer" you would have mentioned it.
There's a good probability front and rear units were pulled from larger batches of each, then packaged or installed as a "pair": meaning one can be much older then the other and therefore Dim at different rates. BUT a total blackout in 4-5 years is a failure and happens more than we would like (some have failed in weeks under normal use). I don't know CZ policy on second owner Warranty or night sights. I'd just upgrade a new Set, keep the paperwork, and call it good. Hammer, punch, vise: simple.