sightI have a set of tritium gun sights I purchased a couple years ago. How long can I expect them to last? Is there anything I can do to extend their life?
The halflife of tritium is a hair over 12 years, which, if I recall correctly, means the light output will be 1/4 after 12 years. Expect them to be useful for about a decade. There’s really nothing you can do to make them last longer.
I’ve always replaced mine at 7 years. After that point they get pretty dull and I’ve had them drop off in brightness unexpectedly.
You can’t be too sure how old the tritium really is, you only know how long it’s been yours.
From Trijicon:
http://www.trijicon.com/na_en/support/faq_general.php
What is Tritium?
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. It is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas that reacts with the human body in the same manner as natural hydrogen. Beta rays from the tritium hit phosphors to create the glow you see. Tritium has a half-life of 12.5 years, which means that in that time the lamp will be half as bright as it originally was.
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