The heart of the HexSite: six implied equilateral triangles that draw the eye to converge automatically on the center of the aperture.

“In using these sights bring the front sight into the rear notch, making a straight line across the rear bar and the top of the front sight in the notch opening, so the eye will see a black square with two lines of light of equal width on each side.”

Today, Patridge-type sights are still being produced and used in the same manner. So where’s the rub? Here’s the rub: Patridge poured considerable time, energy and money into research and development of a sight for target shooting, not combat.

Over the years, Patridge sights have been modified with colored paint, or luminous inserts have been added to both the front and rear sights in an effort to improve the ability of the shooter to see and focus upon the sights under various lighting conditions. But those modifications don’t change the fact that the Patridge was created expressly for achieving accurate hits on non-threatening paper targets while the shooter’s focus was maintained on the sights, not the target.

Once you understand that, you will realize that both schools of combat thought are irrelevant because both revolved around a sight that was not designed or intended to be used for combat shooting.

If you think this is a spurious argument, consider for a moment the adoption and employment of red-dot sights on various long guns currently being used in combat theaters around the globe. The primary reason these types of sights have been embraced so enthusiastically is because they allow the shooter to verify alignment of the barrel with the threat while maintaining visual focus--with both eyes open--on that same threat.

This design is effective because it works in harmony with the body’s natural reactions to fear and stress as well as the need for the shooter to be able to determine, moment by moment, if the human being facing the muzzle needs to be shot or not.

So why doesn’t someone design a handgun sight based on these same objectives? Well, a few people have. Laser sights that allow the verification of barrel alignment while maintaining focus on the threat are becoming increasingly popular. There are also red-dot sights that have been modified for use on handguns. While initially intended for competition use, the combat applications of these types of sights are obvious.

As for iron sights, the vast majority of “combat” designed or modified sights share the same flawed approach as the venerable Patridge: Regardless of shape or configuration, they are designed to be looked at while in the process of shooting the threat. Then along came Tim Sheehan.

Based in Sedona, Arizona, Sheehan has spent years working as a defensive pistol instructor, gunsmith and inventor. For more than 13 years, he has been relentlessly pursuing a specific goal, much as Patridge did back in the late 1800s. Also like Patridge, Tim also sought out the advice of professionals outside the firearms industry--most notably in the medical and behavioral sciences fields--in his quest to design a sight. But unlike Patridge, Tim’s goal was a sight specifically for close-quarter combat.

The resulting HexSite (Goshen Enterprises, goshen-hexsite.com, 928-284-1483) allows the operator to focus on the target, not on the sights, while keeping both eyes open. Due to the unique design of the HexSite, the operator is able to do just that while still benefiting from the presence of the sights. That is because the HexSite has been designed to be looked through, not at, while the operator is engaged in combat.