On April 4th, 2014 I was taking care of estate issues at my grandmother’s house in Fort Worth Texas. It was during this time I had the privilege of visiting XS Sight’s facilities, just 1 ½ miles from my grandmother’s house. If I had known that is where they were all these years, I would have visited them many times!

XS Sight Systems was the brain child of Ed Pastusek, who had a manufacturing facility called Horizon Tech Industries that made some very special parts for the medical industry. Founded in 1984 – yes folks, that was 30 years ago) Ed created a trusted business in the medical industry, something rare and even rarer to still be in business. This very day, one of their parts is used every 3 seconds in surgery. Machining and manufacturing were in Ed’s blood and in his family.

Unfortunately Ed passed away on March 24th 2010. His son Jon and daughter-in-law (the lovely Stephanie) took over the family business and have continued with the innovation and quality that Ed founded the business on.

The day I visited, Jon was very busy so Stephanie was gracious and spent time with me answering my questions and giving me a tour of their facilities. She introduced me to many of the staff, of which they all consider each other family. Hint, that is a great sign of a well-run business when team members consider each other family. As a matter of fact, one team member’s father had worked for Ed, two generations of team members working for the same company; obviously XS is doing something right in the personnel department.

While talking with Stephanie I asked some nitty gritty questions about company policies, hiring, firing, continued training/education, things most writers wont or don’t ask. I was absolutely floored by her responses. This is a company owned by a family and run as if every team member (I hate the term “employee”) was a family member. If I need a job, this is one of the few places I would put my application in!

At this time they are expanding their operations to the facilities next door to their current facilities.

Beyond the sights, they also support many programs such as the NRA, the National Shooting Sports foundation and the USPSA and IDPA. Beyond these common names in the gun world, they also support HAVA (www.honoredveterans.org) Stephanie is on their Board, DIVA Women Outdoors Worldwide and what was a local Fort Worth effort that is now growing nationally, A Girl and a Gun Women’s Shooting League. XS Sights is a member of the BBB and NFIB.

They are working on some programs called the “Next level of training” and a certified pistol training class, using XS Sights of course. According to her, they “want to offer support to the training world.”

While supporting worthy causes is a great think, many times, in the gun industry specifically, there are those who manufacturer and then those who manufacturer and shoot. The staff of XS Sights is the latter. Shooting in both local Fort Worth events and traveling around the United States to shoot at various events, putting their products and skills to the test. In January the team from XS had participated in the Fort Worth SWAT challenge and took first place, by 100th of a second. Yes, getting on target that much faster was the difference in 1st and 2nd place and was all because of XS Sights.

American manufacturing is still alive and well in Texas, thank you Governor Perry!

You can go to the XS Sights web site at www.XSSights.com and explore all the sights, rails, glass breakers they have available.

Soon I will publish Part 2 (the Handgun sights) and Part 3 (other sights and products they make) so stay tuned.

Until we meet again, Keep your booger hooker off the bang switch.