The type of firearm sight that is simple , inexpensive, and standard on most handguns is the basic iron sight, specifically the open “notch and post” iron sight.

What this sight looks like

  • Open iron sights use a front post and a rear notch mounted on the top of the slide.
  • To aim, the shooter centers the top of the front post in the rear notch and places that aligned sight picture on the target.

Why it’s standard and inexpensive

  • Most factory handguns ship with basic open iron sights already installed, so there is no extra purchase required.
  • They are mechanically simple, with no electronics, lenses, or batteries, which keeps manufacturing and replacement costs low.

How it compares to other sights

  • Compared with red‑dot optics or scopes, open iron sights are more rugged, less expensive, and easier to maintain, but usually slower to use and harder for some shooters at longer distances.
  • Fiber‑optic and tritium night sights are still iron sights at their core, but they add light‑gathering or glowing elements and therefore cost more than plain open irons.

So, if a question asks, “Which type of firearm sight is simple, inexpensive, and standard on most handguns?”, the answer is: the basic open iron sight (notch-and-post).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.