Improving Glock factory sights?

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  • Topshot

    Marksman
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    Oct 16, 2015
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    Terre Haute
    Perhaps also due to aging eyes since I can't focus on front sight unless using bifocals, but I've come to the conclusion I don't like the sights on my Gen 2 23 and Gen 3 27 mostly because the gaps are too small so I must use the white marks. Thus, I either need thinner front sight or wider rear sight.

    I do have a factory night sight set that I've never installed so maybe those would help, but I'd like to know what others have done to improve the sights? Since the sights are quite blurry anyway, I'm not wanting to spend much.
     

    T-DOGG

    I'm Spicy, deal with it.
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    Feb 4, 2011
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    I buy a pair of ameriglos usually the hackathorns and be done with it.
    :+1: Ameriglo offers the best bang for the buck in handgun sights. I absolutely love their front night sight with the orange outline. I have the Hackathorns on my 2 Glocks and the Spartan Operators on the wife's G42. The Hackathorns offer a better sight picture for faster sight acquisition and for aging eyes as well.

    If you have an Amazon Prime account, the Hackathorns are $57.59 right now with free 2-day shipping. They will charge you tax on anything sold and shipped by Amazon as an FYI though.

    https://www.amazon.com/AmeriGlo-GL-...514112330&sr=8-1&keywords=ameriglo+hackathorn
     

    LCSOSgt11

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    The weakest point of the Glock is the set of issued sights. Just about anything will do to replace them. Plastic sights are for toy guns, not real firearms.
     

    Topshot

    Marksman
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    Hackathorns must be popular here. :): Looking at them, I'm puzzled how they can perform well in low light also when there's nothing to distinguish the rear sight vs some of the other Ameriglo styles? And at least the G43 (good chance I'd eventually get one) version only has 0.010" difference between blade and notch. The sight distance can't be THAT much shorter to have such a tiny gap???
     

    BehindBlueI's

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    If you can't focus on the sights, here's two decent options.

    1) Blacked out rear, hi-viz front. Dawson Precision comes to mind.

    2) Red dot. RDS has some down sides, but if your vision is starting to degrade they make a lot of sense. You can shoot both eyes opewhich can compensate a bit. You also don't have to make that transition between target and sight, since both your "sight" and target exist on the same plane as far as your vision is concerned.
     

    aporter

    Marksman
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    Dec 11, 2017
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    I have always had issues with eye focus on the factory sights. I like the TFX Pro Nigt Sights. More expensive, but with my vision in my left eye (30/80) I can focus and acquire much faster. Some shops may have a used weapon with sights that you can check out before you settle.
     

    Topshot

    Marksman
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    Is the theory of using a large front dot (circle) with blacked out rear that if there is a "flat" on a side or bottom of the dot, you aren't centered? In other words there are no traditional gaps on both sides of the blade? Think I best stop by Top Guns and see what they have installed on some guns.
     

    BehindBlueI's

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    Is the theory of using a large front dot (circle) with blacked out rear that if there is a "flat" on a side or bottom of the dot, you aren't centered? In other words there are no traditional gaps on both sides of the blade? Think I best stop by Top Guns and see what they have installed on some guns.

    No. They work on the same notion as peep sights/ghost rings. That your brain will automatically attempt to center the dot in the rear. It's sort of an open ghost ring. With most high visibility sights you have an insert, either fiber optic or high contrast coloring (often augmented with tritium for night use). That draws your eye to the front sight, and with a blacked out rear there's less competing for your attention. Then your brain "has" the front sight, it will center it in the notch.

    That's the problem with XS Big dots. They suck. They cover the entire target at distances where you actually need sights, and they are actually slower to acquire due to the sloping rear sight. There's a reason you don't see them in competition or in use by any department/unit/agency that actually tests things with timers and targets.

    Also remember that the type of shooting your doing matters. If you are looking for self defense, then speed of acquisition is very important, whereas target shooting it's completely irrelevant. Black on black sights are great for target shooting, particularly on light colored targets. You don't actually have to focus on the sight, just equal height/equal light. However they are less then ideal for fighting pistols due to slower acquisition and poor utility in many lighting situations.
     

    NHT3

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    Flat black on the rear covering up the "U" or tap it out with a plastic hammer and turn it around so you have a solid black rear sight and put orange fingernail polish or model paint dot over the white on the front. Costs nothing (if you have the fingernail polish or model paint) and greatly improves the sight picture. If you want to spend money I find the black rear and fiber optic red front the easiest to see.
    [FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member, [/FONT]Basic Pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] / RSO[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

    [/FONT][FONT=&amp]"Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That's why we train so hard" [/FONT][FONT=&amp]
    [/FONT][FONT=&amp]Unnamed Navy Seal[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
    “Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public”

    [/FONT][FONT=&amp]Aron Bright[/FONT]
     

    Topshot

    Marksman
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    Oct 16, 2015
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    That's the problem with XS Big dots. They suck.
    I picked up another pistol that came with these and at least dry firing I'd have to agree they will not work well for me in at least some lighting situations.

    Flat black on the rear covering up the "U" or tap it out with a plastic hammer and turn it around so you have a solid black rear sight and put orange fingernail polish or model paint dot over the white on the front. Costs nothing (if you have the fingernail polish or model paint) and greatly improves the sight picture.
    I will do that first to test and it would assist me in color selection, too. I don't mind white for now. I'd think orange would be better, but studies apparently show that we pick up green the best.

    I was going to ask how well ghost ring sights would work so your experience seems like they may be worth a try. Have you had any issues getting a decent (as it gets for you) sight picture in all lighting conditions? Any issues with covering too much of the target at certain distances?
     

    Vigilant

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    Jul 12, 2008
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    Glock pistols come from the factory with plastic dovetail protectors in the rear, and a dust cover in the front. I’m partial to the Trijicon HD’s with a Sharpie taken to the rear dots, but am looking to try the Sevigny all black rears and thin post fronts.
     

    Topshot

    Marksman
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    Oct 16, 2015
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    Terre Haute
    Glock pistols come from the factory with plastic dovetail protectors in the rear, and a dust cover in the front. I’m partial to the Trijicon HD’s with a Sharpie taken to the rear dots, but am looking to try the Sevigny all black rears and thin post fronts.
    :)
    I let him know Google claims his site may be hacked. I wish his plain black ones had a dot on the front though I could possibly add one carefully. I do think I'd like a thinner front (or wider rear) since these will be going on a 26. Since Glock's plastic ones are cheap I may experiment with modifying those first.
     

    Mustang1911

    Marksman
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    Oct 19, 2015
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    Westfield
    How well can you still use 3 dot sights? If you can’t focus on the sight it’s self, can you see the dots well enough? I have Trijicon TFX sights on my EDC and my wife’s gun and I like them. They’re tridium plus fiber optic which are sealed to keep the FO from breaking (unlike the TFOs). The TFX Pros were not out when I got mine a couple of years ago or else I probably would have gotten the Pros. If not you might just have to bite the bullet and get a red dot.
     

    jonny4523

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    May 26, 2009
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    Lafayette
    All of my Glocks currently use the Ameriglo FBI Contract sights. That are awesome! Hands down my preferred sight. I have had Trijicon HDs on a lot of my other pistols and love them too. But for the Glocks, I just though they sat way too high. Ameriglos are a little lower profile and fit my bill perfectly. The FBI contract sights have tritium front and back with the bright orange dot up front.

    9SPZWoE.jpg
     

    Tombs

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    Jan 13, 2011
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    Martinsville
    Perhaps also due to aging eyes since I can't focus on front sight unless using bifocals, but I've come to the conclusion I don't like the sights on my Gen 2 23 and Gen 3 27 mostly because the gaps are too small so I must use the white marks. Thus, I either need thinner front sight or wider rear sight.

    I do have a factory night sight set that I've never installed so maybe those would help, but I'd like to know what others have done to improve the sights? Since the sights are quite blurry anyway, I'm not wanting to spend much.


    Sometimes simply flipping the rear sight around can do wonders if your eyes are having issues with the rear sight.

    I will say if that solution doesn't help, ameriglo hackathorns are fantastic sights, whether you go with the tritium vial or not. They give you a lot of air around the front sight and attract the eye very nicely.
     
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