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Glock Perfection. It’s a good slogan, but there’s definitely room for improvement on a Glock pistol. Don’t take my word for it—look at the multitude of companies that offer up nothing but aftermarket parts for Glock pistols. Some changes can be on the more expensive side, like replacing the entire slide or a slide-barrel combo. Other changes are much more affordable. Falling into the latter category would be the sights. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with the stock Glock sights. Plenty of people shoot perfectly well with the plastic three-white-dot factory setup. If, however, you want to improve the performance of your Glock, replacing the sights is a good place to start. It’s not a super-expensive upgrade, and putting the best Glock sights on your firearm is always a good investment.
Best Fiber Optic: Viking Tactics Fiber Optic Glock Sight
Best Tritium: TruGlo Tritium Handgun Sight
Best Suppressor Height: KNS SwitchSight Folding Pistol Sight
Best Aftermarket: Trijicon HD XR Night Sight
Best Budget: AmeriGlo Protector Night Sight
Best Fiber Optic: Viking Tactics Fiber Optic Glock Sight
Specs
Pairs fiber optic and tritium
Durable all-metal construction
Pros
Choose from red and green or all green
Fiber optic tubes in both front and rear sights
Cons
Not MOS (Modular Optic System) compatible
Founded by Delta Force Sgt. Maj. Kyle Lamb, Viking Tactics knows what it takes to make a quality pair of fiber optic sights, and they combine a lot of useful features into one pair of sights. During daylight, you have fiber optic tubes in your choice of color combinations that allow for quick sight acquisition as well as increased speed during target transitions. If it’s dark out, you have the ability to see your sights regardless of the situation by utilizing the tritium outlines that surround the fiber optic tubes. While most fiber optic sights only have a tube in the front sight, this pair has tubes in both the front and rear sights for extra fast sight alignment, even in unconventional situations.
Best Tritium: TruGlo Tritium Handgun Sight
Specs
CNC-machined
12-year lifespan
Pros
Tritium glows with no light source needed for charging
During the day, they provide a tried-and-true standard white-dot sight configuration
Nitride finished for durability
Cons
Tritium eventually dims and dies, meaning that you’ll have to replace them at some point
Available only in green
If you’re looking for a pair of sights that performs just as well at night as they do during the day, check out the TruGlo Tritium Sights. CNC-machined for a precision part that fits correctly every time, TruGlo sights feature tritium inserts that continually glow, thanks to the very nature of tritium itself. During the day, you’ll get sights that look like a traditional set of white dots. When the lights go out, the tritium rings surrounding the white dots glow, so you’ll see green rings around the dots. Since you don’t need to charge them with a light source, your tritium sights will be ready to go even if they’ve been sitting in your dark safe all day.
Best Suppressor Height: KNS SwitchSight Folding Pistol Sight
Specs
Built from steel
Easily switch heights
Pros
Sights use positive positioning to avoid flopping around
Allow you to transition from suppressor height to regular sights instantly
Compatible with your regular holster
Cons
For what they are, they’re a bit pricey
Some shooters have a suppressor-dedicated Glock, so suppressor-height sights are the only sight sets they need. Those who may remove the suppressor have to compensate for the added height of the sights when shooting. Conversely, leaving standard sights on the Glock could mean having to “sight through” a suppressor if the sights are too low.
If you don’t need or want permanent suppressor-height sights, the SwitchSight folding pistol sights from KNS give you the option to flip the sights up or down as needed. In either position, you can’t miss the three big white dots that make sight acquisition a breeze.
Best Aftermarket: Trijicon HD XR Night Sight
Specs
Taller front sight blade
Tritium and photoluminescent paint on front sight
Blacked out rear sight
Pros
Combination of the blacked-out rear sight and a tritium front sight makes target acquisition fast and easy
Available in multiple colors for the front sight
Photoluminescent paint encircles the front sight for extra visibility even if the tritium is getting old
Cons
Tritium eventually wears out and has to be replaced
Trijicon’s HD Night Sights were specifically created to address the needs of tactical shooters, but they’re great sights for all Glock owners. The front sight has a taller blade and an aiming point ringed in photoluminescent paint, while the rear sight is outlined in black and features a wider U-shaped notch. This unique configuration increases visibility and speeds front sight acquisition, even in transitional lighting. Moreover, the front surface of the rear sight is steeply hooked to assist in emergency one-handed slide operation, otherwise known as a tactical rack.
Best Budget: AmeriGlo Protector Night Sight
Specs
Traditional white-dot design
Case hardened finish
Pros
Retains the standard sight design while giving the durability of steel
Flat front rear sight can be used for a tactical rack
Available in different width front sights
Cons
They’re just a basic set of sights, and the metal construction is the only advantage over stock sights
Sometimes you don’t need a bunch of bells and whistles. No fiber-optic inserts. No tritium outlines. Just a solid pair of sights that will get the job done and withstand any abuse you send their way. That’s exactly what you’ll get with the AmeriGlo Glock Sights. They look just like any other traditional white-dot pistol sight arrangement and are similar to stock Glock sights. The biggest difference is that these are made of case-hardened steel. There’s no worry about snapping them off if you need to do a tactical rack, or if you put your Glock through some serious abuse. They’re also affordable. If something happens to them, just swap them with a new pair.
How We Picked The Best Glock Sights
I’ve shot numerous Glocks over the years that have been equipped with myriad different sights: Plastic, metal, big dots, fiber optic, tritium, suppressor height, blacked out, and others. I’ve also talked with numerous people at industry events and different shooting ranges about their sight choices and why they made them. I can honestly say that there’s definitely a time and a place for just about any and every type of Glock sights on the market. It’s good to have the variety, but that can sometimes make it hard to pick just one set. When it comes down to picking the right ones for me, I evaluated the best Glock sights using the following criteria:
Build Quality: Not all sights are created equal, so this is crucial. Are the sights well made? That includes the materials that make up the sight body, proper placement and retention of fiber optic or tritium inserts, application of photoluminescent paint in a neat fashion, etc. Essentially, was it built well or just thrown together?
Design Sense: Do a specific pair of sights make sense on a specific gun for a specific purpose?
Cost: Do these sights provide a good value for the amount of money that they cost? Or could I get something comparable for less money?
What To Consider When Choosing a Glock Sight
Because there’s an entire industry dedicated to aftermarket Glock parts, you’ve got a lot of options to sort through. Here are some of the things you should think about before parting with your hard-earned money:
Use
Are you just looking to improve how quickly you pick up your sight picture? Do you anticipate shooting in low- or no-light conditions? Will you be running a suppressor? There are different sight options available that are suited to each of those scenarios.
Materials
Glock’s factory sights are plastic, and so are some of the aftermarket options. If you’re going to stick with plastic, do you need to change them out? If you’re opting for metal, do you really need that added durability?
Price
Make sure that the sights you’re considering buying are a good value. There are a lot of similar products on the market, so shop around and make sure you’re getting the best deal on the type of sights you want.
FAQs
Q: Do Glocks come with adjustable sights?
No, Glocks do not come with adjustable sights. For more than 35 years, Glocks have been shipping from the factory with fixed white-dot sights, and there’s no sign of that changing any time soon. Thankfully, Glock sights are easily changed out.
Q: Can you change Glock fixed sights?
Yes, you can absolutely change Glock fixed sights, because they are not an integral part of the slide. With just a few simple tools, you can remove the sights that came on your pistol from the factory and change them out with any number of aftermarket options available on the market today. If you’d prefer not to do the work yourself, most gun shops will do it for you for a small fee.
Q: What tools are needed to change Glock sights?
There are a number of different tools you can use to change Glock sights, but you don’t need all of them. It’s nice to have a dedicated sight pusher for the rear sight, but it’s not essential. At a bare minimum, you’ll need a nylon punch for drifting the rear sight, a 3/16-inch nut driver for changing the front sight, and a vise with padded jaws to secure the gun while you work.
Final Thoughts
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with carrying and shooting a plain Glock pistol. Thousands of people do just that every day with absolutely no issues. If, however, you’ve decided to improve upon perfection, changing out your sights is a really great place to start. Unlike vanity changes, like laser engravings or rear slide plates with sayings or pictures, a new set of sights can have an actual positive impact on your overall shooting experience.
Take some time and really think about how you’ll be using your Glock and what you hope to accomplish by changing the sights. This will ensure that you make the right change and get what you really want, because they’re not all the same. Fiber optic sights and tritium sights have similar but different purposes, and you don’t want to waste your money on something that’s not quite right.
Gaston Glock already got your money. It won’t hurt his feelings or his wallet if you switch out parts to make the gun suit you better. It is, after all, your gun.
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