Replacement Sight Input

[4DSJW]

Just got a S&W M&P45 after test driving 5 different pistols. One of the things I noticed while checking out the different platforms was the ease with which I could pick up the large 3-dot sights on the Glock. So I'm thinking of replacing the smallish 3-dot sights that the M&P comes with because they are much more difficult to pick up quickly.

I see that there are a number of options, plain 3-dot, tritium 3-dot, fiber optic 3-dot (in same or different colors), and fiber optic/tritium 3-dot (in same or different colors). And thinking about the way the eye sees things and the way the brain picks things out, a colored front dot with a plain square rear sight might be good too.

I would appreciate any input that you may have and what you found that did or did not work well... as well as recommendations on specific models.

Thank you muchly for your help!

[esskay]

Depends in part on your intended use.

Truth is that I think you might find as you get a lot more time behind the gun that you may gravitate towards a bright front dot and a plain black rear sight. Fiber optic front and plain black rear sight is what you will find most competitive shooters running. It is the most conducive set up for a balance of speed and accuracy.

For a defensive or duty gun, you might make different concessions. Fiber is a little more fragile for that purpose. Also, if you might face low light situations, you may wish for tritium. For those purposes, I'd look at a straight eight setup - tritium front sight w/ white outline, single tritium lamp in the rear w/o outline so it appears black during the day.

Warren and 10-8 make nice sights for the M&P, I believe.

[9mmepiphany]

over the years and trying many sight combinations on many guns, i've come the the smae conclusion as esskay

dot up front, plain black in the rear. for competition the fiber optic front is really nice, but it is a bit more fragile than i'd like for carry...a single front night sight dot works pretty good, with a rear dot under the rear notch if you must have a rear lamp (Heine Straight-Eight sights are nice)

you are correct about how the brain picks up things, the three dot combination really is a hindrance to fast sight alignment.

you might take a look at the Warren rear sight with the "U" shaped rear notch...it is a bit quicker if you aren't locked into a square notch

[FUBAR]

Check out XS Express sights. I wanna get some for my Glock 26.

[9mmepiphany]

i'd look long and hard before going with a set of XS Express sights. while the front sight dot is certainly easy to pickup, the rear sight gives less than optimal feedback for correct sight alignment.

with the Glock's already flat sighting plane (top of the slide), it has been my experience that at closer ranges the XS offer very little advantage while still compromising discreet shot placement at longer ranges

[4DSJW]

Thanks for all the ideas. I have done target shooting for many years so I'm familiar with target and red-ramp style sights. Recently I have started doing a lot more tactical shooting where fast target aquisition and sight placement are important for initial and follow-up shots.

My thoughts so far are that a larger dot in the front is good and having a front/rear sight combination that doesn't confuse the brain more than necessary are good things. But I have only recently started doing this and I know that there are a lot more experienced people on CalGuns who would have some good ideas and suggestions.

What I DON'T want to do is to throw money at the situation by randomly buying various combinations until I find something that works.

Thank you for the advice!

[esskay]

Thanks for all the ideas. I have done target shooting for many years so I'm familiar with target and red-ramp style sights. Recently I have started doing a lot more tactical shooting where fast target aquisition and sight placement are important for initial and follow-up shots.

My thoughts so far are that a larger dot in the front is good and having a front/rear sight combination that doesn't confuse the brain more than necessary are good things. But I have only recently started doing this and I know that there are a lot more experienced people on CalGuns who would have some good ideas and suggestions.

What I DON'T want to do is to throw money at the situation by randomly buying various combinations until I find something that works.

Thank you for the advice!

I have guns with the thicker fiber (0.6??) and the thinner fiber (0.4?), and I MUCH prefer the thin fiber. Especially if you've done a lot of precision/target shooting, I bet you'll appreciate the thin front blade. It's more precise when you need it and I'll bet you'll find you won't lose speed with it, the fiber will be sufficient for you to pick up quickly. Hell, I've got a lowly Glock 17 with Warren sights on it (thin front fiber) and I can do walk back drills til the cows come home with it!

I agree with 9mmepiphany on the Express sights, IMO the pros do not outweigh the cons with them.

[9mmepiphany]

post by esskay
I bet you'll appreciate the thin front blade. It's more precise when you need it and I'll bet you'll find you won't lose speed with it, the fiber will be sufficient for you to pick up quickly

i agree with this. the point of the fiber optic is just to attract your eye to the front sight faster. you'll still be lining up your front blade and the rear notch as you did when target shooting...surprisingly a wider rear notch is just as accurate, when shot at speed, as a tighter notch

[nn3453]

Agree with everything the two gentlemen said. I like Dawson sights on most of my competition guns.

[esskay]

i agree with this. the point of the fiber optic is just to attract your eye to the front sight faster. you'll still be lining up your front blade and the rear notch as you did when target shooting...surprisingly a wider rear notch is just as accurate, when shot at speed, as a tighter notch

At the risk of too much singing kumbaya and agreement amongst ourselves , this is a good point I forgot to mention. I have also found myself moving toward a wider rear notch (relatively speaking). A thin fiber front gives me enough room in the rear notch, and on my defensive G19 which has a tritium front sight (which is wider than a thin fiber front blade) I have an extra wide notch in my rear sight. I find these setups to be noticeably faster.

[4DSJW]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make all these great suggestions. I am familiar with the tru-glo and novak fiber optic sights, can anyone recommend other manufacturers besides those two and why you like them.

Thank you again!

[9mmepiphany]

i would avoid the Tru-Glo as prone to break tubes and poor quality metal (soft) used in their mounts.

the Dawson front pretty much rules competition

[4DSJW]

What is everyone's experience with the green versus red?

Thank You!

[9mmepiphany]

i prefer red for a fiber optic...it's like picking up a red dot

all my night sights have been green.