sights for a .40 Shield

[lchaim7]

My barrel and slide are currently being ported. I will either wait till later or won't change the trigger to a lighter one than the standard factory one I currently have. I'll make my decision after I shoot my gun after it's ported. But there's the potential legal problem associated with lighter triggers. Some people believe that upgrading to a lighter trigger could be detrimental for me if I have to use my pistol in self defense. I'll be portrayed as trigger happy if I have to go to court to defend myself after a lawful shooting. A lawyer could use this against me in court, so I probably won't get an upgraded trigger...unless I'm sure that this won't be a factor. This is especially true in areas where the government is anti CCW like in L.A. County. The next and only other upgrade/enhancement I'm considering is adding better sights than the factory ones that come standard with Shields. If anyone has upgraded the sights on their Shield, how much of an improvement did you notice? Was it considerable like 70% or more? I'm relatively new to night sights like the ones offered by Truglo, HiViz and Trijicon. Those are the companies I'm considering purchasing sights from. I am undecided because they all seem to offer similar high-quality sights. But HiViz has NITESIGHT and LITEWAVE products and I don't know the differences between them. This further compounds my indecision and my having to decide which company I should purchase night sights from. Is purchasing only after-market front sights sufficient rather than purchasing both the front and rear sights? Does anyone have recommendations for the best sights that are both good at night as well as at day time? I'm looking for the best bang for my buck, but I'm willing to pay a little extra if a company has considerably better sights than the rest of the competition's.

[Thanatos2203]

My barrel and slide are currently being ported. I will either wait till later or won't change the trigger to a lighter one than the standard factory one I currently have. I'll make my decision after I shoot my gun after it's ported. But there's the potential legal problem associated with lighter triggers. Some people believe that upgrading to a lighter trigger could be detrimental for me if I have to use my pistol in self defense. I'll be portrayed as trigger happy if I have to go to court to defend myself after a lawful shooting. A lawyer could use this against me in court, so I probably won't get an upgraded trigger...unless I'm sure that this won't be a factor. This is especially true in areas where the government is anti CCW like in L.A. County.

The stock Shield trigger is sort of hit or miss, but I feel most agree that it smooths out considerably over time. If you are going to carry the gun I would avoid modifying the trigger for the exact legal reasons you mentioned above. Some counties even have restrictions on what modifications can be made to your carry weapon

The next and only other upgrade/enhancement I'm considering is adding better sights than the factory ones that come standard with Shields. If anyone has upgraded the sights on their Shield, how much of an improvement did you notice? Was it considerable like 70% or more?

Not sure how you intend to quantify improvement? Aftermarket sights aren't going to magically change your own ability to shoot your weapon. They are going to have features which facilitate your ability to shoot based on your own personal preferences. This could include dot size, color, configuration not to mention fiber optics vs tritium and those that try to be both.

I'm relatively new to night sights like the ones offered by Truglo, HiViz and Trijicon. Those are the companies I'm considering purchasing sights from. I am undecided because they all seem to offer similar high-quality sights. But HiViz has NITESIGHT and LITEWAVE products and I don't know the differences between them. This further compounds my indecision and my having to decide which company I should purchase night sights from.

HiViz and quality don't belong in the same sentence, remove them from your mind unless you are looking at cheap FO front sights for your shotgun. Truglo isn't much better. Trijicon is a popular favorite for self defense weapons due to the quality, sight picture, and options. There are quite a few color choices for the front sight depending on user preference. Their HD sights use a horseshoe rear cutout which may or may not be something you like. A buddy of mine has them on his G43 and I was pleasantly surprised shooting them out in the desert the other night. One thing he did mention is you really had to juiced up the tritium with a flashlight to get the full glow effect of the front sight.

I like XS Express sights with the standard sized front sight. They use Trijicon tritium viles and I personally find them intuitive and easy to use.

Is purchasing only after-market front sights sufficient rather than purchasing both the front and rear sights?

This is dependent on a few factors but mainly the height of the front sight. For target shooting I like a thing fiber optic front and then blacked out rears (take paint thinner to the factory rear). The front and rear sights are set up to have a near and far zero. If you intend to replace the front sight only, make sure you purchase one that is the same height as the OEM one so you don't screw this up. Some sights are designed to be shot using their specific front and rears together, but most leave room for you to play around with them.

Does anyone have recommendations for the best sights that are both good at night as well as at day time? I'm looking for the best bang for my buck, but I'm willing to pay a little extra if a company has considerably better sights than the rest of the competition's.

As far as best bang for your buck, Meprolight seems to have a pretty good following. Otherwise I would put my money on Trijicon or XS. If you want them to work during the day and during the night then tritium is a must.

[MrSam]

I'm a big fan of the Ameriglo Pro I-Dot on my Shield 9.

[MrSam]

Those are great sights. A little cheaper and also as good are the Ameriglo Hack sights.

They certainly are. I've been using them on this Shield for a little over a year. No issues at all.