The iron sights on your handgun matter. It’s something many shooters forget now that red dot sights are all the rage, but there are still plenty of gun owners—myself included—who have handguns with iron sights. Sure, I have some red dots, but I also see the usefulness of irons. Part of that comes down to personal preference, but it’s also because iron sights don’t have to be plain and difficult to acquire. Enter the new XS Sights Fiber Optic Green sights for Glock. I’m going to walk you through installation and fill you in on how XS Sights work on the range. Spoiler alert: these are great sights.
What are XS Sights Fiber Optic Green iron sights?
XS Sights designed their latest fiber optics for both high visibility and durability. These sights feature precision CNC machined steel construction and come with a green or red fiber optic insert. There was a time when these sights shipped in one of those plastic hardshell packages, but now the sights and fiber optic inserts themselves are contained in a cool little box within the packaging. Further, these sights are compatible with a number of Glock pistols, including the 17, 19, 22, 26, and more.
The front sight is 0.215 inches tall and ships with the green fiber optic in place. If you prefer red, it’s also included and straightforward to change out. As for the rear sight, it’s blacked out—all the better to focus your eye on that front sight—and has a notch that’s 0.145 inches wide. The edges of the notch are sharp and clearly defined.
Useful features of these XS Sights include anti-glare serrations on the rear sight, angles for improved light transmission, and fiber that’s made for longevity. They’re entirely made in America, and installation is fairly easy. No need for a gunsmith here, just a few simple tools and the know-how to remove the slide from your gun so you can access the sights.
How do you install XS Sights Fiber Optic sights?
We all remember the paper inserts detailing how to install minor parts like sights. That gave way at one point to online videos and guides for some manufacturers—and often, both options were given. Now, it’s a square of paper with a QR code. Accessing instructions is as easy as scanning the code and jumping straight to the online instructions. If you aren’t sure if you can scan a QR code, rest assured that you can. Hit the settings on your smartphone and make sure the ability to scan them is turned on. When you aim the phone’s camera at the code, a short URL for a website will appear—on my Android, it’s yellow—and you click on that and go.
The PDF provided online by XS Sights lists the following tools as being necessary:
- Hammer
- Brass or Delrin punch
- Alcohol
- Q-Tips
- Pliers
- File
- Glock front sight installation tool
It’s worth mentioning that we’re not talking about a big ball peen or claw hammer, although you could technically get away with that with enough caution. Gunsmith hammers are nylon on one end and brass on the other to avoid marring your gun’s finish. The same goes for punches; the material matters because it’s possible to damage the gun if you use the wrong kind.
Once you’ve removed the slide from your Glock and pulled out the recoil spring and barrel so you can see the underside of the existing front sight, it’s time to move on to installation.
Sight Removal
Now, you can use a brass punch and hammer to push the dovetailed rear sight off the slide. You can also use a sight pusher, and XS Sights just so happens to make a fantastic one. The XS Sights Sight Pusher Tool is heavy and durable and makes quick work of sight removal. So, while I’ve done this with and without a sight pusher, I admit I prefer the pusher for speed and reduced risk of damage to the sights you currently have on your Glock.
Front sight removal on a Glock is done with a specific hex Glock front sight tool. You can get these from XS Sights as well. It might be tempting to try pliers or something else, but if you strip that front sight screw—which can happen easily—it’ll become a far longer task. Use the proper tool.
Once the sights are removed, use a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol to clean the areas. This will remove any gunk, grease, or old thread locker. If you’re going to use thread locker—and I usually recommend it—apply it before installing the sights. However, take care if you intend to use thread locker on the rear sight. Make sure the sights are on target and properly aligned before locking them in place.
Sight Installation
Installing the new dovetail rear sight is as simple as pushing it partway into place by hand and then tapping it all the way in with a punch and hammer. The front sight is pushed into place on top of the slide, and then you use your front sight tool to screw the tiny hex screw into it from the underside. Remember that while you want the sight snugly in place, you don’t want to overdo it or strip the screw.
Take the time to properly align your iron sights. Just because a gun has iron sights installed doesn’t mean they’re sighted in and correctly on target. Crooked or uneven sights cause all sorts of issues.
Do the XS Sights Fiber Optic Green sights work?
I’m a big fan of these sights. The brilliant green that comes pre-installed in the front sight is my preference, so I didn’t change it for the red insert. XS Sights designed the front sight with an angled fiber optic filament to gather light better, and I’ve found it lights up nicely during daylight shooting. The entire idea of this type of front sight is to draw and hold your eye on the front sight—remember, you should be front-sight focused, not target-focused—and these sights help accomplish this.
The blacked-out rear sight is ideal because it doesn’t have any white borders or dots to distract you. And thanks to the serrations on the shooter-facing surface, there’s no glare in the bright Texas sun.
These sights are a fantastic improvement over factory sights and also preferable to many aftermarket designs. XS Sights makes excellent products. I’ve had their sights on guns for years—and I’m hard on my guns—and the sights have handled a lot of rough use, including flying all over the country. These fiber optics are great for Glock owners. You might be surprised how much better quality sights improve your live fire game. Iron sights matter and are definitely not all created equally. If you have a compatible Glock—and odds are you do—these XS Sights Fiber Optic Green sights are a great way to go.
