Sights

New iron sights change three things on your pistol: how fast your eye finds the front sight, whether you can set the point of impact yourself, and what you can still see when the light is poor. Pick the sight picture and the adjustment you need, then the version made for your gun.

Why shooters replace factory sights

• To find the front sight faster - a bright fiber optic front catches the eye at once, which is why it is common in competition.
• To set the zero - an adjustable rear sight moves for windage and elevation, so you can bring the hits to your point of aim with your own ammunition.
• To aim in low light - tritium sights glow in darkness, when plain sights disappear.
• To work with a red dot or suppressor - taller co-witness sights stay usable above a slide-mounted optic or a suppressor.
• To replace worn sights - polymer factory sights can wear or break; nearly all sights here are steel.

Which sight picture to choose

Fiber optic. A fiber rod collects daylight and shows a bright dot. It is very fast in good light and fades in the dark. A rod can break, but it can be replaced.

Tritium. Small vials of tritium gas glow without any light, battery or charging. In bright sun they hardly stand out, and they slowly lose brightness over the years. Some titles call them night sights.

Luminescent dots. The dots charge in light and glow for a while afterwards, without tritium. A middle way for dusk.

White dots or white lines. Painted marks give contrast in daylight. They do not glow.

Blank. A plain black blade with a grooved face that cuts glare. Many shooters put a blank rear behind a fiber optic front, so the eye goes straight to the front sight.

Fixed or adjustable

A fully adjustable rear sight has click screws for windage and elevation. If you change ammunition and the hits move, you correct it in a few clicks. A semi-adjustable sight moves on one axis only. A fixed sight is set by its height; you correct windage by moving it sideways in the dovetail. Some adjustable rears also come with three height steps.

Height: low, standard or co-witness

Low sights sit below factory height. Co-witness sights are taller, so you see them through the window of a slide-mounted red dot. If the battery runs out or the lens is covered by rain or dirt, you still have working sights. Sig Suppressor Ready pistols take their own tall sets, which clear the suppressor.

A set, a rear or a front sight

You do not always need both parts. An adjustable rear sight works with your factory front sight. A separate front sight lets you change only the front, for example to fiber optic. A front sight filler replaces the front sight with a blank plug.

Find the sights for your gun

A sight fits only the dovetail and slide it was made for, so we sort by brand and then by model. Watch for variants that look alike but are not: Glock MOS and classic slides take different sights, standard sights rarely fit the Optics Ready version of the same pistol, and the CZ 75 SP-01 takes other sights than the SP-01 Shadow. On a 1911 the rear sight cut decides the fit (BoMar, Kimber, LPA or Novak). Some sights cross brands: HS Produkt and Springfield share many pistols, and one 9.5 mm rear fits the Tanfoglio Limited, EAA Witness, IWI Jericho and Springfield P9.

Brands: Sights for 1911, Sights for AR-15, Sights for AR-9, Sights for Beretta, Sights for Browning, Sights for Bul, Sights for Canik, Sights for Colt, Sights for CZ, Sights for EAA, Sights for FN, Sights for Glock, Sights for Grand Power, Sights for HK, Sights for HS Produkt, Sights for IWI, Sights for Magnum Research, Sights for Remington, Sights for Ruger, Sights for Sig, Sights for Smith & Wesson, Sights for Springfield, Sights for Tanfoglio, Sights for Taurus, Sights for Walther.

Installation

Most rear sights slide into the factory dovetail with no milling. LPA advises that its sights are fitted by a qualified gunsmith. Glock front sights are held by a screw; the matching screwdriver is in Tools. On some fiber optic front sights the screw sits under the rod: you pull the rod out, tighten the screw, then refit the rod.

Related collections

Sights belong to Aiming. For a red dot, see Red dot sights. On a slide without an optics cut, Red dot mounts take the place of the rear sight; on a factory optics cut, Optics ready plates hold the optic, and some carry an integrated rear sight.

Frequently asked questions

Fiber optic or tritium?

Fiber optic if you shoot mostly in daylight and want speed, for example in competition. Tritium if you need to aim in the dark. Luminescent dots sit in between.

Do I need a new front sight with an adjustable rear?

No. An adjustable rear works with your factory front sight. Change the front only if you want a different sight picture, such as fiber optic.

Will standard sights fit my Optics Ready or MOS pistol?

Often not. Those slides usually take their own sights, and co-witness height if a red dot is fitted. Open the page for your exact model.

Can I fit the sights myself?

Many shooters do, with a sight pusher or similar tools. LPA recommends having its sights fitted by a qualified gunsmith.