The previously mentioned night sights I ordered for my Glock 30SF came last night. I’m glad to say installation was a breeze.
When I ordered the sights I also ordered the <a href="http://www.mgwltd.com/firearms.shtml"MGW rear sight tool for Glock pistols. I decided to spend the money and get that instead of going through the fun and entertainment of using a punch and hammer to remove the factory rear sight and install the new Ameriglo. The punch and hammer method is generally not a good idea on tritium filled night sights as you risk cracking the glass vials that hold the tritium. Also the punch and hammer method is the easiest way to really mar up the sight if nothing else. Needless to say I figured since I have three Glock pistols already I could easily justify the price for the tool (and I’m a man who likes to have a lot of tools).
The tool has a plate on the bottom that you put the slide in. The plate is the same width as the rails on the pistol so you slide the slide (redundant no?) onto the plate and tighten the plate down. After that you should apply some oil to both sides of the actual sight pusher and from there you simply remove the old sight. Simple.
After removal I took some Gunzilla to the dovertail and areas in front of and behind the dovetail. I also applied some gun Gunzilla to the bottom of the rear sight. This was to ensure the surface was clean and also provide some lubrication to make sight installation easier. Just make sure you start the rear sight by pushing it into the dovetail as far as you can without the tool. This will avoid headaches I believe.
Installation of the front sight was dead simple for the most part. The Ameriglo sights came with a small brass hex screw driver that allowed for removal of the stock front sight (which was screwed on, not staked on as Glock used to always do) and installation of the new sight. The front slight didn’t fit perfectly right into the hole on the slide and had a hair of left/right play. The first time I tightened it on it was slightly crooked facing towards the right (left/right is based on looking at the pistol as if you were holding it). It was a simple correction though as I just had to unscrew the front sight screw, turn the sight slightly, and hold it in place as I tightened it.
Did I say easy? Oops I meant to say difficult. Not because of the sight but because I learned a lesson I should have already known. Only apply Loctite after you’ve done an installation run without it. Yeah I put Loctite Threadlocker (the blue stuff) on the front sight screw to it wouldn’t become loose during shooting. Well when I saw the front sight was crooked I had a fun time removing the screw again (I eventually got it with a combination of the front sight tool and a vice grip). So word to the wise, install the front sight, ensure it’s on correctly, and then take it off, apply Loctite, and install it again. Just save yourself some headaches.
So installation was dead simple (like everything else on a Glock thankfully).
I haven’t gotten the gun to the range so these initial impressions of the sights are from looking at them only. First the sights I got were a combination of a front green sight and yellow rear sight. I really like this color scheme now that I’ve seen it in the dark. The front sight is slightly brighter than the rear sight dots making it stick out well. This is accomplished by the fact the vial in the front sight is slightly larger but also the front sight is picked up a bit better since it’s green (the human eye is most sensitive to green, which is why night vision goggles display in shades of green).
The sights are quite bright but not harshly bright. The dots are very crisp and clear. One added advantage that I wasn’t expecting was in the dark I can actually sort of make out the three sights without my glasses on (my right eye, the dominant one, has the worst case of nearsightedness that I think you can have without being declared legally blind). The dots are horribly blurry but I can line them up properly.
The white circles surrounding the tritium vials really stand out in a lighted area. I feel I can acquire a target much faster with these than the stock Glock sights (which I’ve never really been a fan of).
I’ll have more after I actually get them out to the range (hopefully this weekend). But initial impressions are very good.