Do you use after market sights?

[slickest]

I have been throwing the option around of putting after market sights on my G23. I like the idea of tritium night sights but Im wondering if they are really worth it? I like the idea of the green front dot and two orange rear dots from trijicon but I have never actually had the change to use any sights like this. This gun is pretty much a range gun and is loaded at home but isnt being used as a CC weapon as of right now. I guess right now I would like to have high visibility sights that are made for making accurate shots instead of just for personal protection.
 
Am I better off just staying with factory sights or will after market sights improve accuracy and fast target acquisition? Also what brand and style of after market sight do you use and why?
 
thanks for your input and have a good day.

[HAMMERHEAD]

I like Heinie Straight Eights on my Glocks. I really like the dot over dot night sights and the clean, sharp daytime sight picture with the wide, deep rear notch. Helps my older eyes.

[williamlayton]

I use Heine sights on all of my semi's---except for a aftermarket nigt sight on the 9x23 which is a Dawson design (I am not particularly fond of it for carry--it can snag--but the sights work good.)
Blessings

[Bigeasy]

A set of good after market nite sights wont really make your gun any more accurate on the range.  What they will do is speed up your target acquisition in poor light, and improve your hit potential.
 
There are several makers to choose from.  Some offer a dot over a dot, some two dots or bars on the rear, and a dot or bar on the front.  When using 3 dot sights, I like the rear to be a different color then the front.  One popular mew sight is the Tru Glo, that offers a combined fiber optic and tritium on the same sight.
 
Larry

[slickest]

are any brands really that much better than the other or is it pretty much personal preference? I have heard with the tru-glos they have had problems with the fiber optic falling out and I dont know if they have fixed the problem yet?

[Bigeasy]

Mostly personal preference, I think.  Some manufacturers state a warranty on how long they will keep their radioactivity (glow).  By their very nature, any sight with an insert, especially an exposed fiber optic, is going to be less sturdy then a sight made of nothing but metal.  That said, I have maybe 8 or 9 handguns with Tritium sights of various makers, and all seem durable to me, as none have broken, though a few have faded with age (usually about 10 - 12 years).  The 2 Tru Glo nite sights sights I have are well made, and seem more strongly constructed then the basic fibre optic versions.  They all really make a difference in poor light.  Just concentrate on choosing which brand has the features you like (dot, bar, sight profile, width of rear notch, etc.)
 
Larry

[Savage]

Like Larry, I have several pistols with night sights from various manufacturers. Some have faded with time, but all have worked well for their intended purpose, and none have failed in the field. I current favorite is the Tru Glo TFOs. Just about any aftermarket sight is an improvement over factory Glock sights. My current favorite sights for range and action pistol sports is a Heine Slant Pro rear, and a Dawson FO front (.105").  It's a really fast sight to acquire, and the FO is small enough as to not be a distraction on precise shots. If you want an adjustable, you'd be hard pressed to do better than a set of Dawson's.
Savage

[RevJim]

 I like night sights on a CCW piece, steel, square enough so I can use it to hang on my pants, table,etc for one handed slide racking, especially if you have a heavy recoil spring installed. I have some pistols that I shoot well enough with the factory, but always replace any plastic sight. I just had a set of www.ameriglosights.com ( I went with the Pro Operator) put on my G29. These have a slightly wider notch in the rear so you can see more front sight, very nice in daytime, very beneficial to 59yr old eyes, even if I do have glasses! ha.
  You have to figure that a Carry gun is liable to be dropped, thrown, hit the ground, (especially if you are shot in the gunhand!) so it must be rugged. That's why I like 1911s and Glocks, they both just keep working. Good luck to you.

[JeffG]

I like to replace the sights on my Glocks with metal tritium night sights, like
Meprolite. I like the durability, low-light accuracy, and the ability to find the gun in the
Dark.   

[Mike in Virginia]

I always buy a handgun with the factory sights being a consideration.  Most all quality factory guns like Ruger and Smith and Colt and Sig come with great sights, IMO. 
However, if anyone ever forced a Glock on me, the sights would be the first thing to go.  They are plastic, like most of the gun.  A local dealer here told me that potential customers in his shop sometimes let the Glock slides go forward, instead of lowering it by hand.  On no few occassions, the front sight of those Glocks would fly across the shop because they are not installed tightly, because they can't be, because they are plastic.  That said, I suppose the most popular pistol in the nation is a Glock 9mm or Glock 40. 

[Savage]

When I buy a Glock, the first order of business is sight replacement. I don't like them because, well just because. I prefer Dawsons or Heines for the sight picture and ability to cycle the pistol on the belt or pocket corner when doing one hand load and clearance drills. The The plastic sights are quite usable otherwise as is. Although it's quite possible the factory front sight on a Glock could be dislodged by dropping the slide, I'd bet it's highly unlikely. I have seen IDPA shooters use the stock sights for years with no problems. I'm talking several thousand rounds at much higher slide velocities from firing than they well ever see from any form of manual manipulation. Not to mention the number of times the slide is dropped at the end of each string of fire when making the gun safe.  Most casual shooters never change the sights on any pistol.
Savage

[slickest]

I ended up buying the TFO's even after reading some bad reports about the front sight blade loosening up. I ended up questioning the gunsmith I brought the firearm if he had any experience with the TFO's and had problems with the front blade at  all. Surprising he said yes and it has to do with the front sight stud being to long to mount the front sight down correctly because the stud is bottoming out in the sight without being tight against the slide.
 
This problem occurred with my sights and I bough the specific model of sights for the handgun I have. He had to slightly sand down the stud to mount the sight correctly. So just a FYI if you do plan on using the TFO's make sure you gunsmith knows about the problem with the front sight stud being to long.

[temmi]

I have aftermarket sights on all my guns but my BH, SRH and Briley 1911.
 
They came with Adjustable sights.
 
 
Snake