M&P .22 + Dawson Precision fiber optic sights = win! (a review)

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WilliamG

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Just got my front and rear fiber optic sights in from Dawson Precision. They shipped out without hours of my ordering, and I received them in 2 days from Florence, Texas to Seattle WA. Nice job there.

The factory front sight removal was very simple. Unscrew the set screw with provided allen key, slide sight out. Done.

The rear factory sight I had to let out the elevation screw as well as the set screw, and then it slid right out. So bear that in mind!

Installation of the DP front fiber optic was very simple. Just slide the thing in from the right side (when looking down the gun). I had to tap very gently with the included punch to push it all the way in. I did not need to use a hammer with the punch, just my hand! Then, screwed both set screws down, done.

Installation of the DP rear fiber optic sight was even simpler. It was a perfect fit, and slid right in with little resistance. I didn't need to use a punch (your mileage may vary, of course!) Dawson Precision included a little, round metal disc that goes under the sight between the slide and the sight, so the set screw pushes down against it. It feels very secure, even without loctite.

I think the sights look great. Well machined, very bright (despite being on the smaller side). I spent under 10 minutes installing both front and rear sights (mostly reading to make sure I hadn't missed anything since it was so easy!).

I like that both sights came with replacement fiber optics in both colors.

Highly recommended! Thanks, Dawson Precision!

For those wondering, these are the sights I ordered:

Sight/S&W/Front/M&P22/Opt/.160T/.125W/Ramped/ Tools Included

Sight/S&W/RearFix/M&P22/Opt/.245T/.125N/Carry/ Tools Included
 

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It made such a huge difference with my eyes and sight picture that now I plan on swapping out the ones on my 9c. I went and looked at Dawson's site and they don't make the green/red sights for the 9c, so I'm gonna give TruGlo a shot.
 
They do look good don't they ! I had them in an earlier MP22, then I gave that one away and got another. On this one I found that any sight that fits the Shield will fit the MP22. So on this one I've put a set of the TruGlo TFO's on there to try out. I got the yellow/green combo just to have some contrast. The front is brighter than the rear in any event. Trijicon is also coming out with HD sights for the Shield so I'll keep an eye out for those. RPK if you want sights with big contrast seriously look at the Trijicon HD's for that 9C. I have 'em on my 9FS and they're absolutely great for quick target acquisition.



-Mike



M&P 22 with TruGlo TFO's ....
SWMP22withTruGloTFOs_zpsaeff4392.jpg


My old M&P 22 with Dawsons ....
MP22DawsonSights02_zps9c240f24.jpg





M&P 9 Full Size with Trijicon HD's ....
SmithMP9TrijiconApex_zps9baff37d.jpg
 
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Those TRUGLO sights look pretty nice, too! Probably can't go wrong with either!
 
The TruGlo front sight has to be tapped or pushed in since there's no set screw and it's an interference fit. It went in with no problem using a universal pusher. The M&P 22 slide is aluminum whereas the centerfire M&Ps are steel slides, so just be aware of that and don't try to crush it in a vise. Not to scare anyone away from fitted sights, just be aware of the differences with the slides. If I had put the front sight in the freezer first I bet it would've just pushed in by hand anyway. The TruGlo's tritium backed fiber optics will glow in the dark, whereas the Dawson's straight fiber optics does not. But most .22s are just plinkers anyway, so that's not a big problem. I like all of 'em, it's just nice to have several options available for the MP22 now.



-Mike
 
Hamfisted said:
The TruGlo front sight has to be tapped or pushed in since there's no set screw and it's an interference fit. It went in with no problem using a universal pusher. The M&P 22 slide is aluminum whereas the centerfire M&Ps are steel slides, so just be aware of that and don't try to crush it in a vise. Not to scare anyone away from fitted sights, just be aware of the differences with the slides. If I had put the front sight in the freezer first I bet it would've just pushed in by hand anyway. The TruGlo's tritium backed fiber optics will glow in the dark, whereas the Dawson's straight fiber optics does not. But most .22s are just plinkers anyway, so that's not a big problem.



-Mike
Click to expand...

Interference fit? Does that mean it's just wedged in there without a set screw? That's a bit terrifying, especially given the aluminum nature of the M&P .22... The Dawson sights were a joy to slip in and set-screw down...

Just food for thought for those nervous, then..
 
It wasn't so tight that it'd be a problem down the road, just that it's not gonna just slip out without being pushed or tapped. Typical for interference fit sights. Dawson must've trimmed the sights down some now, because the ones I had in my original MP22 were so tight they had to be tapped pretty aggressively to fit in. The rear TFO sight just slips in and uses a set screw, it's just the front one that has to be tapped or pushed in. Or like I should've done, just set it in the freezer for an hour before inserting. If it ever becomes a problem I'll be the first to pipe up and say something, but I don't see it ever being an issue. Because of the Tritium I used a pusher rather than tapping.


-Mike
 
RPK said:
It made such a huge difference with my eyes and sight picture that now I plan on swapping out the ones on my 9c. I went and looked at Dawson's site and they don't make the green/red sights for the 9c, so I'm gonna give TruGlo a shot.
Click to expand...

The same set that fits the full sized M&P fit the 9c. I have a set on mine.
I also have a set on my M&P22. I did drill out the front sight and installed a .060 red fiber rod in both guns. It picks up much faster with the larger size.
 
I put the Dawson FO sights on my M&P22 (front and rear - I think the factory rear sight is horrible), and I found that it shot low, even with the .160 front. I replaced the Dawson front with a HiViz FO front (#MP2012, designed to be used with factory adjustable rear sight), which is just a little lower than the Dawson, and now the gun shoots to point of aim from 7-15 yards. The HiViz front sight is a little thicker, but hey, this is not a competition gun. Without the fiber optic, it would be a problem.
 
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fred5876r said:
I put the Dawson FO sights on my M&P22, and I found that it shot low, even with the .160 front. I replaced the Dawson front with a HiViz FO front (#MP2012, designed to be used with factory adjustable rear sight), which is just a little lower than the Dawson, and now the gun shoots to point of aim from 7-15 yards. The HiViz front sight is a little thicker, but hey, this is not a competition gun.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I need to adjust the rear sight a tad (it's shooting left - bench-rest tested by three people) but if anything it's shooting high! If I put the red fiber optic Dawson sight over the bullseye, it's a tad high, but focusing above it, three sights aligned (as I should be), it's dead on.

This isn't a competition gun, as you say, so I imagine there are variances between them, but shooting low is definitely not something my .22 exhibits. The problem I have with the HiViz, is, as you mention, - it's quite a bit bigger than the Dawson. And with .22s, I need as much visibility as possible. :(
 
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