M&P Sight upgrades.... Worth the cost?

[GunnerMichael]

I just picked up an M&P9 Shield. I have several other hand guns as well. I have never changes any of the sights for aftermarket sights. I usually just get the trigger the way I like and leave the rest of the gun alone. (But I am gonna get rid of the stupid mag safety)

I am wondering if upgrading sights actually help in accuracy and sight acquisition. So I understand needing night sights if you are using the gun for home defense or your a night guard or something and a oversized front sight will help you get on target at close range faster, but if you are changing the sights for general purposes will they really make you shoot more accurate and faster?


The accuracy is easy to see but has anyone ever run spits to see if the sights actually made them faster?

 

[zephyr]

If one has a specific goal in mind and finds a sight that works towards that goal then yes. For instance, some people like sight with contrast like dots, others prefer all black. Some people like more daylight around the front blade to help pick it up faster. There are lots of variables. To make it more fun, what works for someone in one situation at one age may not work for them in the same situation a few years later as their eyes change. If you are trying to fix some specific problem then yes it may help.

 

[jejb]

Well said, Zephyr. For me, it's an age related thing. It is hard for me to see the stock white dot sights clearly, so lining them up in mid or low light situations was difficult. I already have another gun with S&W fiber optic sights, but that didn't help much in lower light.

I went with Truglo TFX Pro sights, with the orange circle on the front sight. Much easier for me to pick up and my accuracy and time to fire both improved noticeably. The night sights are just icing on the cake.

 

[epj]

More bluntly stated, some of us old farts need help in the vision department. Larger, and probably coarser sights frequently help those with deteriorating vision. It's really a personal preference thing.

 

[Shield9mm]

I had trijicon sights on diff guns and the only ones I can say they might improve target acquisition are the XS sights.


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[pheelmeh]

Sights are the greatest upgrade after grip and trigger modifications IMO. I'm only 31 but the difference between stock sights and fiber sights is awesome esp for acquiring a quick sight picture during competitions or drills.

 

[NCW Ray]

I have the Ameriglo I-Dots on my Shield. They are a 2-dot night sight; set the front dot over the rear dot. I find I can aquire my sights faster with the 2-dot sights than I can the 3 dot sights I carried for years. As for accuracy I am no more accurate with them than I am with the 3 dot sights.

 

[ranier]

I have Trijicon HDs with the orange front dot. The orange dot is much easier to acquire the front sight and when seconds matter in the event that you have to use your EDC/CC gun to protect yourself, I'll take every advantage I can get with me into an encounter.

 

[1sailor]

For years I swore by 3 dot sights. Over just the past few years tough I found it more difficult to pick up the dots unless the light was just right (behind me). After installing a set of TFO sights on my P220 I noticed that I was shooting much more consistently. I still have some days where I shoot nice groups with my Beretta but not nearly as consistently as with the TFO's or TFX's. I have since installed TFX sights on all my other semi's and the results are the same as with my SIG. My scores improved remarkably as did my re-acquisition

 

[stavey]

Its best if you have your own sight pusher . That way you can adjust if needed or swap back if needed.

 

[Americanpatriot]

Only if you feel the need for night sights otherwise the factory sights are very good. I like night sight I dots so I upgraded.

 

[Gorris]

I always put aftermarket sights on my weapons. I am a huge fan of the front orange post and a blacked out rear sight. This really helps me focus on the front sight and pick it up really quick. I have only used Trijicon HD's or Ameriglo Hackathorn sights.

 

[ThrowinRocks]

Only thing I do to my sights are black out the rear sight. I use to swap out sights but noticed the accuracy suffered every time even after adjustment. Stopped swapping them and good to go.

 

[CBStuard]

For years I swore by 3 dot sights. Over just the past few years tough I found it more difficult to pick up the dots unless the light was just right (behind me)....

I noticed this also. I also noticed my wife's G19 was better w/ light from different angles. So, looking at those sights, I noticed that the rear surface where the dots are is slanted forward at the top. That rear surface on my M&P and Berettas is vertical and the dots are drilled slightly into the surface. So the dots go dim quickly as overhead light source moves forward. On my oldest Beretta I am messing around w/ JB Weld and files to make that rear surface angled and then painting on the dots. A definite improvement. I have a fiber optic front on one pistol which is fantastic outside but not much inside.

 

[Rastoff]

I am wondering if upgrading sights actually help in accuracy and sight acquisition.

The accuracy is easy to see but has anyone ever run spits to see if the sights actually made them faster?

[My edit for brevity.]

There is no simple answer here. So, I'm going to throw some stuff out here to attempt to shed some light...

Sights don't change the accuracy of the gun, they MIGHT help the accuracy of the shooter. Look at these pictures:

Normal sight picture:

Top of the front sight aligned with the top of the rear sight, equal daylight on either side of the front post in the rear notch, hard focus on front sight with rear a little blurry and target blurry. This is how it should be done.

Target sight picture:

I pulled this pic off the internet. Notice that nothing is different except that the gap on either side of the front sight is very tiny. So small in fact, that it's difficult to see any light on either side of the front sight in the rear notch. This will make for very precise shots, but very difficult to line up quickly.

Combat sight picture: (also grabbed off internet)

Note how wide the rear sight notch is here. This makes it super easy/fast to acquire the sights, but is more difficult to be really precise.


There are many, many sights out there. They all claim to be better in some aspect. It has been my experience that the sights that come with the M&P are very good. For me, they have the right balance of speed and precision. The rear notch is wide enough for reasonably fast acquisition, but narrow enough that I can hit a 3x4 box at 15 yards if I take my time.

So, what is it you're hoping to improve by changing the sights?

 

[Zoner]

im an old fart with some vision problems and a 9mm Shield pistol. My gun has the factory rear dots blacked out and i changed the front sight to a tritium one from Dawson Precision. During the day blacking out the rear dots makes my eye focus more on the front sight(a good thing) while at night the tritium tells me where my front sight is in the dark(also a good thing)......YMMV