Chad Wallace

February 18, 2023

Review, Sights, Slide, XS, XS Sights, Sight Pusher

XS Sights DIY sight pusher

Chad Wallace

February 18, 2023

Review, Sights, Slide, XS, XS Sights, Sight Pusher

I have always needed a sight pusher to install handgun iron sights. The old brass punch and hammer system was getting old. When XS Sights told me they were coming out with some sight pushers, I was all in. XS came out with two different styles, both for Glock style pistol slides. They are the “DIY” and the “Gunsmith” version. The DIY sight pusher is what I received. It’s a no frills sight pusher, but gets the job done with ease.

XS DIY sight pusher is a convenient way to install Glock sights. It also works to remove the old ones. The DIY sight pusher isn’t very large at all, it fit’s on a workbench or table top with ease. It’s under 6” long and 2” wide. The size makes it super convenient for throwing in your range bag. That way if you need to adjust your sight at the range, it’s really easy to do so. The pusher tool has a screw on the end which is used to push on a brass piece using the provided allen wrench. This brass piece is what pushes the sight in. Then there is an open channel where your pistol slide fits. Also included is a plastic wedge to hold the slide up tight against the tool. A Glock style front sight tool is also included.

A cool thing about these XS sight pushers is that you can also get them in a kit. The XS kit includes the sight pusher and a set of XS R3D night sights. This is actually the kit they sent out. The R3D’s are not a tall sight, so they are not for use with red dots or suppressors. So I rounded up a normal slide and went to work installing them. The R3D front sight has an orange ring around a tritium insert. The rear is blacked out with just 2 tritium dots on both sides of the notch. This gives you a 3 dot sight picture in low light and a very fast regular sight picture under normal conditions. I can’t say enough good things about the XS tritium sights.

I was really impressed with how the DIY sight pusher worked. I took my slide, set it up against the pusher surface. Lining up the sight with the center of the brass pusher piece. I slid in the plastic wedge until it was snug. Then took the allen wrench and started turning the screw. Put some oil on the screw threads before each use so it won’t bind up. The old sight pushed out with ease. So I backed the screw back out and removed the slide. I then took the new R3D rear sight, pushed it into the dovetail, by hand, as far as it would go. Then re-installed the slide in the pusher as before. Turned the screw and watched the new sight push in with ease. Once the sight was visually centered, I stopped. To tell if the sight is in the center of the slide, just turn the slide around in the tool and look at the reference marks. They are on the brass pusher, as well as the frame of the pusher itself. Once the same marks line up, with the slide in the tool on both sides, you know the sight is centered. The DIY pusher also works with an optic mounted on your slide. The only difference is that you have to use the edge of the brass pusher instead of the center.

The XS DIY sight pusher has really good instructions. They are included as a hard copy, but are also available online. I like the hard copy because I can reference it, if needed, on my workbench, without having to pick up my phone. Being that the DIY sight pusher is an open top design, it also makes it much easier to see what is actually going on with the sight install. On a side note. Even though it is for Glock style sights and slides, I did find it to work on my Sig P320 rear sight. So it may or may not work on other handgun manufacturer slides.

XS Sights did a pretty good job with the DIY sight pusher. I don’t think I will probably wear it out in my lifetime. If you change a lot of sights, it’s worth the money. If you change even more sights, look into the Gunsmith version for only a few bucks more. The DIY sight pusher made easy quick work out of changing sights. Go take a look at the DIY pusher over at XS Sights.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Do It Yourself sight pusher for Glock style slides

Target Market:

Those who frequently change sights

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Tool Life Span: 50 – 100 Installations
Kit includes semi-professional sight pusher and steel Glock front sight tool
Fits all Glock OEM and Aftermarket slides
Glock MOS Compatible – Install sights with optic mounted on pistol
Non-marring brass bit prevents scratching sights or slides
Built-in Centering Scale – 1/16” scale
Bolt Thread Pitch: 1/16” – 1.5 Bolt rotations equals 1/16” of travel
Weight: 1.4 lbs.
Sight Tool Dimensions (LxWxH): 5.5" x 1.75" x 1.5"
Designed and Manufactured in Fort Worth, TX

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Gunsmith version

What others are saying?:

Nothing found

Link to other reviews:

Shoot On

Price point:

MSRP = $150.00

Bundle with XS sights = $254.99

Retail = $150.00

I need it now! Availability:

XS Sights

Our Rating:

Pros:

Super easy to use
Can get as a kit with sights
Size makes it useful anywhere

Cons:

Price if only doing one or two installs
Only for use on Glock style slides

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link: Kaiser US

Chad Wallace

May 1, 2021

Review, XS, Sights, Handgun

XS Minimalist Night Sights

Chad Wallace

May 1, 2021

Review, XS, Sights, Handgun

XS sights released their new Minimalist night sights a few months back. If you haven’t noticed, I am a big fan of their standard style night sights, these are no different. The new Minimalist sights are just that, minimal. The name, however, does not give the sights justice, as they are really much more than minimalist.

XS calls these sights Minimalist because only the front sight has tritium. Tritium is the isotope that causes the dot, in the center of the sight, to glow. The rear sight does not have any tritium, it is a basic style, squared notch, rear sight. I’ll discuss the front and rear sights separately to keep things simple.

The front sight on the XS Minimalist series is really where all the super cool stuff happens. As noted, it holds the tritium so that a dot on the front sight can glow in low, or no light. But XS also put an orange ring of photoluminescence around the tritium dot. This does two things. One, it makes for a great front sight during regular daytime. But two, because it has XS’s “Ember Glow Dot” - photoluminescent, it glows if you hit it with a flashlight. The Ember Glow Dot can also help in situations where a regular tritium only dot will wash out.

After shining flashlight on sight - Daytime

The rear sight, on the XS Minimalist, is not as fancy as the front, but it still has a lot of features. The most notable, is the serrations. These are tiny lines cut horizontally on the face of the rear sight. The serrations cut down on ambient light glare, as well as flashlight glare. This makes it easier to pick up, and see, the front sight. It is also slightly angled downward to help with glare. The other end of the rear sight is squared off to aid in one handed slide manipulations. As initially noted, the rear sight is your standard square notch style.

Total darkness - front sight after “Ember Glow” charged up slightly

The XS Minimalist sights work very well. They worked perfectly on the G43 I mounted them on. The standard post front and square rear is just how I like them. When sighting down them, there is a little bit of light between the edges of the rear and the front sight, just like I prefer. Basically, I get a really good sight picture during the day and during low light. During the day, that orange dot draws your eye straight to it, making target transitions easier, at least they were for me. During low light, you can see the tritium dot glowing green, and it’s pretty bright. Of course, in darkness, all you see is the green dot, which is why you need some sort of light to identify your target. If using a handheld light, it is really easy to light up the Ember Glow Dot, just with the spill from the light. Then you have that glow around the tritium glow, so kind of the best of both low light sighting systems. Since some sort of light is always needed, the blacked out rear doesn’t cause any sort of problem for me. If you are unsure about it, XS makes plenty of other style night sights. But let’s face it, most of our shooting is done in some sort of light. The Minimalist’s are not available in a taller version for use with red dot sights, but after all, they kind of hint to it in the name,

Installation of the Minimalist sights is straightforward. Just push or tap out the old rear and unscrew the old front. Put some of the supplied threadlocker on both front and rear sights. Since they are made from steel, just push in the rear with a punch or sight pusher. Set the front sight in, and then tighten the screw to specification. Then wipe off the excess thread locker and let sit. Then take it to the range and go shoot.

So if you're in the market for a simple night sight option, the XS Minimalist’s might be it. I even like them as just standard sights. The price is good, they are made in the USA, and they come with a “no questions asked” warranty. The warranty is so good, that I lost a front sight once, and they sent me a new one. So definitely go check out the XS Sights product lines.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Minimalist Night Sights

Target Market:

Those wanting only a tritium dot on the front sight

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Tritium Powered Front Sight
Bright orange High-Contrast Front Sight
Ember Glow Dot - Photoluminescent dot absorb ambient light and glows in low light
Serrated anti-glare rear sight
Blacked-out Rear sight
Rear Sight Overhang and slight angle- Reduces rear sight glare in bright light for greater sight definition
Rear Sight Ledge for ease of use
Thread locker included
CNC Steel
Fits standard holster options
Made in USA

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None, but plenty of other Night Sight options

What others are saying?:

5 stars on Amazon

Quality at a reasonable price

Quality Sights at a fraction of the price. These sights are the best sights I’ve seen under 100 dollars.

Link to other reviews:

Mr GunsnGear youtube

Price point:

MSRP = $59.99

Retail = $59.99 on Amazon

I need it now! Availability:

Amazon or XS sights

Our Rating:

Pros:

Photoluminecent dot
Serrated rear sight
Squared off front, of rear sight, for easier manipulation
Price
Made in USA

Cons:

Front sight width can be too wide for some people
No taller option for use with red dot sights (at least in the Minimalist version)

Score: 8.50 Great

Favorite Link: Walker NERO

Chad Wallace

March 15, 2020

XS, Review, Sights

XS RAM Night Sights

Chad Wallace

March 15, 2020

XS, Review, Sights

XS Sights has added another type of night sight to their lineup. These new sights are called RAM sights. RAM stands for Radioactive Material. Since they are Tritium night sights, the name is appropriate. XS offered to send me a set after seeing the F8 sight review, and I eagerly accepted.

The RAM sights are a semi-standard 3 dot system. I say “semi-standard”, because they are equipped with XS’s Glow Dot Technology. This technology allows the ring around the front sight to glow. I chose the green ring this time, since the F8’s, I reviewed previously, have the orange ring. The front sight ring absorbs ambient light through photoluminescence and then glows. If you shine a bright flashlight on the front sight, it glows really bright for about 10 minutes, and then slowly returns to the normal color. I like the Glow Dot feature, mainly because in some lighting situations, tritium can wash out and you are left with just a standard sighting configuration. The Glow Dot helps me pick up the front sight in those conditions.

Glowing front sight after shining flashlight on it. Notice that it glows so bright there is actually a reflection off the slide.

As with all XS sights, the RAM’s use tritium inserts. The tritium will glow green for years. In fact, XS warranties them for 10 years, not just on the tritium, but also the sights. When I compared these to other tritium sights, they seem to glow just as bright, which is quite bright. The 3 dot sight system has 3 dots, wow, imagine that! Each dot is a tritium vial. Two in the rear sight, one on each side of the notch. Then one in the middle of the front sight. In low light, one just puts the three dots in a horizontal line and the sights are “lined” up. The front sight also has the Glow Dot feature around the tritium dot. The rear is all blacked out except for the tritium dots.

Front sight, immediately after shining light on it. Notice it is so bright that it reflects off of the slide.

Front sight glow, a couple of minutes after shining light on it.

Besides being “night sights”, the RAM’s make good daylight sights too. The RAM’s use a front sight width of 0.145” and a square rear notch of 0.170”. This gives me a real good, fairly precise, sight picture. When looking down the sights, this combination gives me light on both sides of the front blade, which I really like for more precise shooting. Having that big green dot on the front sight makes it really easy to see and pick up on your target (think fast sight acquisition). It’s almost like having a fiber optic front sight. Let’s just say the daytime sight picture works really good for me.

Since the RAM sights sent to me were for a Glock, I installed them on a Freedom Flag products slide. In fact, the slide I used was the same one I had previously mounted XS’s F8 sights on. Installation was straight forward. A front sight tool and threadlocker was provided in the package. The front sight fit snugly, as did the rear. If you don’t think you can install the sights yourself, XS can do it for a small fee.

In my opinion, the RAM sights are really designed for a carry gun. They are very durable. The front edge of the rear sight is straight up and down. This allows for easier slide manipulation with one hand. The back edge of the rear sight is also angled inward, from top to bottom. This is done to help reduce glare off of the sight. A pretty smart addition.

XS sights did a great job with the RAM’s. I am excited that they are bringing out more of the “standard” style of night sights. The only bad thing to be said, is that they don’t offer the RAM’s in a tall version to be used with a mini red dot or suppressor. Go give XS sights a look, their new options are just awesome.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Night Sights

Target Market:

Those wanting 3 dot night sights on their handgun

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Tritium Powered Front & Rear Sight
High-Contrast Color Front Sight - Available in bright orange or green
Ember Glow Dot - Photoluminescent dot absorb ambient light and glows in low light
Rear Sight Overhang - Reduces rear sight glare in bright light
Anti-Reflective Rear Tritium Lens
Rear Sight Ledge - Aids in one-handed slide manipulations
CNC Steel - Extremely durable for duty use
10 Year Warranty - No Questions Asked Night Sight Warranty
0.145” Front Sight width
0.170 Rear Notch Width