Pushing for Perfection: XS Sights DIY Sight Pusher Kit & Meprolight Hyper-Bright Sights – Glock 48

One of my all-time favorite carry guns has to be my Silver Slimline Glock 48. I’ve had this handgun going 4 years now and I’ve carried it extensively more or less in its original configuration save for an aftermarket trigger shoe and a flared magwell. Recently I decided to give the OEM Glock night sights that were on the pistol a swap and to do that I worked with the guys at Meprolight to get a solid set of day/night sights to go with the Glock 48. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I had three new pairs of sights to pick from. To install them, I enlisted the help of recently released the XS Sights DIY Sight Pusher Kit, which is designed specifically for Glock pistols. In this review, I will share my experiences using both the XS Sights DIY Sight Pusher Kit and the Meprolight Hyper-Bright sights to see whether or not you’d want to pick either of these items up for your own home gunsmithing needs.

More from Meprolight and XS Sights on TFB:

• Brightest self-illuminated night sights on the market
• Tritium-powered
• Green front sight and orange rear sight for maximum contrast
• Designed for quick target acquisition in all lighting conditions
• Made from high-quality, aircraft-grade aluminum
• Compatible with Glock pistols, as well as other models of striker-fired handguns (Mine are specifically for Glock models 42,43, 43X and 48
• Price: $99.00

First off, I was impressed with the build quality of the kit. The steel construction felt heavy-duty and durable, and the adjustable pusher block was easy to maneuver and really doesn’t need all that much lubrication to get working even on stuck stubborn sights. The included reference chart was also a helpful tool to ensure that I was making the correct adjustments to my new sights and was not overstressing my specific model of sight pusher. The model I have, the DIY Series, is only rated for up to about 100-inch pounds of force. Better models, like those from the GUNSMITH Series can handle much more force, up to 149-inch pounds, and are probably better suited to aftermarket Glock slides rather than OEM ones due to aftermarket ones requiring an average of 50% more force than OEM slides according to XS Sights. Before you ask, no, you can’t use this thing with power tools, if you’re having that much trouble with getting your sights out, just call XS Sights, they’ll help you out.

The installation process was straightforward, and the instructions provided with the Meprolight Hyper-Bright sights were easy to follow. The XS Sights DIY Sight Pusher Kit made it easy to remove the OEM sights and install the new ones without damaging the firearm. It really didn’t require all that much force to get the original sights loose, and the new sights took a similar amount of force to get wedged in there. The kit’s front sight tool (it comes with three of them made from aluminum) was helpful for removing the OEM front sight and replacing it, although it did require the assistance of some pliers.

After completing the installation of the Meprolight Hyper-Bright sights, I was immediately impressed with the difference in sight picture compared to my OEM Glock night sights. The sights were much easier to see and use in low-light conditions. The daytime performance is also pretty good as the rears are virtually blacked out save for the tritium inserts for nighttime alignment and the bright outer ring on the Hyper-Bright sights makes it easy for them to stand out against a variety of target types meaning you’ll have an easier time getting an accurate sight picture.

I found the Meprolight Hyper-Bright night sights to perform exceptionally well in low-light conditions. The tritium inserts glowed brightly and made it easy to quickly align my sights. The level of brightness was just right, not too overwhelming but bright enough to be seen without difficulty. I particularly appreciated the amber ring around the front sight which works sort of like a red dot in that it helps you quickly line up your target and front sight. Overall, I feel like the sights gave me an improved sight picture.

The only thing that could possibly make these better strictly for daytime use would be fiber optic sights, which Meprolight makes in the form of the FT-Bullseye iron sights. However, for EDC duty, I think the Meprolight Hyper-Brights are the ticket, with the large bright front sight being my favorite feature about them. With the included thread locker, the front sight hasn’t shown any signs of loosening, nor has the rear sight despite not putting any thread locker on that. However, this is only about 500 rounds after the fact and my decision to not thread lock the rears might prove to be foolish.

Overall, I highly recommend both the XS Sights DIY Sight Pusher Kit and the Meprolight Hyper-Bright sights for anyone looking to upgrade the sights on their Glock pistol. The XS Sights DIY Sight Pusher Kit made the installation process easy and straightforward, and the Meprolight Hyper-Bright sights provided a noticeable improvement to my sight picture with the amber-colored front dot appealing to me most out of the three that were sent. The other two options were the Orange front dot which I have heard from others is their favorite style, while some people like the green look – likely because green is allegedly the color most easily picked up by your eye.

One potential downside of the XS Sights DIY Sight Pusher Kit is that it is quite expensive at $150 and they also tend to be model specific due to the height differences between different brands of pistol slides, so it may not be compatible with other firearms and if you want to have a pusher for each type of pistol you have, you’ll end up spending a lot of money. Additionally, some people may prefer to have a professional gunsmith install new sights on their firearm, rather than doing it themselves which I can completely understand.