Many of us have experienced a particular disappointment when shopping for a new defensive handgun. You finally find a great deal on the pistol you want, only to realize that it comes with less than stellar factory iron sights. For those who follow my firearm reviews, its no secret, I really like the Glock series of pistols. Unfortunately, I really hate the cheap, plastic factory sights with the ostentatious “U” shaped outlined rear sight and golf ball sized white dot front sight. I find it a very distracting to my focus when shooting as it tends to make one giant bright white blur when addressing the target quickly.
Recently, I had the opportunity to purchase a new Glock model 43 9mm pistol with a factory installed Crimson Trace laser unit. Unfortunately, despite the great price and features, it did arrive with the factory white plastic sights. I quickly researched my options since the model 42 / 43 were still relatively new and on a different size platform than other model Glocks. My good friend and co-worker, David Link told me about a business making top notch fiber optic sights called the Williams Gun Sight Company. After reading up on the company, I discovered Williams made reliable, defensive and target model front and rear pistol, rifle, and shotgun sights. Each model is made from solid aluminum and features fiber optic technology. I immediately ordered a set of defensive sights with red and green fiber optics to fit the Glock model 42 / 43.
Williams Gun Sight Glock 42/43 Sights
Within a few days, the new sights arrived from Williams Gun Sight Company ready for action. Switching out the factory sights for the new sights was a breeze with my MGW Sight-Pro sight pusher. The longest part of the process was simply setting up the sight pusher for the right size and position. I have used several sight pushers before, and while the MGW is twice the investment of all the others combined, it is certainly the last one I will ever have to buy. Interchangeable “shoes” hold the slide safely in place from damage, and the heavy duty all-steel construction makes it worth the price!
Once installed, these sights were fantastic compared to the factory offerings. The Glock 43 is a relatively small platform in relation to a lot of handguns shooters are traditionally used to. The small slide creates small, hard to see sights for most users. I found the newly installed Williams sights were clear and fast to acquire when shooting from defensive positions, even in low light. I needed very little ambient light to make these sights appear ready to use.
Advantages Of Williams Sights
Prior to using the new sights, I had a concern that the fiber optic sights would be so bright, it would distract me from the target. Fortunately, the sights had the opposite effect. I found the sights aided my eyes in focusing on the clear green front sight easier. This ensured I didn’t get caught up in the tunnel vision of staring at the target as my main clear focus. The red rear fiber optics contrasted starkly to the front sight. The deep “U” cut out in the rear sight along with the thin profile of the front sight allowed for a great view of the target. This allows the user to keep “equal height, equal light” between the two sights. The Williams Sights create a solid sight alignment and sight picture without confusion of which sight was which in relation to the target in a split second.
Follow up shots such as quick double taps as well as longer strings of fire were seamless compared to the factory sights. I can acquire the Williams brand quicker after breaking each shot and cycling through the recoil. The snag-free, low profile design of the sights’ height keeps “height over bore axis” as low as possible. This resulted in point of aim / point of impact being dead on at the standard defensive training distance of around 21 feet. The sturdy all-aluminum sights gave me confidence in durability during rough use in comparison to the original Glock offering.
Final Thoughts
Retailing with a MSRP of $49.99, I think the Williams fiber optic sights are a great value for what you get. My only suggestion for the Williams Gun Sight Company would be to make the rear sights with a squared front profile for an easier one handed tactical reloads in emergency situations such as having your dominant hand injured. A completely blacked out rear sight would be nice to see as well. Many firearms trainers I know often prefer to only have the front sight stand out when speed shooting. As the pistol used for testing is often carried at night, I would like to eventually see the Williams Gun Sight Company offer a Tritium front sight insert as well. I realize that this variation to the current sights would come with a hike in price, but many shooters may feel the cost would be well worth it. Overall, as a direct replacement for the white “U” outline and dot Glock sights, the Williams sights are a spot on quick fix that will place you way ahead of the game for a very low price.
Leave a Reply