NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Shield v. Shield—Sights

by
posted on July 30, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

The Shield v. Shield project commences, and the first order of business is to upgrade the sights. The project gun came with the standard, white, three-dot sights, so commonly seen on personal-defense firearms. The Performance Center Ported M&P Shield, on the other hand, sports a good set of tritium-powered night sights, also in a three-dot configuration, but incorporating tritium vials into the center of the white dots. 
 
  

To enhance the standard Smith & Wesson Shield, American Rifleman's Joe Kurtenbach installed a set of Trijicon HD Night Sights which feature a large, bright dot consisting of greenish-yellow luminescent paint with a tritium vial at the center (orange front sights are also available). The rear sight has a U-notch cutout, two tritium inserts—to complete the three-dot sight picture—and horizontal serrations to reduce glare. The sights were chosen to keep with Kurtenbach’s preferences: bold front; flat, black rear; and low-light utility.

  

Installation was completed using a MGW Sight-Pro Tool, available from Brownells, which is an armorer-grade sight pusher that uses model-specific shoes to secure the firearm’s slide during operations. It’s not an inexpensive tool, but it makes short work of sight replacements on many popular guns.

For Kurtenbach’s commentary on the project, and to see the sights used on the range, check out the video above.

Additional Reading:

NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Shield v. Shield—Concept    
NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Shield v. Shield—Trigger
NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Shield v. Shield—Recoil
NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Conclusion

 

Latest

Armscor Tm22 S 18 Gotw F
Armscor Tm22 S 18 Gotw F

Gun Of The Week: Armscor TM22-S-18

We're on the range in this video to get a closer look at an affordable plinker imported by Armscor. Whether you’re training on a budget or just want a rimfire for plinking, the TM22 is a proven platform worth investigating.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 22, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Winter Warrior: The Finnish Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG

A little-known light machine gun from the inter-war era, the Finnish Lahti-Saloranta M/26 garnered a poor reputation during its service in World War II, but a closer look and some context reveals how innovative it was for its time.

Federal Ammunition Honored By National 4-H Shooting Sports

Federal Ammunition was recently honored with the 2025 4-H Shooting Sports Pioneer Award, which recognizes individuals or companies that have made significant contributions to the 4-H Shooting Sports program at a national level.

I Have This Old Gun: Polish Vis 35 Radom

One of the lesser-known designs from the 1930s, the Vis 35 Radom is widely considered to be one of the best of the pre-World War II handguns.

Rifleman Q&A: Colt 1860 12-Notch Conversion

"At a gun show, I saw a Colt 1860 Army Richards Conversion with 12 cylinder notches instead of the usual six. The dealer was not sure whether this was original to the gun. Were these extra notches a factory variation or just some frontier gunsmith’s backroom project?"

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.