Chris Raper — Retired North Carolina law enforcement (40+ years) · U.S. Air Force Security Police · NRA-certified Pistol, Rifle & Shotgun Instructor · NC DOJ-certified Concealed Carry Instructor · Founder, Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. (Elm City, NC, 2006)This guide draws on my own research and what my students bring into the Concealed Handgun Carry class every week. The method line at the end of the article says exactly how this guide was built.
Glock rear sights have an angled back face, and that one detail is why so many “universal” sight pushers slip, chew the polymer or push the sight in crooked on a Glock. You need a tool that ships with an angled Glock shoe, clamps a square Glock slide without rocking, and, if you own a Gen 5, MOS or slimline, accounts for the front serrations, the optic cut or the narrower slide. Here are the Glock sight pushers that do, and the one-tool answer if you also own other pistols.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
Our Glock picks at a glance
- Best Glock-only pusher: Pridefend Sight Pusher for Glock Square Slides – cut for Glock, angled shoe included, 1,000+ owners.
- Gunsmith grade: MGW Glock Angled Sight Installation Tool – machined, model-specific, zero flex.
- Front and rear: Real Avid Universal Glock Sight Pusher – the only Glock tool here that also does dovetailed front sights.
- Slimline (G43/43X/48): Pridefend Universal with adjustable base – dial the clamp height to the narrow slide.
- Glock plus other pistols: Wheeler Handgun Sight Tool – full slide capture, angled and flat shoes.
- Front sight: not a pusher at all – a 3/16-inch nut driver (Real Avid 4-in-1 or the Glock OEM tool).
Why Glock sights need a different shoe
Glock OEM rear sights and most aftermarket Glock sights (Trijicon HD, Ameriglo, Night Fision, TRUGLO) have an angled rear face that matches the slide’s rear profile. A flat push shoe contacts only the top edge of that angle, rides up and either slips off or crushes the sight. An angled shoe spreads the force across the sight body. This is why Glock-specific tools and universals that include an angled insert work, and why the cheapest flat-shoe-only pushers do not. Our broader comparison of every type is in best sight pusher tools.
Glock sight pusher comparison
| Tool | Angled Glock shoe | Gen 5 / MOS | Slimline G43/43X/48 | Non-Glock slides | Front sight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pridefend Glock | Yes | Yes, clamp behind serrations | Marginal, fixed clamp | No | No |
| MGW Glock Angled Tool | Yes (machined) | Yes | Check model list | No | No |
| Real Avid Universal Glock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Some | Yes |
| Pridefend Universal (adjustable) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Wheeler Handgun Sight Tool | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dovetail only |
1. Pridefend Sight Pusher for Glock Square Slides
HIGHLIGHT:
This tool does one job: Glock square slides, rear sight.
CARRY & HANDLING:
This tool does one job: Glock square slides, rear sight. Because it is not trying to also fit a rounded Sig slide, the clamp sits flat on a Glock and does not rock under load. The angled shoe is in the box, the push block is steel, and over a thousand owners report it works on 17, 19, 22, 23, 26, 34 and 45 slides across generations. The negative reviews are mostly from people who tried it on a non-Glock, which the listing name tells you not to do. On Gen 5 slides, clamp behind the front serrations so the jaws sit on flat steel.
2. MGW Glock Angled Sight Installation Tool
HIGHLIGHT:
MGW is what the gun shop uses.
BUILD:
MGW is what the gun shop uses. Their Glock angled tool is machined steel with a shoe cut precisely for Glock-style angled rear sights, so there is no flex and no guesswork about shoe fit. It costs more than the budget Glock tools and it is Glock-only, which makes sense for someone who changes Glock sights regularly or installs expensive tritium sights and does not want to risk a vial. For a single sight change it is more tool than you need. Details in our MGW Glock sight tool review. MGW also makes a flat-side version (MGW309S) for the few Glock rear sights with flat faces.
3. Real Avid Universal Glock Sight Pusher
HIGHLIGHT:
Most Glock pushers do only the rear sight, because Glock front sights are screw-in.
CARRY & HANDLING:
Most Glock pushers do only the rear sight, because Glock front sights are screw-in. Real Avid’s tool handles dovetailed front sights too, which matters if you run an aftermarket front sight that is not screw-in, or you also own 1911s or CZs. It ships with the Glock angled shoe, clamps all Glock generations including slimlines, and clamps many other slides. It is the “mostly Glocks, a few others” answer.
More detail is in our full Real Avid Universal Glock Sight Pusher review.
4. Pridefend Universal with adjustable base – for G43, 43X and 48
HIGHLIGHT:
Slimline Glock slides are narrower, and a fixed-height clamp set up for a G19 can sit off-center on a G43, putting the shoe on the slide instead of the sight.
CARRY & HANDLING:
Slimline Glock slides are narrower, and a fixed-height clamp set up for a G19 can sit off-center on a G43, putting the shoe on the slide instead of the sight. Pridefend’s universal has an adjustable base so you set the height to the slide in front of you. It also includes both angled and flat shoes, so it covers non-Glocks too. It is newer and has fewer reviews than the Glock-only tool, but it solves the slimline problem that fixed budget clamps do not.
5. Wheeler Handgun Sight Tool – Glock plus everything else
HIGHLIGHT:
If your safe has a Glock, a Sig and an M&P, buy one tool: the Wheeler.
BUILD:
If your safe has a Glock, a Sig and an M&P, buy one tool: the Wheeler. It captures the whole slide from both sides, ships with angled and flat shoes, and has a steel push block that handles seized sights. It is our overall pick in the main sight pusher guide and it does Glocks as well as the Glock-only tools; it just costs more and takes a minute longer to set up.
The Glock front sight: you need a nut driver, not a pusher
Glock front sights are held by a single hex nut from inside the slide. A 3/16-inch nut driver removes it in seconds. The Glock OEM front sight tool or the Real Avid 4-in-1 Glock tool both have it. Do not try to push a Glock front sight with a sight pusher; it is not dovetailed and you will damage the slide. Put a drop of blue thread locker on the new nut and snug it, do not crank it.
Watch: “Install Glock Sights in 3 Steps With the Sight Pusher” by Real Avid on YouTube.
Changing Glock sights with a pusher: the short version
Clear and field strip. Degrease the rear dovetail. Tape the slide top. Clamp behind the front serrations. Seat the angled shoe on the sight body and push the old rear sight out left to right (viewed from the rear). Start the new sight by hand from the right and push to center. Swap the front sight with the nut driver. Re-zero; expect to move the rear sight a little. The full procedure with the stuck-sight fixes is in how to use a sight pusher. Factory polymer sights crack under a pusher about half the time; if you are replacing them it does not matter.
Watch: “Replacing Glock Sights Properly: MGW Sight Pusher” by SensiblePrepper on YouTube.
Night sights that work with these pushers
Every angled-shoe tool above installs the common Glock night sights: TRUGLO Tritium Pro, Trijicon HD and HD XR, Ameriglo Bold and Agent, Night Fision. If you are buying the pusher to install new sights, TRUGLO’s Tritium Pro set is the most-bought Glock night sight on Amazon and is the one most of our readers pair with the Pridefend tool.
FAQ
What is the best sight pusher for a Glock?
For Glock-only owners, the Pridefend Glock pusher for value or the MGW angled tool for gunsmith quality. For a mixed safe, the Wheeler Handgun Sight Tool.
Do I need a sight pusher to change Glock sights?
For the rear sight, a pusher is the safe way; a brass punch and bench block work if you are careful. The front sight only needs a 3/16-inch nut driver.
Will a universal sight pusher work on a Glock?
Only if it includes an angled Glock shoe. Flat-shoe-only universals slip on Glock’s angled rear sight.
Does a Glock sight pusher fit the Gen 5 and MOS?
Yes, clamp behind the Gen 5 front serrations and forward of the MOS optic cut, or remove the cover plate first.
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Chris Raper
Chris Raper is the founder and lead reviewer of Conceal & Carry Network. A retired North Carolina law-enforcement officer with more than 40 years of service and a U.S. Air Force Security Police veteran, he founded Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. in Elm City, NC in 2006 and has taught the state-approved NC Concealed Handgun Carry class there ever since. He is an NC Department of Justice certified Firearms Safety Instructor, an NRA Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Instructor, an NRA Range Safety Officer and a graduate of Massad Ayoob's Lethal Force Institute. He reviews the carry guns, holsters, safes and sight tools his students ask about every week.