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.
When a student asks me what tool to buy for changing Glock sights, I answer with a question of my own: what else is in your safe? If the answer is nothing but Glocks, the Pridefend Sight Pusher for Glock Square Slides is the first tool I’d put in front of him.
Universal pushers try to fit every slide ever made, and on a Glock that shows. A flat shoe can slip on the angled rear sight, and a clamp sized for “any slide” can rock on a square one. Pridefend gets around that by building for one slide and one slide only.
My verdict: if every pistol you’ll ever push sights on is a standard-width Glock, buy this one. If you own anything else, read the fit section before you order.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
Specs from the manufacturer listing · owner feedback summarized and labelled · hands-on test notes being added · How we review
Pridefend Glock Sight Pusher – Best Glock-Only Sight Pusher For Rear Sights
HIGHLIGHT:
A clamp cut to the Glock slide and an angled shoe made for Glock rear sights, with nothing in it meant for any other pistol.
IN THE BOX:
In the photos you can see the kit unpacked on top of its instruction sheet, with a black zippered carry case sitting behind it. The tool rides in that case in a foam cutout, and the instruction booklet walks through the setup in step-by-step drawings.
Count the parts before the box goes out with the trash. I’ve yet to meet a workbench that doesn’t swallow small pieces. And keep the case. A tool that lives in its case is a tool you can find the next time a sight needs moving.
SETUP:
First rule, before any tool comes out: the gun is unloaded, checked twice, and there’s no ammunition anywhere on the bench. Not in a box on the corner, not in a magazine nearby. Field strip the pistol and work on the slide by itself. That bare slide, rear sight on top, is the only part that goes in this tool.
The close-up shows the threaded drive screw and the knurled knobs. Run the screw back so the push block has room before the slide goes in, and wipe the threads clean. Grit in the threads is grit you’ll feel right when you’re trying to go slow.
Two short YouTube videos are worth a look first: “Handgun sight pusher tool for Glock and more by Pridefend” from Narrow Paths Outdoors, and “Pridefend Sight Pusher” from gunnwild1. Watch one, then read the paper that came with your new sights. Each sight maker has his own notes on fit and direction, and his notes beat my guesses.
CLAMPING THE SLIDE:
This is where a Glock-only design earns its spot on the bench. Pridefend lists a two-sided clamp cut to the Glock slide profile, so the jaws meet the slide where it’s flat instead of pinching it at the corners. The close-up shows the clamp and push block with a thumb on the jaw.
In the photos you can see a slide clamped square in the frame, once held in hand and once sitting on a workbench mat with a set of calipers out front. Snug the clamp down evenly. You want the slide held still, not crushed. If it can rock, the shoe can slip, and a slipping shoe is how sights get marked.
Gen 5 owners, pay attention here. Pridefend says to clamp behind the front serrations so the jaws sit on flat steel. Clamp on the serrations and the slide can rock and the finish can get marked.
THE PUSH:
Pridefend lists the push block as steel, and that’s what I want pressing on a steel sight. The angled shoe is shaped for Glock factory and aftermarket angled rear sights. The brand says it spreads the force across the sight body, so polymer factory sights and steel aftermarket sights move without getting crushed.
In the photos you can see a rear sight sitting right under the push block, and a front view of the tool on the bench with the T-handle out to the side. Go slow. A quarter turn, look, another quarter turn. I tell students the same thing about a trigger press: hurry it and it shows on the target. Hurry a sight push and it shows on the sight.
If the handle starts fighting you hard, stop. Check that the shoe is square on the sight base before you lean on it. Force is not a substitute for lining things up.
MARKS ON THE SIGHT:
On any pusher, shoe placement is the main way a first-timer marks a sight. Keep the shoe on the base of the sight, the body, and not riding up onto the blade. That one habit heads off most of the trouble. My how to use a sight pusher guide covers the standard setup step by step.
The close-ups show an angled rear sight seated in the dovetail and a Trijicon-marked rear sight up close. That’s how I’d inspect any sight job: look from straight behind to see it’s centered, then along each side for shiny spots where a shoe bit in.
After any sight change, take the gun to the range and confirm where it hits before you carry it. A sight that moved a hair can move your group, and you want to find that out on paper, not on the street.
WHICH PISTOLS IT FITS:
Pridefend lists the Glock square slides: 17, 19, 19X, 22, 23, 26, 27, 31, 32, 34, 35 and 45, in Gen 3, 4 and 5. That’s a good share of the Glocks students carry into a classroom.
Slimlines are the sore spot. The G43, 43X and 48 have narrower slides, and Pridefend’s clamp is sized for standard width. On a slimline it can sit off-center and put the shoe on top of the slide instead of on the sight. Pridefend’s own universal with the adjustable base is the safer buy for those.
Front sights: it doesn’t do them, and on a Glock it doesn’t need to. Glock factory fronts screw in and come off with a 3/16-inch nut driver. Non-Glock pistols: no. It isn’t built for them and doesn’t pretend to be. The quickest way to be unhappy with this tool is to buy it for a gun that isn’t a Glock.
HOW IT STACKS UP:
The MGW Glock angled tool is machined and model-specific, the gunsmith’s version of the same idea. It’s the better tool, and more than one Glock owner needs. The Real Avid Universal Glock pusher also does dovetailed front sights and some non-Glocks, so it’s the better buy if you’ll ever own a second brand. Pridefend’s universal with the adjustable base is from the same company, fits slimlines and non-Glocks, and takes a little more setup.
If your safe is a mix of brands, the Wheeler is the true universal I’d look at instead.
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY:
Where it earns its keep: The Pridefend is well made for the price and swaps rear sights on Glocks and similar pistols without a punch or hammer, and it works across multiple handguns.
Where it falls short: It can leave small cosmetic blemishes on new sights, the shallow claw will not push suppressor-height sights, and the adjustment plate can tilt and roll the slide on some non-Glock factory slides.
Who it’s for: Swapping standard-height sights on Glocks and similar pistols on a budget. Skip it for suppressor-height sights or an uncommon slide profile.
WHAT TO WATCH:
Two things. On a Gen 5, clamp behind the front serrations. On a slimline G43, 43X or 48, expect the clamp to sit off-center. Past that, the name on the box is the warning label: it’s for Glocks.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT:
Buy it if every pistol you’ll ever push sights on is a standard-width Glock. Skip it if you own anything else, or if a G43, 43X or 48 is your main Glock; get the Wheeler or Pridefend’s adjustable universal for that. And if you only plan to change one set of sights in your life, ask what your local gunsmith charges before you buy any tool.
SPECS AT A GLANCE:
| Spec | What Pridefend lists |
|---|---|
| Fits | Glock square slides: 17, 19, 19X, 22, 23, 26, 27, 31, 32, 34, 35, 45; Gen 3, 4 and 5 |
| Shoe | Angled, for Glock factory and aftermarket angled rear sights |
| Push block | Steel |
| Clamp | Two-sided, cut to the Glock slide profile |
| Front sights | No (Glock fronts are screw-in; use a 3/16-inch nut driver) |
| Non-Glock | No |
PROS & CONS:
Pros
- Clamp cut to the Glock slide profile, so it holds square
- Angled shoe made for Glock rear sights
- Steel push block
- Covers the standard Glocks in Gen 3, 4 and 5
Cons
- Glock only; no use on other brands
- Can sit off-center on slimline G43, 43X and 48 slides
- No front sight work, though Glock factory fronts don’t need a pusher
$39.99 & FREE Returns on Amazon (as of Oct 31, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT – details)
Still comparing? See my best sight pusher for Glock picks.
Pridefend Glock Sight Pusher FAQ
Does the Pridefend sight pusher fit Gen 5 Glocks?
Yes. Pridefend lists Gen 3, 4 and 5. On a Gen 5, clamp behind the front serrations so the jaws sit on flat steel.
Does it fit the Glock 43X or 48?
Marginally. The clamp is sized for standard-width slides and can sit off-center on a slimline. Pridefend’s adjustable-base universal is the better choice for the 43, 43X and 48.
Does it do the front sight?
No, and on a Glock it doesn’t need to. Glock factory front sights come off with a 3/16-inch nut driver.
Will it work on a non-Glock pistol?
No. Pridefend lists it for Glock square slides only. For a mixed safe, look at the Wheeler or Pridefend’s adjustable universal.
Should I buy the Pridefend or the Real Avid?
If you only work on standard Glocks, the Pridefend does the rear sight job. If you’ll ever own a second brand or want dovetailed front sights covered, the Real Avid Universal Glock pusher is the better buy.
All product photos on this page were taken by our team.
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.