As an old Springfield fan, I've looked into this. Those factory sights are seemingly pressed in with a hydraulic press, not easy at all to get out even with a sight pusher. I've read where some would need to cut the original sights in half before they could be removed.
I don't think it's a lost cause, people upgrade sights on their XD pistols all the time. Try posting this in the Gunsmithing forum if you haven't already, I'm sure someone over there will be along to provide more helpful advice than I have. But I doubt the factory sights will come out with just a hammer and punch, I think a sight pusher will definitely be required.
Springfield definitely installs their sights in tight. I bent the tip on a sight pusher getting the sights out of my XDM. Granted it was a cheapo sight pusher and I'm a novice. So, a quality sight pusher and a skilled person can get them out.
If you are around Indy check with Elmores in Greenwood. I believe Jason has a dedicated pusher for that application.
[FONT=&]NRA Life Member / [/FONT]Basic Pistol instructor[FONT=&] / RSO[/FONT][FONT=&]
[/FONT][FONT=&]"Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That's why we train so hard" [/FONT][FONT=&]
[/FONT][FONT=&]Unnamed Navy Seal[/FONT][FONT=&]
[/FONT][FONT=&]“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public” [/FONT][FONT=&]
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[/FONT][FONT=&]Aron Bright[/FONT]
Yeah XD's sights are a pain in the ass. Also one of the biggest pain in the ass pistols I've ever fully disassembled (I mean completely) and reassembled. Hate them, Almost as much as a sig p226
You'll need a sight press tool, I thought I broke the slide when I did my first XDS it made a pop that was so loud when it finally moved in the dovetail but all was well.
Tried several tools, only one I found that stands up to the job of the XD line is this and it's probably one of the least expensive models on the market and comes with all the blocks you'll need for just about any slide it even has Beretta spacers in the kit. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Handgun-Si...1911s-and-more-/183265458168?oid=172925574260
Use some card stock to protect the slide finish, here's my XDS getting a rear sight adjustment.