After I purchased a Colt New Agent, I did a
Range Report comparing it to my Colt Compact which wore a Ted Yost rear sight along with the original front sight, among other modifications. The Colt Compact had the edge because it was a carry gun I was used to, and because it had been worked over considerably.
Conventional sights and sighted fire is more accurate, no doubt about it. The Colt New Agent was not designed to be a target gun though. Compromises were made to make the pistol a better concealed carry personal protection gun. It has a short sight radius, and a gutter sight. It has an alloy frame. It has slim grips. It is stone reliable, and accurate enough. It is the antithesis of a target gun.
People who equate target shooting with training to protect one's life will likely not care for the Colt New Agent. When you are forced to defend your life, the most accurate second shot is not the one that matters. What matters is the first shot that is accurate enough. The New Agent is made light so you will always carry it. It carries like a dream. It has a gutter sight so you can get the gun out of a concealed holster, and get off a shot that is accurate enough, as quickly as possible.
The one thing that I did do that improved my accuracy with the Colt New Agent was putting White-Out in the gutter sight. Strangely, at first, I found the slim grips to be a greater detriment to my accuracy than the gutter sight. Once I realized what was going on and adjusted my trigger finger on the trigger, all was well.
If you want conventional sights, buy the Colt Defender. It's basically the same gun in stainless steel. Get the one with the low profile rear sight.
If you are more of a point shoot kind of guy when it comes to defensive shooting, give the New Agent a try. Chances are, you will like it.