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Posted: 6/16/2006 12:14:04 PM EDT
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I check in here now & then to see if there are any new products out there for iron sights... Reviews of things like Ashley Same-Plane Apertures, Trijicon Irons, etc... All I see is Optic this, Reflext that... Doesn't ANYBODY here still use Iron Sights? Call me poor, but that's All I own. That's all I train with, and that's all I trust.  Or do you all just keep "pop-up" irons as a backup and rarely, if ever, practice/train with them? Don't get me wrong, my last AR had a lovely optic with target turrets, mildot reticle, adjustable objective, etc... It's just that I've learned the lesson of becoming dependent upon an optic when my last scope broke (a couple years ago) and I had to go a while without any sights... I learned the value of Irons that day. Do you guys ever have good discussions on different irons? Does anyone here HAVE Trijicon sights for their AR? How do you like them? |
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I guess it's a matter of preferences, I like my TA31F, and put aside others like Aimpoint, EOTech, and S&B Short Dot. I like being able to see clearly what I'm shooting at, and hit it where I want to place the shot. Irons require lining up the target, front sight and rear, it can be rather slow. At 200yds, it about covers the target that's about the size of an average man's chest, I'm far faster with an ACOG. If I train with nothing but irons (I do, with handguns  ) I'd still wish to have the benefits of a magnfied optic. I can use irons only, I just choose to do better  In a battlefield, it may make the difference of seeing the enemy while you remain undetectable with naked eyes, I'd want the "unfair" advantage of being able to see the bad guy while he can't see me so well. As to Trijicon irons, I have two Trijicon front sights, got those before my GenIII NOD days, now they're not so useful for me, they also show up nicely in my ACOG at night as a green blob 
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| Well, not trying to be antagonistic, but this thread is titled, "Optics, Mounts and Sights," to discuss optics, mounts and sights, not that iron sights arent "sights," but IMHO they require very little discussion, they come with the rifle, you line the front one up in the back one and then pull the trigger without moving them, not much else to discus. I guess there is the discussion on what is the optimal range to zero your iron sight, which is often discussed in the AR Discussions thread. On the other hand, the breadth and scope of availble optics and or (red dot)sights, i.e. quality, magnification, weight, height, length, reticle, etc. and the mounting options available make for a great deal of interesting conversation, and this is where I look to engage in those discussions. |
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First and foremost, proficiency is best learned using iron sights in my book. When I help friends with builds, I always advise the new shooters to start with irons, then move to optics when they become very competent and comfortable using their irons. I feel it is a mistake to start off using optics, and becoming dependent upon them. I feel that optics simply supplement irons, to facilitate speed, target ID, etc.; I think Duffy was basically saying that, and I agree whole heartedly. Opitcs are merely there to complement one's ability. |
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Irons don't do a lot for me on an AR. I used to love them, i used them the whole time I was in the service and never had a complaint. But once you try an ACOG on one or a Leupold it kinda just takes all the fun out of shooting with irons. I think a lot of guys on't train with thier irons as much as they would because they don't have a good return to zero mount like the Larue. If you have to rezero your scope everytime you play with irons whats the fun in that. I know when I've had rifles without a return to zero mount I never took the optic off. Iron sights are realatively simple, they either come on the gun or install is a no brainer. There is no need for a thread on wich mount to use on a troy rear sight, it's built in. Irons rarely break unless they are a cheap knock off so there aren't a lot of threads on that. Lets face it how many threads can you have about wich iron sight is better? They are all basically the same, the majority of manufactures use the same appeture, have the same adjustments and the same sight picture. Irons I've used and like, LMT rear, colt cut carry handle, standard A2 handle, standard A2 front sight, YHM flip front and ARMS 40 series rears. |
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I guess you're right... There can't be that many discussions on Irons, but they're NOT all the same. Ashley Same-Plane Apertures are decent rear sights for police use... Also, How many of you (especially veterans of war) stopped in the middle of a gunfight to dial-in their irons for windage & elevation to shoot someone at varying distances? Or did you just keep it zeroed where you had it, and do a 'hold-over' or 'kentucky-windage'? I'm a BIG fan of A1 sights rather than A2 sights. They are better protected, FAR FEWER PARTS, and if your sights break, (from my perspective as an Armorer) A2 sights are a BITCH to fix & reassemble (especially reassembly without a specialty tool for the elevation spring!). I'm thinking of upgrading to an A1 Trijicon front night sight though, and a custom Rear Sight (Basically a National Match Aperture for 200+ meters, and a 'ghost-ring' larger aperture for all work closer in... Will I buy optics for my AR? CERTAINLY. I, too, believe in the use of optics for an accuracy and range advantage, but guess I just wished there were more discussions of available iron sights, etc... They are all SIMILAR, but certainly NOT the same. I firmly believe in practicing in the use of Irons for close-range work and tactical carbine work. In the future I'm going to purchase a Trijicon ACOG sight, but I can't afford one right now... I just wish I was as fortunate as my friend, Paul, who bought a broken used ACOG scope for $50, sent it in to Trijicon, and they fixed it & returned it FREE OF CHARGE (even paid shipping)!!! So he got a great Trijicon ACOG for $50!!! Now if only I could find a decent deal on one I'd definitely pick one up (If I had the $$ right now) and mount it to my A1 carry handle... Until then I'll just have to keep practicing with Irons... |
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Other than with hunting rifles, I only have one "fancy" optic and that is an EOTech 512. I really like it and it makes sighting so much quicker than with irons. That being said, only one of my "military" rifles has the EOTech, all others are iron sighters. I am pretty used to the iron sights from a FAL and AR and even my one Mosin Nagat. I ponder all the time buying another EOTech or shelling out more money for something like an IOR or ACOG and spend the money on ammo instead. Practice, practice, practice. |
That was a filthy day.. rain, mud and cold...... man I look sexy as hell with my green ass. Joking a side.. I recommend any one sighting in a rifle to zero the BUIS first, adjust the red dot reticle to the iron zero. then you re-check zero. One is to zero the iron so it is useful in time of emergency and the other is to get some trigger time on the iron and get familiar with it. I like shooting irons from time time to keep me skill set. |
for using bipods
I only use shoot my irons to confirm their zeroed once in a while. Their their for back up and you really don't need to practice with them per say its like riding a bike. Post goes in the middle of the apature and the post goes on the target. I see no reason to use irons as a main sight unless you can't afford a quality optic. Pat |
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