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Posted: 9/26/2014 3:00:17 PM EDT
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Ok, Hello all first off I want to introduce my self. Im Caleb, Ive been running an m16a1 colt 11" sbr for work for the last 9 years or so and am very familiar with the operation of the weapon. Don't know mych past that. Not until just recently, i purchased my own. I picked up an Olympic Arms ar reasonably cheap. After zeroing iron sights with the a2 front sight that was installed (should have left it alone) I decided to buy a free floating quad rail. I got a utg 13" quad from a friend that had never been installed and took it to my local gun shop and had it installed.
Everything looks pretty straight, but in order to get it to co witness with my optic, I have to move the rear sight almost all the way left. after doing some looking, my guess is that the rail isnt centered or straight on the barrel and also my optic has a very very slight right tilt. I know after doing research that i have one of the cheapest rails out there and i know i don't have the nicest setup, but all that aside how common is it for the free floating rail to be off, and do you think that is the problem? |
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Other than the less than optimal quality, your problem might be something simple.
When the gun shop installed that rail, they may have canted it slightly so that your front sight is slightly off to the left or right. It does not take much, literally a few thousandths of an inch to create problems. Also, the installer might not have centered the rail attachment under the barrel nut, if it uses the stock barrel nut, as many of those do. If it is off center under the barrel nut, it will not be parallel with the rifle barrel bore or with your upper receiver rail. Do you have a carry handle or a one piece bridge type scope mount? If so, try to bridge between your upper and the rail. Attach to your upper first. If the rail is out of alignment, you will see it and feel it when you try to tighten to the rail. Do not force it. Just use this as a visual tool to help figure out what is wrong. If it is what I think, I'd take it back to the guy that installed it and have them correct the problem. Of course, the rail could, itself, be out of spec. But, I'd explore installation issues first. |
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Dumb question. Have you zeroed the red dot and the sights? Or are you just attempting to co-witness the back-ups to wherever the red dot might be pointing at the current moment?
I am asking because you make it sound as if you are adjusting your sights to the red dot. You should zero your sights. Zero your red dot. Then verify your sights looking through the red dot. At that point, you should be co-witnessed. |
| Take the sights off and use a straight edge from your upper receiver along the entire rail. Use a framing square or something similar that isn't all boogered up. Check the top and along the two sides. See what you get and report back. I'm not familiar with that rail but I have seen a few that tightening the screws a little more on one side a little tighter can pull it enough to straighten it out. It is possible that the face of the receiver isn't true but check the rail first. Also use a in lbs. torque driver to install your sights if you can. |
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Quoted:
as far as the install, what could be wrong about it? seems pretty straight forward Did you read my post above. It was all about the install problems and how a canted rail or an improper alignment of the attachment point under the barrel nut can cause the rail mounted front sight to not be perpendicular to the barrel and your upper mounted rear sight. Those are install issues. |
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