Originally Posted by
Jellybean
Well, to be fair, I wasn't trying to single you out specifically with the "sunny day" comment, but it's good to hear that optic is working out for you- it's actually something I was considering for another build.
On the flip side, I have seen, personally, budget optics poo out in far less severe weather/use than you mentioned. To be fair, your Leupold Deltapoint is a $300-something dollar optic (pre-mount costs), that IMHO had damn well better perform being in the price bracket of a PRO.... a far cry from the $150 PA/Holosun you mentioned previously as trustworthy enough to run standalone.
My issue is NOT with the idea that optics can be run effectively without backup sights- clearly there are plenty of folks doing so.
My issue is the fact that 1) given a few ounces of BUIS won't change the weight or balance of a rifle in any significant way, I see no reason to promote not having them when a basic MBUS set can be had for under $100. One does not need to use "SHTF" or some other fantastical situation to see the benefits of being able to continue using your firearm effectively if there's an optic failure.
And 2) most people running standalone optics and having success *beyond* sunny day range shooters, are using decent optics- Acogs, Aimpoints, mid/high-end variables, etc etc- not the "budget clones of better optics".... The cheaper one goes with their optics, the higher the likelihood of needing backups, in which case deliberately choosing to leave them off (or not just buying a better optic to start with) is a poor choice.
That's all I'm saying- the idea of standalone optics isn't "wrong", it's just not right to make a blanket application of it to all optics and situations, any more than it would be for me to demand everyone mount BUIS....