Back up iron sites, need opinions.

[Creature]

Marty Daniel has since publicly seen the light and retracted his support of FIXNCIS.

[teksid]

Marty Daniel has since publicly seen the light and retracted his support of FIXNCIS.

Because he had to. What was he thinking unless he actually thinks it’s a good idea?

[Hmac]

Exactly. So, at the risk of being accused of generalizing again, iron sights are a hold-over from a bygone era. Mark my words: in twenty years, iron sights (and BUIS in particular) will fade out of existance. But at the present, BUIS are the gun world's security blanket....unnecessary and carried only because of fear, but eventually outgrown. The gun community is some of the most change-resistant folks that I have ever met.

The most commonly used rifle in this country was designed more than 60 years ago. Just sayin’

[Creature]

Her wasn't thinking. It was a knee jerk reaction. Which is why most 2A supporters need to STFU and not rush to judgment after a mass shooting for at least three weeks to let the dust settle in order that level heads prevail.

[Don't Tread On Me]

Exactly. So, at the risk of being accused of generalizing again, iron sights are a hold-over from a bygone era. Mark my words: in twenty years, iron sights (and BUIS in particular) will fade out of existance. But at the present, BUIS are the gun world's security blanket....unnecessary and carried only because of fear, but eventually outgrown. The gun community is some of the most change-resistant folks that I have ever met.

Back on topic, as far as BUIS are concerned, I think we need to understand that not all firearms are equipped with optics. There are certain firearms, that decades ago whilst the world was in the midst of all out war, that were being retrofitted with optics in order to fill a niche on the battlefield. These same firearms are from an era when optics were not a thing. Nowadays, these same rifles are available on the civilian market with the standard version being more abundant and readily available and the models fitted with optics more of a rarity and commanding a premium. In that same vain, I'm led to believe that there will always be a place for iron sights. Yes, more and more designs are coming forward to allow for the use of optics. But when we look at optics we are willing to stake our lives on, the list is generally fairly short and fairly expensive when compared with the plethora of options available. Not everyone has that kind of scratch to outfit half a dozen AR's with Aimpoints, Kahles, etc.

Slightly off topic, that does not even take into consideration those with M1 Garands in their collection, or old bolt guns that would actually decrease in value if the receiver were drilled and tapped. In those instances, optics become a moot point and irons rule the day. I guess my point is, even if we move away from them and the next generation of rifles have integrated optics and a total lack of BUIS, knowing how to properly use irons will still be pertinent. It falls within the same lines of using a GPS because it is so much more simpler. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to use a compass or carry it as a backup measure in case the GPS goes to shit, gets smashed on a rock after a fall, etc.

[Creature]

Not everyone has that kind of scratch to outfit half a dozen AR's with Aimpoints, Kahles, etc.

In this day and age, extremely rugged and reliable...and reasonably priced...optics are readily available. Aimpoint is no longer the only game in town. For example, there is the Primary Arm MD-RB-AD with it's 50k hour battery life. It costs less than a set of BUIS from KAC or Troy. So there goes that argument.

[Don't Tread On Me]

Touché. I have never used a Primary Arms optic so cannot speak to their reliability, but what if it fails? Again, the best parallel I can offer is the compass and GPS. Why even bother with the compass when the GPS is so much easier and convenient?

[wetidlerjr]

Back on topic, as far as BUIS are concerned, I think we need to understand that not all firearms are equipped with optics....Not everyone has that kind of scratch to outfit half a dozen AR's with Aimpoints, Kahles, etc.

Exactly! I'm over 70 and I'm not "change resistant". I just like backups when things fail and EVERYTHING CAN AND WILL fail at one time or another. Don't like BUIS then don't buy them but saying that my or anyone's use of them makes me "change resistant" is ridiculous.

[Creature]

Exactly! I'm over 70 and I'm not "change resistant". I just like backups when things fail and EVERYTHING CAN AND WILL fail at one time or another. Don't like BUIS then don't buy them but saying that my or anyone's use of them makes me "change resistant" is ridiculous.

Okay, I refer back to my previous observation: why don't all those shooters who contend that BUIS are a necessity ("because everything can and will fail") carry a spare bolt on their AR's?

[Don't Tread On Me]

As others have pointed out, we do not know how many actually do. I keep a host of spare parts on hand, everything from gas rings to complete BCG's and in the odd event that an FCG shits the bed, one of those, too. It sounds silly yes, but I have seen the hammer from an ALG trigger literally break. Mind you it was one of their AK triggers, but it's probably something that most people wouldn't think could happen, right? This is not TOS. Our concerns aren't so much who we should send our guns to for a photoshoot session to plaster on the internet, or what the latest clone fad is. I'm relatively new here but would hazard to say that most individuals on this board are pretty switched on. We worry more about performance of our tools and demand that we ourselves perform to a certain standard. I know at least I do.