magpul battle sights

[sourkraut]

i was wondering how many of you guys are using the magpul battle sights and how you like them. i am thinking that they would be a good low cost to get me up and running till i can afford a nicer set. thanks

[Ak44]

I bought them when they first came out. The price is nice, but I found them a little to big cosmetically for my tastes. I've been running the Knights Armament Micros for awhile now and like them a lot in comparison to the troy's and magpuls...YMMV

[ForTehNguyen]

I have them on all my rifles that use flips. They are coming with gen2 ones which are slimmer when folded. They work just like any other irons, they are backup to my reds.

[Iraqgunz]

I have a set on my SBR and they work just fine. Well worth it for the money.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

I had a set on my Middy and didn't like them. For starters, I just wasn't comfortable with plastic sights. There was apparently something wrong with them as well, because I had to dial in only three clicks short of full left windage to get them zeroed. I thought I had a canted rail, but when I replaced the MBUS with troys, the troys needed only a few clicks.

They seem to get good reviews. I'm not a fan, though. YMMV.

[diving dave]

I have a set on my 6.8, overall I like them. Not as nice as the Troys, but they work well.

[Iraqgunz]

I don't think it was the sights. There could have been other factors involved. I did a 50 yd zero with mine and they were dialed in rather quickly.

In addition being "plastic" can actually be benefit, and certainly the design is good because if you bang them against something hard they will fold down rather then take the brunt of the force.

For the cost and use (in my case back ups to my ACOG) they are very good.


I had a set on my Middy and didn't like them. For starters, I just wasn't comfortable with plastic sights. There was apparently something wrong with them as well, because I had to dial in only three clicks short of full left windage to get them zeroed. I thought I had a canted rail, but when I replaced the MBUS with troys, the troys needed only a few clicks.

They seem to get good reviews. I'm not a fan, though. YMMV.

[SWATcop556]

I use them on my SBR and for what they are intended for they are a good option at a great price point. They are meant to backup my T1 when (if) it goes down. They are not meant to be NM sights or shoot tight groups at 200+. They will be MOB (minute of badguy) when needed but stay folded and out of the way otherwise.

They are a little bulky but the Troys I had on another rifle were not much smaller and x3 the $$$. They are a good battle sight.

[jrmymiles]

I love mine as well. Not sure but I think the new version is a tad smaller.

[matt86]

SWATcop hit the nail on the head. They are not meant to be perfect NM sights, they are "back up" iron sights, or in the case polymer. I personally feel as if the rear sight aperature is a little smaller than other sights, but I can still shoot effectively. Bottom line, if you want a cheap reliable BUIS to do its job, go for the magpul. If you want something more expensive, get a set of Troys, but I would reccomend waiting and saving for them if you plan to do so anyway.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

I don't think it was the sights. There could have been other factors involved. I did a 50 yd zero with mine and they were dialed in rather quickly.

In addition being "plastic" can actually be benefit, and certainly the design is good because if you bang them against something hard they will fold down rather then take the brunt of the force.

For the cost and use (in my case back ups to my ACOG) they are very good.

What could some of the other factors be? I'm not able to really think of anything it could have been besides the sights being out of spec. The rail did not appear canted, and when I replaced my MBUS with Troys they proved that, as the troys required almost no windage adjustment.

The sights were properly mounted, I checked and re checked, mounted and re mounted them to be sure.

I by no means think they're a pile of shit.

[Surf]

Mr. Goodtimes, it could very well be the set that you have might be a bit off. Not impossible.

I run them on a couple of rifles and from my experiences they are a decent economical choice. I do prefer a good alloy set of flip ups. I will say that for most of the early Troy sights the aperture could stand to be a more positive lock as even a slight bump and they seem to get half cocked or knocked out of being fully seated. Or maybe because we have been running them for so long they have gotten slightly loose. I need to take one that I still have NIB and check it.

For myself, on a non-magnified (red dot only) type of carbine I prefer a fixed and pinned FSB and either a chopped carry handle for rear sight or something along the lines of the fixed rear LMT or DD.

[Enoc]

In addition being "plastic" can actually be benefit, and certainly the design is good because if you bang them against something hard they will fold down rather then take the brunt of the force.

For the cost and use (in my case back ups to my ACOG) they are very good.

This. ^^^

I used to use only TROYs until I broke one in training, I was running without optics (only BUIS) that day and had it been a real life scenario I would not have ANY sights. In my opinion your BUIS must be more reliable than your optics. If I would have been using Magpul sights they would have just folded down and not broken. I have MBUS on several of my guns now. For the price, they can't be beat.

[RD62]

I tend to run fixed front sights on my rifles. But I do have an MBUS rear on my BCM Middy. I've been very happy with it, but honestly it doesn't get much use, as it's mainly just the Aimpoint.

I would definitely buy another though.

[BSmith]

I've had 2 sets (2 different guns) and not a problem with either. I bought then for the same reason you are thinking, just to get up and going and saw no reason to dump them once I went with my Aimpoint.

I am going to have to switch to something under .5" tall though to get under my new Nikon scope with the LT-104 mount though.

[SW-Shooter]

Has anyone actually done a BUIS comparison showing weight savings and other pertinent data? I use the Magpul rear BUIS and I prefer it to the A.R.M.S. #40L it replaced.

[TOMTOM]

Has anyone actually done a BUIS comparison showing weight savings and other pertinent data? I use the Magpul rear BUIS and I prefer it to the A.R.M.S. #40L it replaced.


AR Parts weights (https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ajl2UPK0UHPsdHNVX2tBak9OS29HR2ZrRFBhUVpYMVE&hl=en#gid=0)

[Pilgrim]

I've got them on a S&W M&P15-22 MOE.

They seem to work just fine, but the rear sight lacks the precision of the $100+ sights. You get what you pay for. I wish the BUIS rear used a standard metal type aperture, at least something thin and round and metal on the outside... Kind of like how they use a metal A2 front sight post.

If they are 'just' for back-up use, then I recommend then without reservation.

I find it interesting that the Magpul BUIS rear is lower than the supposedly short ARMS 40L that I have on my DMR type AR.

[caelumatra]

I have one set of Magpuls and one set of Midwest Industries

The rear magpul is fine, but the front, at least mine, the front sight post is larger by a significant amount than the standard front sight post I have on a complete BCM upper. So large in fact that what was keeping me from zeroing it.

I have since removed the front and rear and replaced them with the MI set and it zeroed w/ no problems. I put the rear on the BCM compete with the standard front sight post and it zeroed no problems.

Even just looking down the standard compared to the magpul you can see an enormous difference in the width of the front sight.

[M&P15OR]

Well I know I have read here that the MBUS is not recomended for gas block mounts such as my M&P15OR as they can melt but has anyone actually melted one and if so how many rounds did you have to run through to get it hot enough to do so? I would like some BUS and the MBUS are in a good price range but if I can actually melt them then I'll just get something else. I agree though that the rear aperature seems small I have actually held a rifle with the MBUS installed and it just seemed too small to me but I suppose I could get used to it.

[AR_Griz]

Well I know I have read here that the MBUS is not recomended for gas block mounts such as my M&P15OR as they can melt but has anyone actually melted one and if so how many rounds did you have to run through to get it hot enough to do so? I would like some BUS and the MBUS are in a good price range but if I can actually melt them then I'll just get something else. I agree though that the rear aperature seems small I have actually held a rifle with the MBUS installed and it just seemed too small to me but I suppose I could get used to it.

I shoot the same rifle and use a GG&G front sight (shop was out of Troys when I bought the rifle) with an MBUS rear. My question was the same as yours -- just how hot can I get the gas block before it's going to ruin a polymer sight? The answer from shooters in-the-know was simply "don't bother."

I have never seen one shot to the point of failure. From the instruction document included with the MBUS sights:
"Due to the nature of materials used, this product is not to be installed on any front rail gas block."

Cheers,
-AR_Griz

[Dozer]

I have one set of Magpuls and one set of Midwest Industries

The rear magpul is fine, but the front, at least mine, the front sight post is larger by a significant amount than the standard front sight post I have on a complete BCM upper. So large in fact that what was keeping me from zeroing it.

I have since removed the front and rear and replaced them with the MI set and it zeroed w/ no problems. I put the rear on the BCM compete with the standard front sight post and it zeroed no problems.

Even just looking down the standard compared to the magpul you can see an enormous difference in the width of the front sight.


We use a standard size A2 FSP for the front MBUS. Is your's larger than this? Can you please email techsupport@magpul.com with your specific issue? We would be more than happy to send you a replacement and a return label so we can examine what happen with yours.

[D. Christopher]

I have 3 of the original version 1 MBUS rear sights on various rifles and have had good luck with them all. They are all now just used as backups only, but the first one I bought was used on a rifle I built last year using a BCM BFH upper and I used it for 8 months with the rear MBUS and fixed front sight post only. That rifle was used to compare speed and accuracy between that setup and an identical rifle set up with an Aimpoint M4. Two of my three MBUS rear sights have seen very heavy hard use and even intentional abuse with no problems or malfunctions while retaining their zero quite well. Considering that I have about the same money invested in 3 MBUS rear sights that I spend on 1 Troy BUIS (My personal favorite) I consider them to be a real bargain, especially if they really are used for a backup. I couldn't break mine when I used it as a primary sight for 8 months so I don't see how you could break one folded unless you take a direct hit. You're not going to melt one. All of my experience and comments are concerning the rear MBUS only! I have no experience with the front MBUS since all my weapons have fixed front sights. Good luck and good shooting.

[sourkraut]

Thank you guys! This is great info and very helpful in my decision making. My long term plans are to get some type of optics but want a all round economical starting point that can be there if needed. I have a lot of homework and saving to do for optics after the initial purchases leading to my question. Thanks again for all of the comments and suggestions.

[SW-Shooter]

The MBUS weight savings is pretty impressive, I thought it would have been less but we are talking 3-4 ounces in some cases. When you start add those together it starts making sense.