Holosight placement for M4

[Chickenlittle]

I just acquired a holosight and am looking for some advice about where to place it on the rail on top of my M4. I'm not so concerned about my front iron sight and haven't invested in a rear fold-down yet. What's the optimum position so I don't have to squint.
Thanks.
Charles

[telecustom]

Placement is really up to you. Once you get a BUIS that will dictate the placement. It also depends on if you are going to run a magnifier or NVD.

Good luck.

[DarrinD]

I mounted mine right on top just behind my Picatiny Rail, but I'm considering moving it forward on the rail so that I can mount an EOTech 3x sideways flip up magnifier. But then, I go back to my rule that I want to keep my LE M4 as minimal and light as possible. Before you mount AND zero it, try mounting it forward and aft just to see which you prefer in terms of eye relief and speed in target acquisition.

[AZ Old Guy]

No offense, but why are you talking about squinting? The whole idea of a holosight is having your target and your holosight red dot (or whatever) on the same sighting plane with no magnification. With that set-up, you keep both eyes open. No need to squint and lose your natural depth perception.

[DarrinD]

No offense, but why are you talking about squinting? The whole idea of a holosight is having your target and your holosight red dot (or whatever) on the same sighting plane with no magnification. With that set-up, you keep both eyes open. No need to squint and lose your natural depth perception.

I read the OP as indicating that he hasn't tried a Holosight yet, and I'm guessing he has had trouble squinting with his previous sights. I could be wrong. And, while many people don't need it, some holosights like EOTechs are made to work without and with magnification, and they do a fine job integrating their flip up magnifier. But as you point out, I think the OP will see he doesn't have to worry about squinting almost wherever he mounts it.

[lalakai]

each person's "focal point" is different, and you need to find your specific FP. put the holo sight on and with the M4 mounted to shoulder, look at holo sight, without focusing. This is the tricky part; let your eye relax and look at the sight without allowing your eye to refocus. Main point of this, is to allow you to bring the sight up and have it immediately be in focus, without your eye adjusting. The more your eye needs to adjust, the more likely you are to get headaches from using the sight over prolonged time periods.

many many shooters accept a slight blurring of the projected reticle and for a high percentage of shooters, it doesn't cause a problem; it can often be reduced by adjusting the intensity of the reticle. sorry but i'm very picky about optics and notice these things. Your M4 configuration may not give you alot of latitude on sight location, but see if you can notice a difference. if you can't, then don't sweat it, and place it where it fits the best. as another person noted, if you mount additional gear on the rail (BUIS, multiplier, ect), that will also play into the location of your holo sight.

good luck

[Chickenlittle]

My thanks for all your advice. I have found that the farther forward I place the red dot sight the better it seems for both eyes open. The squinting was before I tried the red dot sight. While my older eyes have some difficulty with being sharp on the front sight, I find the red dot is easier and a plus for me.
I'm about to zero it in with a laser boresighter out to about 25-30 yards and was wondering how you shim a laser sight since it fixes on the picatinny rail. If the internal adjustments are small, it seems that shimming may be necessary. I've done that on regular scope mounts and shimmed under the rings attached to the barrel but never with a picatinny.
Your thoughts and advice are welcome as always. My thanks in advance for your experience and advice.