Am I the only one starting to prefer iron sights?

[RMiller]

It's fun to shoot irons from time to time.

That being said, optics are considered a force multiplier for a reason.

I see magnification and red dots as pluses.

[AndyLate]

I have a few with hard sights as well as my earlier military time w/ them. No problem and these days, a bit nostalgic. But assorted optics certainly have their place and are more than appreciated.

This is how I feel about this debate. I have rifles where optics are not an option, and where irons are not an option. I can use both equally poorly

Andy

[1986s4]

My first RD was an Aimpoint Pro. Awesome battery life and a good sight, just not for my eyes and astigmatism. I thought all RDs would be the same for years, so I shot irons until I found a sighting system that worked for me. I learned a lot in those years, especially my confidence with irons. Then I tried an Aimpoint Comp M4 and learned that not all RDs are the same! It was a dot to my eyes and I love it despite it's size.
Now, I always sight in a new upper with irons, then find and mount my optical system.

[1986s4]

It's fun to shoot irons from time to time.

That being said, optics are considered a force multiplier for a reason.

I see magnification and red dots as pluses.

Yes, I have two magnifiers; Aimpoint 3X with twist/flip mount and a SIG Juliet 4X.

[C-grunt]

I can relate to 100% of this. I think the disconnect is that half the people in this thread are shooting at public ranges under very controlled conditions, and the other half...maybe not shooting much at all. Maybe reading a bunch of tactical magazines and watching a lot of youtube.

The disconnect is a bunch of people have actual training, force on force experience, real world experience, and shooting rifles past handgun ranges...... and then we have guys shooting targets through bushes.

20 years ago the military didnt require people to shoot expert before they were given an optic. They gave everyone optics no matter how well or poorly they shot irons. Ill give you some insider info as I was there from the switch from irons to red dots in a front line infantry unit. Qual scores and hits in training went up.

[seb5]

I can relate to 100% of this. I think the disconnect is that half the people in this thread are shooting at public ranges under very controlled conditions, and the other half...maybe not shooting much at all. Maybe reading a bunch of tactical magazines and watching a lot of youtube.

Wow so now you make a passive aggressive assumption on the members here and thier experiences.......I've lost count of the tens of thousands of rounds I've shot with optics, the majority with Aimpoints with many thousands with ACOG's. And compared to many I'm the low speed guy here. Sometimes people just have to agree to disagree and move on.

[okie]

Wow so now you make a passive aggressive assumption on the members here and thier experiences.......I've lost count of the tens of thousands of rounds I've shot with optics, the majority with Aimpoints with many thousands with ACOG's. And compared to many I'm the low speed guy here. Sometimes people just have to agree to disagree and move on.

You have to admit though it's interesting when there's a crowd all regurgitating the same hypebeast rhetoric you see on youtube, then one other dude comes along and says something you can relate to 100%.

If all I ever did was shoot at targets out in the open at a conventional range facility, under that kind of controlled condition, I would come to the same conclusions. And for many years I did.

I would argue that kind of training is about as applicable to any likely real world scenario as that cowboy action stuff where they dual balloons. This fast draw stuff they do standing to a square fully exposed target, having already adjusted their dot's brightness beforehand, and then saying this or that optic is a game changer because it shaved a tenth of a second off their time, that's just not realistic.

In any realistic scenario you don't have time to adjust the dot, so whatever setting it's on when you grab the gun is the one you're using. And that's not even mentioning the likelihood of drastically different lighting conditions, like shooting from a dark indoor area out into a brightly lit outdoor area.

Irons are still the primary sighting system, and red dots are just another layer. They aid in low light, and in shooting from cover where you can't realistically get square behind the sights. But they are not a replacement for sights by any stretch, and you still want those sights cowitnessed so you reflexively transition to them when aiming against something where the dot isn't visible.

[C-grunt]

Turn the dot up.

[MistWolf]

I'm honestly starting to think from these replies I'm the only one here who's spent much time shooting rifle irons with both eyes open.

You're not. How much time have got shooting small, partially concealed, fast moving targets capable of instantly changing directions?

Another thing to consider is I don't shoot past 50 yards, and rarely shoot past 25...

With a centerfire rifle, you should be able to own out to 300 yards.

[titsonritz]

Wow so now you make a passive aggressive assumption on the members here and thier experiences.......I've lost count of the tens of thousands of rounds I've shot with optics, the majority with Aimpoints with many thousands with ACOG's. And compared to many I'm the low speed guy here. Sometimes people just have to agree to disagree and move on.

The hilarious part is he thinks he knows what he is talking about and obviously everyone else is wrong.