anyone using diopter sights on their ar?

[lethal dose]

if so, how do you like them? pros and cons, please!

[kmrtnsn]

I am. I like them because they are fast and easy to acquire.

[lethal dose]

which set are you using? how do they co witness with optics?

[kmrtnsn]

I am using the Centurions. Co-Witness I am not worrying about right now as I have pulled them to mount a Burris XTR-14 and was using them when I was running just straight irons without an optic. I had carried the MP5 and later the UMP-40 years ago so I got used to the HK sight system. when I was forced back to the AR platform I got the set of Centurions.

[lethal dose]

the different reticles are for lighting, right? does elevation change when you change reticles?

[kmrtnsn]

Open, 2,3,4; 0-100, 200, 300, 400 meters.

[YVK]

I've used Centurions for a couple of years and have gone through three classes with them. One of those classes I used them as a primary, without any optic.

Pros:
- Very robust, the aperture stays where you put it. I've gone through a class with Troy sights as a primary, and had L- shaped aperture piece move between small and big aperture positions during weapons manipulations. I've also had a 300m single-aperture KAC BUIS fold during training.
- I don't find these to be much faster; in disclosure, I've not run them against other irons with a timer. I do find them more precise and consistent due to diopter design.

Cons:
- Co-witness issues: these are not standard AR-height. They are few mm shorter. Paired with 30 mm Aimpoint in tall LaRue mount, they give lower 1/5 co-witness, i.e. barely visible. Same thing with Eotech XPS on ADM riser (ADM's is supposed to be the lowest of Eotech risers). Aimpoint Micro on tall LaRue mount blocks them off completely. One needs to spend time (and some money) to find a right combination.
- After 2 years of use the top retaining screw on my sight started to keep coming loose during high volume, high rate of fire, rendering sight unusable. Monty replaced the base promptly and professionally. The screw has stayed put since.

BTW, I think that, unlike original HK sights, these are modded to have the same focal axis for different apertures, i.e. same point of aim/impact for all 4 apertures. I generally run mine on 4.

[HeavyDuty]

All elevation adjustment is via the front, correct?

The cowitness comments are intriguing - it sound like these would give a little under absolute cowitness with an EOTech 511 or XPS mounted right on the rail, not quite lower 1/3 but close.

[YVK]

All elevation adjustment is via the front, correct?

The cowitness comments are intriguing - it sound like these would give a little under absolute cowitness with an EOTech 511 or XPS mounted right on the rail, not quite lower 1/3 but close.

Negative on the first part. All adjustments are made via rear, front is fixed. The way I understand an advantage of diopter sight is that front sight post position is fixed with its tip in geometric center of front sight ring/semi-ring. That way, when front and reart sight rings get aligned (which happens somewhat intuitively), one gets a quick and correct sight picture.

Positive on cowitness with rail-mointed Eotech. I get the same impression with Aimpoints on mounts that give absolute cowitness with standard AR sights: Centurion's give about 40% lower field cowitness.

[HeavyDuty]

Negative on the first part. All adjustments are made via rear, front is fixed. The way I understand an advantage of diopter sight is that front sight post position is fixed with its tip in geometric center of front sight ring/semi-ring. That way, when front and reart sight rings get aligned (which happens somewhat intuitively), one gets a quick and correct sight picture.

Positive on cowitness with rail-mointed Eotech. I get the same impression with Aimpoints on mounts that give absolute cowitness with standard AR sights: Centurion's give about 40% lower field cowitness.

Good deal on the adjustment issue - I couldn't tell from the web photos of the rear if there was elevation adjustment or not. And the cowitness sounds perfect for me.

I think I need to order a set of these for my 9mm carbine (A3 with TRX Extreme and EOT 511) - they sound just like what I've been wanting. Thanks!