Iron sight advice - She came with a red dot.

[arlo03]

I just got my first AR! Yay!

It didn't come with iron sights. Boo!

I recently got a Springfield Saint Victor. She came with a Vortex Crossfire Red Dot, but no iron sights. So I would like a set of backup irons. Not sure if I should go standard or 45 degree offset. My optic is on the high mount it came with. I have been looking at various brands. Should I go Springfield, Daniel Def., Magpul, etc.

Any advice is appreciated.

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[Andy54Hawken]

For whatever it is worth...coming from a muzzle loading firearm guy...
I really like and shoot well with my Daniel Defense A1 style fixed rear sight.
Andy

 

[1775usmc]

My go to are Scalarworks Peak iron sights.

45 degree irons are goofy.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

If you're only shooting out to 200y or so, the magpul sights are really good for the money. They hold a zero perfectly, are easy to adjust, and fold away for transport/other optics.

That said, I have Daniel Defense fixed on my dedicated iron ar15.

 

[lucusloc]

Lower third co-witness is by far my preference. 45 offsets make for an odd stance when being used and are not conducive to many shooting positions. They are geared towards run-n-gun competition where you are transitioning to irons because the course demands it, not because your optic is down. You will only use real BUIS when the optic is broken somehow, and that means they need to be out of the way the rest of the time.

I am agnostic on brand, as long as they are good quality. If you want my opinion on bad quality BUIS I have that in spades, but it does not seem like you are considering any of those brands so we can skip all that.

Of the listed brands Magpul is usually the cheapest, and they are polymer. I have never had an issue with that, and in my experience (as well as many others apparently) they are pretty bulletproof. You can beat on them and they will hold up and hold zero as well as their all metal brethren. If you do not mind the stigma of polymer that would be my recommendation.

If you really want milled metal MI, DD, Sprinfield or any of the others will be fine. I would get whatever you can find on sale and stick with that, unless you want a very specific feature set. Button placement is one good example of a feature to consider. Depending on how you have your optic mounted it could interfere with the release button for your BUIS. Different models will have the release as left, right, front or some combination of that. Some cheaper brands do not even have a button lock and the "flip up" action is manual. I have run into setup where the BUIS were not easy to deploy as the optic mount got in the way. I had to switch to a differnt brand to get the setup to work easily.

I personally am not a fan of the fixed BIUS. I know there are lots of people who like them, and maybe that is you as well, but I like my optic clean when I am using it, and permanent lower third irons is not that. They are significantly cheaper than fold-down BUIS though, so if cost is really a consideration those are a perfectly functional option.

Past that you just have to decide what kind of sights they have. Do you want peaphole for accuracy or open notch for speed? I find open notch is easier to use through an optic, so if you are not planning on removing the optic if it goes dead that may be your first consideration. That is not to say peapholes are not easy enough to use through an optic, I just find the feild of veiw to be more clutterd in that situation. As with many things there is a stong bias towards personal preference, and sometimes you jsut have to figure out what you like for yourself.

 

[1775usmc]

If I were you I'd get a light and sling before getting irons. And plenty of mags before 114 hits.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

While good sights are a must for for accurate shooting...
I would second the idea of getting a sling...magazines...and a spare parts kit...
Before all that is made illegal to buy .
Andy

 

[monkeybutler]

I'd just do MBUS. They are cheap, work well, and are quite tough. I do have some high end BUIS (KAC, Scalarworks) and they are super nice, but… considering they never get used, I no longer see the point in buying anything beyond 'perfectly functional.' Not that I am going to be building any more ARs at this point anyway.

Unity does make a high mount for the Aimpoint T2 footprint which has a rear aperture at standard height under the optic… not really BUIS in the conventional sense, but with an FSB it seems like a great solution.

 

[cdmontgo]

If I were you I'd get a light and sling before getting irons. And plenty of mags before 114 hits.

And ammo. You can't shoot without ammo.

And my fold down / flip up irons are Troy Industries. They line up with my red dot.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

I'd go with standard sights, even folding sights. Some folks don't like the fixed sights in the way of their red dots as their eyes can struggle focusing.. so folding sights would help with that.

IMO the 45 are really mostly for looks or in some cases competition, since most don't operate operationally.. IMO they are more a gimmick with most casual plinkers practical use than anything.

If you were to go 45°, I'd pair that with a large magnified optic than with a smaller red dot.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

.

 

[Koda]

So I would like a set of backup irons

If you want a backup set go with Magpuls, they are affordable and just work.
If you want to remove the optic and actually use your irons, go with a high quality expensive set like Scalarworks.

 

[arlo03]

Wow guys, thanks for all the info. Such a great community.

I do have a sling and 14 PMAGS. I'll be going after standard flip up sights.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

The UTG Pro sights are very affordable and have a much better reputation than you would expect

UTG PRO® | Leapers | Leapers, Inc.

Providing tactical and shooting sports accessories & optics since 1992 and the official UTG & UTG PRO headquarters. The Best Never Rest.

www.leapers.com