Bushnell Trophy 1x28 Setup

Tactical Gear Optics & Mounts
1

I just bought a Bushnell Trophy 1x28 scope and bought two “high” mount rings with it. Going in, I knew the rings in the kit are flimsy and low. This kit is definitely low-end and I might put it on my SKS after I select a higher-end optic for my AR (it’s a S&W M&P 15x). For now, this scope will make plinking with my family and friends a bit more fun. As I learn the weapon well (I have a slight head start as I’m ex Army) I may make it part of my home defense arsenal.

Anyway, the “high” rings I bought are all-steel and pretty nice, but I found they don’t have the height needed to give a centered co-witness setup. I will keep them as they will work for mounting a 30mm tube on my SKS, or I might give them to a friend who just bought an AR.

I went back to the store and grabbed “extra high” rings (these raise the tube about an inch) and was pleased to see a nice centering of the irons through the scope.

So with the scope turned off, I have a nice iron sight picture through the scope.

With the scope turned on, the dot sits just above the top of the front sight post. This is what one wants I would think.

For you guys who have a similar setup, and your rear iron sight is flip-up, do you just leave the sight flipped up? Any reason to have the front iron down?

And do you notice differences with the red dot sighting when you switch between small and large apertures? The dot is much crisper and more defined though the small aperture, though more of the target is obscured.

Thanks…

2

If I understand correctly when you sight in on a target you align your irons and the dot on it? You sight through the rear aperture and align both the front sight and dot on target?

3

Hi glen, yes, that’s my understanding of a co-witness setup.

I haven’t zeroed the irons or the red dot yet. My first and only range session before I bought the scope, just a fun shoot, indicated that windage may need little or no adjustment. However I will need to lower the front post a bit as I was shooting 8 inches low at 25 yards.

Right now, when I look through the small aperture, the dot sits in front of the very top of the front sight post and there’s not much “room” to get the dot to float around. With the large aperture, there’s room to move your view around so the dot can end up in positions above the front sight, a ways down on the post, to the right, and to the left.

A nice thing about viewing the dot through the small aperture is that it really sharpens up the dot. The light is concentrated into a small hole so everything including the target is sharper.

I want to leave my rear flip-up sight up so I don’t have to depend on turning the scope on, or if the battery fails when I’m defending myself from zombies, I’ll still have the irons in play.

I’m a noob to scopes so I’m trying to get a handle on the basics here.

4

I see. Yes your sights are now at co-witness.

Co-witness simply put is being able to see/use your irons through your optic. With the irons smack dab in the middle of your optic you have absolute co-witness. If your rings position your optic so that your irons show up at the lower part you have lower 3rd (of optic) co-witness.

Co-witness does not define you need to align both irons and optic to aim and shoot.

They are two separate sights and not designed to be used at the same time.

I’m sure you’re familiar with irons and aligning the dot along with them is unnecessary and distracting.

And when using a red dot the irons are unnecessary. Just put the dot on the target and shoot. The irons are just clutter in the field of view which is why most people fold them down when using a dot.

Nothing wrong with keeping the irons up to save time as you mentioned, if you are willing to put up with a bit of clutter in your field of view.

5

glen,

I think I have a good handle on what co-witness means now. And I now know it DOESN’T mean trying to use both sighting systems simultaneously.

Thank you for the complete reply and the plainspoken info! Happy shooting.

6

Glad to help, enjoy your new AR!

7

I am enjoying it glen, thanks!

With only one prior shooting session with my new S&W M&P 15x, I got up before dawn this morning to go zero my iron sights and brand new Bushnell red dot scope.

Based on the first shooting session, I had already raised my elevation 3 clicks on the front iron sight, and this turned out to be bang-on at 25 yards.

Windage-wise, I needed to go 4 clicks left. There, my irons are letting me shoot out the orange bulls eye at 25 yards. I used the small aperture on the rear sight, and left it up for the scope zeroing.

I was able to zero the scope quickly. With the rising sun at my back, my best sight picture was with the cross hairs. I found that the two-dimensional target bisection provided by both the vertical and horizontal lines, with a nice intersection point to concentrate on, helped me get my groups as tight as I can probably get them at my current level of marksmanship ability.

I understand that you don’t sight with the irons with the scope turned on, but I was happy to see how perfectly the scope’s crosshairs/dot sits right where you would think it should in relation to the iron sight picture. I feel confident shooting with the scope on or off, so I’ll leave the rear sight flipped up with the small aperture in play.

I haven’t shot a firearm so accurate since my 1980s Army days, and as you might guess, that was with an M-16. I stank with a 1911 Colt .45 but I only got to shoot 21 rounds (I was one of a few enlisted men who accepted an invitation to join some officers at their qual range) and no one out there seemed to have high expectations of that sidearm’s accuracy. Little did anyone think that in the year 2010, 1911 pistols would be very popular and would exist in very accurate versions.

I also brought my Yugo SKS and did some shooting with its irons and scope. On that rifle, you can view the irons underneath the scope as the scope is raised up with an open channel underneath. Definitely not as accurate as the AR-15 but then no one expects it to be. Still, I’m able to get satisfaction out of my group sizes.

To round things out, I practiced drawing and shooting my 1911 (primary everyday carry) from its IWB holster, something I do every range session no matter what else I do.

Great day, feel pretty high on the AR-15. Three guns to clean after work!

8

Sounds like a good day to me. :slight_smile:

I had forgotten to mention, if you have either one of your sights zeroed you can save time and ammo by adjusting the other sight to the zeroed sight’s point of aim.

If you have zeroed irons and you put on a red dot, just align your irons, adjust the dot to the tip of the front sight, and you’ll be pretty much sighted in at the same POI and range as irons. A few rounds to verify and fine tune adjustment if necessary, and you’re done. It works the other way around too should you change your irons.

Yes, these optics really make it so much easier to shoot, they are always on the top of my list for any gun I have. I’m actually planning to put a Trijicon RMR mini red dot on my carry Glock, and more than a few people are doing that now.

Speaking of which, if you decide to make that AR part of your HD arsenal I would suggest considering other optics proven in hard use. I know that Bushnell is fun at the range but its an unknown quantity in hard use anything-goes situations. We don’t know how it would react to getting dropped or getting banged against a door or wall. There are optics proven in situations worse than that, that have actually gone to war, so that’s where I would look for an HD gun optic.

9

My low-end Bushnell optic is only for short-range plinking. I’ll go to something much better in the not-too-distant future.

If an HD situation called for deploying the AR, I wouldn’t hesitate. Irons only for now.