When you think you’re as fast and accurate as you can be switch to a RDS.
Learning to use iron sights is essential, but I’m debating the notion that they should be learned first anymore. Especially when you have a new shooter who cannot grasp shooting with irons and they are ready to give up. A RDS is so easy and effective that you are handicapping yourself if you refuse to use one. They are good for folks with older eyes. They were not made for lazy people, but even lazy people shoot much better with them. And for the experts on military ranges, once you begin to shoot dynamically–multiple targets, snap shooting, etc, you will find that a RDS is much more effective.
Irons are never going to be as fast as an RDS. With irons you have to line up 4 objects. The target, front sight, rear sight, and your eye. With the RDS the sight is one item so you are only lining up 3 objects.
Irons are also useless in the dark unless you have tritium inserts. In a unit of mine we all had either A2’s or A4’s unless you were a MG’er. We did a night fire exercise of shooting 20 rds at pop up targets on a normal qual range (just set the 25M target to pop up 20 times and record the hits). Then tie a glow stick to the target so you can see what you are trying to hit. I bought my own EOTech 552, and hit 20/20 times. The next highest score with everyone else using iron sights was something like 9/10. This out of over 100 shooters.
The ACOG allows you to shoot more accurately further out, ID targets, and scout positions. The BDC is calibrated to mil rifle setups so it takes the guesswork out of long shots.
I don’t know why so many people are hung up on using iron sights. With the new breed of optics out there irons are no more reliable than a good optic. Ive yet to hear of a catastrophic failure of an ACOG or Aimpoint that wasn’t caused by damage like a round hitting the actual optic. As I pointed out irons are near useless at night. They are not as quick due to the extra object that you have to line up. They are not as precise at range. They do not allow any better target ID or recon than the naked eye. The only reason to keep using them is for nostalgia or as a BUIS. Optics used to get a bad rap because of the technology at the time. My first rifle with an optic I ever owned was a Husqvarna commercial Mauser with an old Weaver scope. Tube body was not sealed so it fogged up in any moisture Click adjustments were not reliable. No QD mounts. Just as useless at night due to no illumination. With that level of technology iron sights were more reliable in the field. Not so much today where you have RDS’s that last half a decade on one battery or 15 years with no batteries in the ACOG, near bulletproof reliability, and overall they are well made quality items. The old arguments for using irons are no longer applicable today.
I have been interested in running irons because the policy of the police force I am considering joining does not allow optics at all. However, I agree a RDS is pivotal for a fighting gun.
Same here. When I did my first build in college, glass was out of the question. I could probably throw an Aimpoint on it now, but I think I’ll just keep it as it sits save for doing something with the barrel (HBAR 1:9).
I prefer irons to anything else, especially after discovering the CSAT rear sight. Very fast and easy to acquire, rugged, inexpensive, and no batteries.
I also like the looks of the A2 style rifle over a flattop.
I’ve used irons successfully for over 20 years and am more accurate with them under optimum conditions and with a long sight radius, but to be truly accurate you still have to focus on the front sight post. I am also having eye issues and irons have become difficult under MANY lighting conditions. RDS I can keep eyes on my target, hit it if I can see it in any light and am much faster than with irons. Get an Aimpoint and use both;)
Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ve seen my fair share of people bringing their junk gear to the field. You’d think they would have a list of dept. approved optics or something, though. I guess a lot of it probably depends on the guy in charge.
I’m currently running an A1.5 on my BCM middy. My reasoning behind this is two-fold: First, I simply want to be proficient with using them. I’m not of the mind that it’s “better” knowing how to use irons, nor do I feel they’re some honorable lost art (though I do feel one should be familiar with them in case the optic goes down). Second, I depleted most of my money doing this build. I don’t want to cheap out on a RDS, or mount. So I’ll be running irons until my budget allows.
With my organization its not a budgetary constraint but rather a dogmatic view that carry handles and iron sights are suitable and “have always been good enough”.
That said, certain optics are authorized on individually owned rifles that have been inspected and approved for duty use.
I’ve used iron sights on rifles, for the majority of my life (30 years+), mostly in competition and practice. Until joining this sight 3 years ago, it’s all I shot, until I found the efficiency in shooting accurately, and faster, with a quality RDS (Red Dot Sight). Iron sights are the first thing a novice shooter should master, and an experience shooter should stay proficient in. I like shooting with Irons, but enjoy the no fuss aiming and accuracy that a RDS can afford the user. One day, I’ll have enough balls to run strictly Irons, in a carbine course, but will have to practice my ass off to get as proficient in carbine drills as I am with a RDS.
RDS I can keep eyes on my target, hit it if I can see it in any light and am much faster than with irons. Get an Aimpoint and use both;)