Yes, be familiar with them, and have them zero'd. Doesn't hurt, assessed no weight penalty for using them, and if you need them you have them.
If you are using the gun for Timmy stuff, you may have to work around PEQ's, tape switches (if you use them), white light placement, etc., but there are still options for mounting BUIS that don't get in the way.
So, I have returned to the Land of BUIS.
For a rifle that I may need to stake my life (or the lives of my family) on, it seems silly not to have the rifle so equipped. More than an optic failure, I see the potential for the optic fogging coming in from the cold to a warm, higher humidity interior.
I have tried many BUIS sights and combinations over the years. I had a set of MBUS PRO offset BUIS on this rifle a while back and I ended up ditching them. Not that there was anything I didn't like about the sights, but just felt at the time there was no need. The thing I really liked about the MBUS PRO offset is how low-profile they were folded down. In this regard, there is no better.
A while back I had tried going back to irons as my primary sights using the Midwest Industries Combat Rifle Rear Flip Sight. What I really liked about that sight was the simple, single aperture design that featured a mid-size aperture. I always found the dual aperture sights (like the MBUS PRO) to be too fussy in regards to which aperture to use: the small one was great for long range precision but too small for the close-and-fast stuff, and the large aperture too large for anything beyond 50 yards. For my eyes, the MI midsize aperture struck a good balance.
Additionally, the MBUS PRO front sight has an elevation thumb screw. Though the screw is pretty snug, for back-up sights I prefer setting elevation with a tool to eliminate the chance of accidently changing the elevation. Since the optic remains the primary sighting device and the offset irons are strictly for back up, IMO dual apertures and elevation thumb wheels are unneeded complication.
Based on this experience, I decided to give the MI Combat Rifle Offset Sight Set a try. Have not had a chance to sight them in yet, but I very much like the design of these sights;
The MI sights seem quite robust and I very much like the sight picture they provide. Where they fall short compared to the MBUS PRO is that they do not fold down as close to the handguard. Where the MBUS PRO fold down tight and very much out of the way, the MI sights leave about a 3/8" gap when folded down. I was aware of this before purchasing them but decided the advantages cited above were more important.
My rifle feels complete again.
Captain Obvious here, but you can just leave the front sight flipped up. Gains you one or two slots if that’s important to your setup. And if you’re doing that, a fixed sight like the DD is more robust.Originally Posted by babypanther
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I don't think Aimpoints deserve nearly the rep they have, so unless you are super proactive about changing batteries (at least every 6 mos), I'd have BUIS still. But you're right, I've never actually needed mine. The 2-3 times I picked up my T2 equipped gun and it was dead wasn't an emergency, so a battery swap was all I needed. My primary AR does not have them though because it has a Razor mounted and I can still shoot that better with a dead battery than I can irons.
I like a fixed front sight and an ADM absolute co-witness QD mount for RDS. The optic tube becomes a really easy to use rear sight if I turn the dot off. It's really easy to make good hits. I think I would actually rather have this setup than the folded Magpul MBUS that lives behind it for shooting inside of 10-15 yards in low light.
That advise from DocGKR about using backup irons to periodically check your dot is pure gold. I can't believe this never occurred to me.
If I had to worry about the reliability of my optic I wouldn't be using an optic.
I don't think it's a matter of having to "worry" about the reliability of an optic.
Optics can and do fail (whether electronically or through breakage), BUIS provide a relatively low cost, simple, robust, effective solution Johnny-on-the-spot for when they do fail. Whether you think it matters to what you're using a gun for is one thing, but it's not a matter of "worrying" about your optic.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
Copy on that, I've rolled that way too. With my current set up, between my T2 and the visible laser on the PEQ, the BUIS are the 3rd and therefore least important. I set the gun up with the PEQ overhanging the rail by a little bit, then my pressure pad for the WML, then the front sight post. I'm a bigger guy with longer arms, so a 9.5 inch Geissele rail on an 11.5 inch barrel was probably a bit on the short side looking back, but it is what it is. I feel confident enough in the T2 and my PCC/PCI's regarding battery changes that I'm willing to roll the dice.
Last edited by babypanther; 02-24-2020 at 01:12 PM.
May have been mentioned before but I find an erect (he he he....) front sight post is a great way to eliminate canting the rifle and loosing precision at longer distances.
While I’m a nerd and thus can’t have a rifle without zeroed iron sights (assuming they have them) I will admit that other than cant correction they will probably never serve a purpose.
My sole AR will, probably, never have BUIS. I am probably wrong or myopic but I have yet to hear a valid, ass-saving story about BUIS on a carbine.
However, I do have a CMR-201 on the bottom rail so perhaps that “counts” for this discussion.
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