I want to add a semiautomatic rifle to my collection, for home defense and emergency use. For various reasons, my search is narrowing to the AR-15/M4 family of rifles and carbines. But I have a question.
When I handle an AR-15 at a gun shop, the sights seem to be unnaturally low, or more to the point, the butt-stock doesn't have enough drop to allow for a comfortable sight picture.
Rightly or wrongly, I've gotten the impression that the AR-15 stock is straight, with very little drop, in order to make the rifle easier to handle when fired full auto. But that doesn't seem like a very relevant feature in a semi-auto rifle chambered in 5.56mm... we aren't talking about much of a recoil here.
I've been pondering this for some time, and I don't think the unnatural sight-line is just my imagination. Every time I see a picture or video of someone using an AR type rifle under stress (like in combat overseas) it seems that I see the person positioning the lowest point on the but-stock onto the highest possible point on their shoulder, presumably so as to get the sights up high enough to see without holding their head sideways. If people reading this don't understand what I am trying to describe, I will try to come up with some links to pictures on the net.
My question is two-fold;
-If service people in the field are going to use the stock like that, why don't they redesign the stock with some drop so that you could position it comfortably on your shoulder and see the sights?
-Are there aftermarket stocks that address the problem?
I will readily admit that I am not the most experienced shooter around, and I've never had any instruction on how to operate an AR-15. But I am not an inexperienced shooter, and I think I have sense enough to know what seems comfortable and natural to me, and what doesn't.
Thanks for reading-
GBinGA
When I handle an AR-15 at a gun shop, the sights seem to be unnaturally low, or more to the point, the butt-stock doesn't have enough drop to allow for a comfortable sight picture.
Rightly or wrongly, I've gotten the impression that the AR-15 stock is straight, with very little drop, in order to make the rifle easier to handle when fired full auto. But that doesn't seem like a very relevant feature in a semi-auto rifle chambered in 5.56mm... we aren't talking about much of a recoil here.
I've been pondering this for some time, and I don't think the unnatural sight-line is just my imagination. Every time I see a picture or video of someone using an AR type rifle under stress (like in combat overseas) it seems that I see the person positioning the lowest point on the but-stock onto the highest possible point on their shoulder, presumably so as to get the sights up high enough to see without holding their head sideways. If people reading this don't understand what I am trying to describe, I will try to come up with some links to pictures on the net.
My question is two-fold;
-If service people in the field are going to use the stock like that, why don't they redesign the stock with some drop so that you could position it comfortably on your shoulder and see the sights?
-Are there aftermarket stocks that address the problem?
I will readily admit that I am not the most experienced shooter around, and I've never had any instruction on how to operate an AR-15. But I am not an inexperienced shooter, and I think I have sense enough to know what seems comfortable and natural to me, and what doesn't.
Thanks for reading-
GBinGA