AR15 with 3x9x40 scope - will I hate it?

[Benelli Shooter]

I have a flat top 16" M4 style AR15. I want to set it up for coyote hunting. Most coyotes come in to about 100 yards. They can be pretty tough to see in the desert and magnification would be good. So, I am thinking about mounting a 3x9 scope on it with a Larue mount.

It has the traditional front sight post. Will having the front sight post in front of the scope be a distraction? How much do you notice it?

 

[Ghost Tracker]

It's relatively easy to replace your existing Front Sight post with a low-profile Gas Block that clears your line-of-site for a low scope mounted on a flat-top AR. If your building a dedicated varmint rig...that's pretty important. But if you're limiting your shots to 100-150 yards, a 4X scope will be plenty of magnification and the easiest method to mount it would be on a Carry Handle mount that's high enough to clear the view of the front post.

 

[Shadowangel]

You won't even see the front sight post through your scope. I have the exact same setup..flat top AR, standard front sight post, 3-9x40 scope. The front sight post is invisible due to how a scope works.

 

[Frog48]

You wont notice it, somehow someway it just disappears.

 

[DMK]

I have a 3x-9x Weaver classic on a 16" carbine, and another on a 20". I use Armalite one piece mounts. I love the setup. I don't even see a ghost of the front sight. Not even at 3x.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

You wont notice it, somehow someway it just disappears.

Can someone explain how that works? I've wondered this myself.

 

[Eyesac]

Same set up here, can't see a thing. Yeah, what does happen, does the light bend? Can't focus on the front sight due to magnification?

 

[hags]

Quote:
You wont notice it, somehow someway it just disappears.

Can someone explain how that works? I've wondered this myself.

The same way a reflector telescope works, it gathers the light from "around" the front site post.

 

[SaMx]

The front post is just too close for the scope to focus on. It's just blurred into nothing.

 

[MMcfpd]

The scope is focused way out in front of the front sight and all you see of the sight, if anything, is a very diffuse blur. I've got a 3-9x40 on a LaRue LT-104 mount on a flattop AR and I love the setup for 100 yards.

 

[skinewmexico]

I'd probably try to find a 1-6 scope and just co-witness my iron sights thru it. It's not that big a deal to shoot a coyote sized target at 500 with 6x.

 

[DBR]

The Larue mount and some other "tactical" mounts place the scope about 1/8" higher than the irons. The front sight becomes a problem at low magnifications. Like less than 3X.

Square B makes a good one piece extruded mount that places the scope above the front sight. It lists for about $90 but if you can get trade price from Brownells it is about $70.

The Larue mount is a great piece of hardware. It should be for $200.

A good overall scope for an AR IMHO is 1.5-4.5X or 5X Nikon or either Leupold or Nikon 2-7. Either one should be good beyond 300yds for coydog sized targets. The lower magnification is very useful for targets from 10-100yds. Actually, a dot sight is good to at least 200yds on my AR rifles (less than 4" with hunting ammo for 10rds).

 

[Nhsport]

I myself like the B-Square mount. The height seems correct for me with my standard A2 stock. Some of the other brands are slightly lower which messes up my cheek weld. The mount has the front ring cantilevered out over the handguard some which allows good flexibility with eye relief
Front sight will be just a ghost with lower power and not at all with higher power.
I run a Leupoild 2x7 Rifleman scope much of the time on my ARs and I like it quite a bit- Around $170 and the 3x9 Rifleman is about $30 more. I haven't handled the 3x9 but the compactness of the 2x7 seems to compliment the AR

 

[Gun-Ther]

It might could work, as they say here in the South. But you might want to wait and research your options a bit more.

 

[BAT1]

Scoped AR

You won't see the front sight. I have a 3x9x42 Sightron on my Flat top Bushy, and it does very well, 1" groups at 100 with SS 109 ammo. I used 1" Millet mounts. Show us some range reports.

 

[DMK]

The front sight becomes a problem at low magnifications. Like less than 3X.

Less than that. I tried a 2.5x and still don't see it.

Raising the scope above the irons creates other problems such as cheek weld issues and funky height over bore ballistics.

 

[kennedy]

I have a 3X9 leupold on top of my flattop armilite, and its one of the best shooting guns I own. I shoot at 100 yds.

 

[jpwilly]

I threw a $29 dollar 2-9x40mm tasco and quick release rings on my M4 just for fun...I have a carry handle with NM peep sights and 1x30mm red dot for it too. It worked great! Now I can just swap them out at will and am ready for whatever although I can hit anything out to 300yrds with any of them. I practice by plinking rocks and such at unknown distances. I usually hit them.