Iron Sights

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JO JO

JO JO

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anyone else prefer iron sights on there rifles I understand scopes on longer range superior shot placement , but on my AR I seem to lean towards the
a2 / a3 type Irons once there zeroed in and the adjustable rear sight/aperture it just works great for me.
I have tried the red dot optic but seem to like the Irons better anyone else like the Irons better for simplicity and reliability
 
you know, I can use irons just fine and accurately, but I have never been fond of them. I can't focus on the front and back sight and the target at the same time and it bothers me. I like one power scopes or glass of some sort for the same purposes. I find it just as fast for target acquisition, in some cases faster, and I tend to be more accurate so long as I maintain my focus (both optically and mentally ;) ) that being said I don't have optics of any kind on my shotguns or hand guns but that's another story.

the only things as mentioned that I like about irons over "others" is the simple and reliable factor and they tend to be lighter weight, less obtrusive, and don't require the batteries....guess that's a lot to like about them, but still I like looking through optics.
 
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I love irons and shoot them almost exclusively. I only have two rifles with optics on them, my home defense rifle and my varmint gun. I'll concede red dots are faster, but shooting for pleasure give me iron sights any day.
 
I was at the range last year sighting in my deer rifle. Guy pulls up next to me with a beautiful AR rig. After setting up and the discussing all the features with the rangemaster, it turned out the batteries were dead on the optics package. No spare batteries. No backup sites. He packed up and went for home.

No such problem with iron sites. Seems like backup sites are a good idea on an AR.

Lever guns are usually best with iron sites. But my eyes are not as young as they used to be.
 
I also prefer iron sights. My CZ 557 came with some outstanding factory sights.
Most of my shooting is 150 yards or under so I do not feel the need for a scope on my big game rifles.
My Remington 511 has a Leupold 4x on it, for now. It might be replaced by a New England peep soon.
I like how a rifle feels and carries without a scope.
For after market sights I like New England GunWorks, Lyman and Redfield.
Andy
 
I really like iron sights and shoot them all the time in matches, as they are required, but optics such as a good red dot are faster and under some circumstances easier to shoot more accurately.

A huge advantage to optics is you don't have to get your aged eye to focus on a <too close> front sight post.

Given unlimited choice, overall my favorite sighting method is the Aimpoint t-1 w/ 2 MOA dot.
 
Bought my AR-15 about a year ago and have been tempted many times to add some optics. Problem is every couple of weeks when I get out to the range, I really enjoy the simplicity of the iron sights. Range has a few 100 yard lanes, have got it zeroed in well and am satisfied with my groupings. Although I enjoy looking at AR's with all the added furniture, my simple rifle gives me all the enjoyment I need. Temptation is gone and iron sights are all I need.
 
SwaneeSR said:
I was at the range last year sighting in my deer rifle. Guy pulls up next to me with a beautiful AR rig. After setting up and the discussing all the features with the rangemaster, it turned out the batteries were dead on the optics package. No spare batteries. No backup sites. He packed up and went for home.

No such problem with iron sites. Seems like backup sites are a good idea on an AR.

Lever guns are usually best with iron sites. But my eyes are not as young as they used to be.
Click to expand...
Most scopes do not need batteries, and I believe some still have cross hairs when batteries die.

I don't have any with batteries, but I like scopes because it extends the hunting time, for the must active times.

I like my peep sights on my lever. I haven't shot anything with it, but I bought it for walking around middle of the day.

I like peniciln too.
 
I like iron sights just fine for anything under 100 yards. Beyond that, I'll take a scope. I have a scope (old school, no batteries) on my .22WMR, but everything else has the original iron sights.
 
I can shoot irons just fine, well enough to hit deer size game in good light to at least 200 and probably 300 yards. But a decent scope simply does EVERYTHING better and will cost less than QUALITY irons.

Scopes aren't just useful for long range shooting. A low powered scope is faster to get on target with at ranges close enough to leave powder burns than irons. They work far, far better in low light and a modern, quality scope has never failed to work for me. Can't say the same about irons.

A decent quality 1-4X scope costing $200-$300 is about as good as it gets.
 
I always thought scopes were boring. Almost any shooter can slap a decent scope on a rifle (or handgun) and hit something. Using sights is a challenge and more rewarding. I have never owned a firearm with any type of scope on it and I never will, although I have shot with them before. Scopes are for the weak :neener:
 
I enjoy irons-only for some things, and set my AR's up around fixed irons, but for a rifle that'll be used in low light, I'll have an Aimpoint Micro. I'll also take irons over any low quality optics.

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It depends on what I'm trying to accomplish with a rifle whether I want a scope or not. I grew up without any scopes except the el cheapo models that came on Marlin 60's or something like that. They have their uses but irons give you advantages in some ways. Mostly they are better for hitting moving targets or targets that are too close for a scope. I've had a squirrel climb down a tree next to where I was standing and sniff the end of my rifle barrel to see what it was. I had got there before dawn and they didn't know what to make of me. It was pretty bad because I couldn't see that squirrel at all to aim. I had to look around the rifle at the thing. The scope was useless and it was blocking the iron sights on that rifle. I have only killed one squirrel with a scope since then and it was at about 45 yards. It still seemed like taking candy from a baby to nail a squirrel that was sitting still. It takes a lot of the challenge out of hunting to be honest.

I also took the scope off of my Savage 110 30.06 because we had a lot of bears around the house at the time. I wanted something to reach out and smack a bear that I thought was a real problem and I didn't want to be found wanting if it charged me. You can't really see a charging bear through a scope. Mostly I just keep a 12 ga. handy with Brenneke Black Magic slugs in it but the range is limited on a shotgun. If I had a bear chasing the family pet 50 yards away I'd want that 30.06 with no scope in my hands. The bears have already killed at least one of our cats and maybe 2. They killed a squirrel in my yard too. I don't want to shoot a bear but I don't want them killing my pets either. I was there before the bears were. The gubmit turned a bunch of them loose in the area 40 years after I lived there which was pretty much all my life.

Scopes do have their uses though. So do red dots although I actually prefer a laser. You can shoot from the hip with a laser. And you can shoot from behind cover while watching from a different location than where your rifle is. If that laser beam is on a target that target is going to get hit.
 
Did you leave a reward out for the bear who the squirrel?

I have to wonder if some of this is just old people? Life can improve. We didn't have lots of stuff when I was a kid, that I enjoy now.
 
I didn't have scopes growing up and didn't have them in Nam.

Later on, I had one mounted on a Weatherby 300 Mag which I used for longer shots while hunting out West.

Now, I just have one mounted on my Tikka 6.55x55SE for longer range shooting.
My Colt 6920 is without a scope or Red Dot just like in the old days. I doubt I'll be buying any because my hunting days are over.
 
I have to wonder if some of this is just old people?
Click to expand...

Maybe it's people who were raised to think a scope was a crutch. And yes I was but I have plenty of them anyway. Maybe us "old people" just know some things some younger people don't know. I bet you wouldn't own a standard transmission either. Wow the fun you've missed.
 
I use high end optics for long range shooting, and I use a holographic sight for work use, where I need quick target acquisition in low light.

But, aside from those uses, I'm still quite partial to iron sights. I particularly enjoy iron aperture sights, and still enjoy shooting my AR-15 A2 better than my others. Lets face it, iron sights are hard to damage, they don't fog up, they don't have batteries that die, and they're lightweight.

My biggest gripe with guns these days is that many of them simply aren't equipped with quality iron sights.
 
I still run nothing but irons on my patrol rifle. I have a scope on a bolt gun I use for plinking and thats only because it didnt come with irons. For my '73 lever, there is something nostalgic about flipping up the rear ladder sight and dialing in a shot over 100 yards on steel. Scopes are nice, and I'll definitely acquire more, but irons will always be my first love.
 
My new AR has very solid low mounted iron sights with rear a flipping peep. I really like that setup. While better than useless dot sight they are inferior to quality 1-4x scope.
 
Cee Zee said:
Maybe it's people who were raised to think a scope was a crutch. And yes I was but I have plenty of them anyway. Maybe us "old people" just know some things some younger people don't know. I bet you wouldn't own a standard transmission either. Wow the fun you've missed.
Click to expand...
I started without scopes. But I am not afraid of technolgy either. Though I jut got a smart phone last year.

I wouldn't have a standard for day to driving, only a hotrod. I've got 3 bikes, so I understand how they work. I don't have any kickstarts anymore, and both my trucks are fuel injected with disc brakes.

I like to hunt. People with iron sights usually go in earlier. Though using binoculars you can add time to your hunt. If you are not afraid of those too.

I haven't shot enough big bucks, to let some go. I had mylever with a peep and scoped 30-06 in my blind two years ago, when the buck that ran through the day before ran in again, I grabbed the scope.
 
I prefer the challenge of iron sights. Also I secretly enjoy a group as good or better than the young AR guy next to me at the local range when that happens. Most of my shooting is done at less than 200 yards and I am not a hunter. Iron sights and old milsurp a for me!
 
If your not hunting, then it really doesn't matter what you use, unless it is competition.
 
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