M4A3 Optics Help

[Werewolf]

I bought a Bushmaster M4A3 about a month ago planning to mount a Red Dot on it after I got used to the irons.

Well this weekend I popped off the carry handle and popped on a Red Dot I had laying around.

NO JOY! Why? Because the front sight rises up thru 80% of the sight. I need to get that Red Dot raised up about and inch. Done a search on Midway USA for risers, lifters, extensions etc and came up blank.

So how can I get that Red Dot up higher? Since I eventually plan to get an EOTECH sight and the mounting looks the same it wouldn't work either without a riser of some type.

Is there a solution? If so please share...

 

[Chris Rhines]

What kind of red dot?

The solution for the EOTech is:
1.) Mount the EOTech.
2.) Shoot.

If you stay focused on the dot or the target and keep both your eyes open, you'll never notice the front sight tower.

- Chris

 

[simmonsguns]

On most red-dots you need a riser.about 1 inch.
GG&G has them but there are others that cost less and work the same.
If you are using a holo-sight frame,than a 1 inch works.If you are using an ML2,than aim-point has there own riser.
Even if your battery's go down you can still use the red-dot can as a sight if it lines up with your iron sights.

 

[10-Ring]

Another vote for EOTECH I've been working on my own AR project for a while and came across the combo of A4, standard front, folding rear & EOTECH 512...works well!

 

[Dacoda]

...and THIS was the exact reason I bought the flat top... and just ordered the front sight and carry handle seperatley. go me, go me.

Sorry

goodluck with the EOTech.. I've used them before. they kick SOOO much booty!

 

[Matt-man]

The EOtech was designed so the dot coincides with the front sight post when it's mounted on a flat top. If you want it raised higher, you will find purpose-built EOtech risers from LaRue, YHM, GG&G, Rock River, and others. You should also be able to find generic riser blocks from the same manufacturers - YHM in particular comes to mind.

 

[Raygun]

When I use a red dot on my AR15, which isn't often, I use a cheapo BSA RD30, in conjunction with a YHM 4" Rail Riser, and that puts the red dot directly in line for co-witnessing with the iron sights.

So far I really haven't found a reason to replace this combo with a more expensive setup (it works perfectly), but I guess that doesn't mean I won't find a reason eventually. The red dot stays on the riser at all times, I just pop the whole thing off and put the scope (in an Armalite mount) on in its place.

 

[Werewolf]

Hmmmm....

Me no communicate well. Just so there is no confusion the M4A3 I've got has the removable carry handle and turns into a flat top. With the Red Dot mounted (it has built in mount - no rings) the front sight rises to a height that almost bisects the view. The front sight blocks the view of what ever I might be aiming at except for a small area near the top.

I will check into the risers mentioned. I think that might do the trick.

That said - I've looked at the EOTECHs in catalogs and at the gun shop I go to. They don't (at least to me) appear to mount on their come with mounts any higher than the Red Dot I've got. Am I missing something here?

 

[Raygun]

First, what brand/model of red dot sight do you have? That info might help us figure out what kind of additional equipment you need to mount the sight the way you want it.

The BSA red dot I have has its own built-in mount (no rings) and is mounted to the YHM Riser Rail, then the riser rail is mounted directly to the flat top receiver. That way the red dot lines up perfectly with my iron sights when they are flipped up. (Looking through the irons puts the dot right at the tip of the front sight post, or what someone decided to call "co-witnessed" sights). If your rifle has a standard fixed front sight block, this should work the same way.

The YHM Riser Rail will lift your red dot up half an inch off of the AR15 flat top rail. But if you want the red dot mounted higher above the front sight block (so that the FSB interferes a bit less with your line of sight), Tapco sells a riser that should do the trick. I wouldn't recommend this; it'll probably ruin your cheek weld to the stock (meaning you'll have to raise your head significantly off of the stock to line up your red dot with the target).

As far as the EOTech HWS goes, I've never mounted one, so I don't know how it will line up with the FSB.

 

[Matt-man]

Me no communicate well. Just so there is no confusion the M4A3 I've got has the removable carry handle and turns into a flat top. With the Red Dot mounted (it has built in mount - no rings) the front sight rises to a height that almost bisects the view. The front sight blocks the view of what ever I might be aiming at except for a small area near the top.

D'oh, I read the part about the front sight tower blocking 80% of your field of view, and it didn't register. You definitely need some type of riser. The red dots I've used (Tasco ProPoint and similar) were designed to mount as low as possible. That height is not optimal on a flat top AR - you want the center of the tube to at least be as high as the rear sight.

The EOtech is taller than most tube-style red dot sights, due to the batteries & electronics being underneath the window. I tried an M4-type rifle with an EOtech mounted on it, and the dot lined up with the tip of the front sight post. The risers mentioned above are intended to put the front sight a little lower in the view of the optic.