Which sight to introduce newbie to an XM15?

[bushmaster1313]

My 223 flat top XM15 has a 4X Leupold post that I like very much

I want to take some real newbies (50 year old men and women who have never held a gun) to the range and was wondering what the best scope would be

Leave the 4X leupold

Replace the leupold with the flip up iron sites I took off

Get a cheap 1X red dot

I will start them off with my 22 Henry lever. It has a 2X cross hair reticle scope

Any thoughts?

Should I skip the Henry?

 

[dgjester]

i'm assuming that the flip up sights are aperture sights, so i'm gonna have to vote for them. i was introduced to shooting on iron sights, and i plan on teaching others with them

 

[briansmithwins]

Depends on what the purpose of the exercise is: If you're trying to teach basics, iron sights are the way to go. If it's trying to get them hitting targets faster, go with the red dots.

With 50 year olds you may find that their eyes don't work as well as an 18 year old recruit's would. In that case, optics are the way to go.

BSW

 

[atmay]

For a "this is shooting, isn't it fun?" kind of range session -- a low/no magnification optic of some sort. The first time I ever shot (outside of scout camp) was an AR with a red-dot...and it was fun as all hell.

For actual instruction....iron sights.

 

[Silvanus]

Since it's their first time shooting it should be as fun an memorable as possible. I think they will have more fun with good optics that make it easier to get better results. Later on if they seriously want to get into shooting, irons are a good start to learn the basics.

 

[jmorris]

Having no idea what you intend to use for targets or at what distance, makes it a bit more difficult to make a good recommendation. If the targets are close and rather large, like what you would want for new shooters, the simple red dot is a good choice. Reactive targets like balloons or old milk jugs full of water are good. There is no alignment or eye relief issues or people with glasses having problems focusing. Keep it simple for maximum fun., “Center the dot on the target and squeeze the trigger.”, doesn’t get any easier.

 

[Hatterasguy]

Red dot like an Eotech popping water bottles, cans, old milk jugs, and melons at 25 yards. Get the new shooters interested and having fun first, than they can buy their own rifles and learn how to really shoot.