legit way to mount these backup iron sights?

[Jayne]

I've never actually used backup iron sights on an AR, my previous build was a long range setup with lots of glass and no irons at all.

Is it legit to put the irons in FRONT of the red dot (and magnifier in this case)? If I put the irons on the way back like I see others doing it I get terrible eye relief on the magnifier making it almost useless and the red dot mount ends up right in the 'break' in the rail where the receiver joins the handguard so I can't put it where I want either. I can see the irons through the red dot even with them in front like that. I mean, they are "backup", right?

And yes, I close the rear flip cap on the red dot, I just have to move the magnifier out of the way first.

 

[JRHorne]

No, why would you do that? Buy a cantilever mount for your red dot, move your magnifier up two rail slots, and mount the folding sight on the back.

Think about how hard it will be to see through the rear aperature to acquire the front post... Could it technically work? Sure. Is it a good idea or effective? No.

 

[Jayne]

No, why would you do that? Buy a cantilever mount for your red dot, move your magnifier up two rail slots, and mount the folding sight on the back.

I kinda don't want everything hanging off sideways.

Think about how hard it will be to see through the rear aperature to acquire the front post... Could it technically work? Sure. Is it a good idea or effective? No.

AKs have their rear sight half way down the rifle, so I was figuring this might work.

 

[JRHorne]

What do you mean hanging off sideways? You mean when you flip your magnifier out of the way? That is a vortex magnifier, which means it comes with the nice mount perfect for easily folding it over when you need to use your sights. This is how you want it done. See the red dot has a cantilever mount to get it out in front of the magnifier, but still mount it on the receiver instead of the rail. Then the BUIS is folded below the magnifier. Need the irons? Flip the magnifier to the side, flip irons up, and use them through the glass on your red dot.

 

[JRHorne]

AKs have their rear sight half way down the rifle, so I was figuring this might work.

Also, when you want us to take you serious with regard to a question about sights and accuracy, don't reference how an AK does things!

 

[Catfish]

Cantilever mounts aren't sideways, that's an offset mount.

 

[JRHorne]

Cantilever mounts aren't sideways, that's an offset mount.

Shit, didn't even think that's what he meant when he said sideways. But absolutely, thanks Catfish.

 

[GymB]

What has already been said, and you should replace the mount for the sight anyway as it’s poorly aligned with the magnifier.

 

[Flashpoint]

Cantilever mounts aren't sideways, that's an offset mount.

No one said a cantilever mount was sideways, it was just to move the red dot forward.

 

[maven]

personally, i would run the red dot as far forward on the receiver as possible. mount mbus as far back as possible, put magnifier where ever best for your preferred eye relief based on slots left. the minor distance change between red dot and magnifier will not make a difference and you get a better non-magnified sight picture with the dot further out.

 

[NKD]

Or just throw magnifier away, lol.

 

[Ikarus1]

Yep. Put them behind and under the magnifier. You want as much sight plane as you can get.

 

[Sneakymedic]

 

[Catfish]

No one said a cantilever mount was sideways, it was just to move the red dot forward.

Post #3

 

[Flashpoint]

Post #3

I sit corrected.

 

[nchunt101]

How much do you use the maginfier? If you use it frequently consider selling both it and the red dot and get a 1-4/1-6 power scope with an illumintated reticle/true 1 power and a good q/d mount (if you really want to keep the irons). I have allways struggled the few times I have used a magnifier and would own one.

 

[Jayne]

What do you mean hanging off sideways? You mean when you flip your magnifier out of the way?

No, I was thinking offset. Too early for me to be posting.

So the good news is... I have a different mount with a different red dot in it. One of these two ends up on dad's new rifle, he just doesn't know which yet because I just said "yes, I have a vortex red dot you can use". Didn't say which model.

Our choices are....

A)


B)


or the ever popular C) "all of the above"


I still don't like the eye relief with the mbus mounted in the back like that but I'll have to adapt because that's as far back as it can be. I'm not used to 556, it's not going to whack me in the eye with recoil like my bolt guns would.

And tossing the magnifier is always an option, but my eyes are getting bad and I can't even _see_ the 200 or 250 yard gongs anymore with irons much less hit them.

 

[Jayne]

How much do you use the maginfier?

I have never used the magnifier, and in fact have exactly 0 rounds through an AR with a red dot. My AR used to be treated like a bolt gun, lots of glass, long heavy barrel, bipod, fired from the bench or prone. My goal here is to set this thing up with maximum flexibility and then go take a class and see what works, what needs to be removed and if anything makes sense to add.

 

[SLM]

Yeah, it can work w/ the rear sight mounted forward, so long as you are content to use the large app on the rear. It may not be ideal, but it'll work. the Dutch Marines have done this for years w/ the Elcan mounted on the older full-szed C7A1 and on the older C8s.

 

[Jayne]

I think I'm going with option B. It explicitly says that mount is the right height for the magnifier with the strikefire. Also, dad's rifle is really light weight so the smaller sparc II will match up to that theme better. He was also talking about a riser to help with a better cheek weld, so the ability to put the lower mount on the sparc II may match up for him better.

 

[JRHorne]

I'd definitely go with B. Looks perfect to me.

 

[jmccracken1214]

Also, when you want us to take you serious with regard to a question about sights and accuracy, don't reference how an AK does things!

An AK is also a notch rear sight and not a peep hole. Trying to see through a peep hole that far forward would be tough and almost pointless.

 

[Burt Gummer]

No, I was thinking offset. Too early for me to be posting.

So the good news is... I have a different mount with a different red dot in it. One of these two ends up on dad's new rifle, he just doesn't know which yet because I just said "yes, I have a vortex red dot you can use". Didn't say which model.

Our choices are....

A)
View attachment 26058

B)
View attachment 26059

or the ever popular C) "all of the above"
View attachment 26060

I still don't like the eye relief with the mbus mounted in the back like that but I'll have to adapt because that's as far back as it can be. I'm not used to 556, it's not going to whack me in the eye with recoil like my bolt guns would.

And tossing the magnifier is always an option, but my eyes are getting bad and I can't even _see_ the 200 or 250 yard gongs anymore with irons much less hit them.

I want to shoot it with option C in place

 

[Jayne]

I want to shoot it with option C in place

I did turn both dots on just for grins, you could see both of them (since neither is zeroed they didn't line up).

It's all setup with Option B now, will take it to the range tomorrow and get everything zeroed.

 

[SLM]

An AK is also a notch rear sight and not a peep hole. Trying to see through a peep hole that far forward would be tough and almost pointless.

Not entirely true. Check out the Krebbs ghost ring rear app for the AK series. My son has one on his Arsenal AK74, in 5.45x39 and it's death on a cracker on past 150m. It's mated to an XS tritium front sight, a perfect AK open sight combo, the only way to go on an AK...His AK74 with this sight arrangement held shot for shot with my 20" A4 @150m.