Rear Sight
Red Dot Sights For Rifles
Red dot or ‘reflex’ sighting systems now dominate civilian action shooting and are standard issue in the West’s armed forces. Three manufactures have taken the lead and now dominate the marketplace; each taking a different approach to the problem of rapid target engagement and survivability on battlefields across the world.
The Swedish manufacturer Aimpoint opted for an almost indestructible ‘tube’ design in a range of red dot sights that are parallax from 50 meters out making the firer’s head position all but irrelevant. Aimpoint have a wide variety of sizes and dot minute of angle diameters to suit different shooting applications. The US Army having standardized the Aimpoint CompM2 as its M68 is now purchasing the improved CompM4s model. Note the lower case ‘s’ in the manuracturer’s designation. Aimpoints have a narrower field of view with rear mounted night vision, but much greater battery lives than the holographic sights – in the case of the new CompM4 up to eight years! Most Aimpoints are non magnifying, but you can add a quick detachable, flip-to-side magnifier to convert your Aimpoint into a 3X scope and back again in an instant. This covers a huge spectrum of engagment. Aimpoints allow ‘co-witnessing’ of iron sights to provide a back up in the highly unlikely event that the unit should fail. Alternatives such as canted iron sights are also available as are see-through mounts, although these tend to mount the sight too high for correct cheek weld. Although some Aimpoints come with integral mounts, most can take an astonishing variety of mounts making them suitable for a vast spectrum of applications.
Eotech take a radically different approach by employing a jet fighter style HUD with an aiming point projected to infinity. This makes for parallax free aiming at all distances and extremely fast target acquisition regardless of head position. Multi-dot reticles are available to match the trajectory of the .223 Remington (5.56x45mm NATO) and .308 Winchester (7.62X51mm NATO) rounds. The Eotechs will display the entire reticle even if all but a small part of the sighting window is obstructed or even if it is entirely shattered. The Eotechs don’t lend themselves to having their optics protected from the elements. A aftermarket set of flip up lens covers is available but it adds three ounces to the weight of the sight and doesn’t seal as well as the flip ups on the Aimpoints. Holographic Weapon Sights use up batteries far faster than Aimpoints, with battery lives limited to hundreds rather than tens of thousands of hours – an automatic cut off is provided set to eight hours and user configurable to four. Whilst sometimes considered less robust than Aimpoints, Eotechs are very rugged. Eotech HWS have been adopted by the United States Special Operations Command and a number of famous US Army units including the 1st Stryker Brigade and 3rd Infantry and 10th Mountain Divisions. Eotech boosted the water proofing depth from 33 to 66 feet for USSOCOM with sights tested to that depth for days without losing function. Eotechs have been adopted by the Royal Navy as the sighting system for Dillon 7.62mm Miniguns mounted on their warships and auxiliaries. Again a flip-to-side magnifier can be purchased – Aimpoint and Eotech magnifiers being effectively interchangeable. Some Eotechs include 7mm risers to aid night vision compatibility and the co-witnessing of iron sights. These models often have ‘cantilevered’ front ends to go over AR15 delta rings. The majority of Eotech’s HWS are NV compatible – the latest having side mounted NV and brightness buttons to allow very close coupling of NV and magnifiers Eotechs come ready to fit Weaver and Picatinny rails – you can opt for bolt, thumb screw or ARMS type quick release levers from ARMS. Eotech offer the alternative of CR123 or AA batteries in the full size models. The 557 with G.23FTS magnifier is a good example of an Eotech Holographic Weapon Sight.
Trijicon offer a huge range of sights to cater for applications from close combat up to long range sniping and crew-served weapon sighting. ACOGs magnify like scopes and like them are subject to a small amount of parralax error at very short distances. Magnification enables target identification and engagement at far greater ranges. The magnification of the higher mag ACOGs may make both eyes open CQB shooting problematic, but Trijicon solved this problem by offering back-up iron sights and small red dot units to mount on the ACOG’s body. The British Army went down this route with the ACOG they adopted for their new L129A1 sharpshooters’ rifle. The US Marines have also opted for the ACOG as their standard optic with two units calibrated for the M4 carbine and flat-top M16A4 rifle. The M4 carbine variant is the TA31RCO-M4CP. A key advantage of the ACOG is its non-reliance on batteries, relying on a tritium light source for night use and, in the models with a bright daylight aiming point, a fiber-optic light gatherer. ACOGs can be had in M16 carrying handle, Weaver or Picatinny rail versions – cleverly the sights are made in carrying handle configuration and either screw or lever QD Weaver or Picatinny mounts then added for maximum versatility.
Aimpoint, Eotech and Trijicon ACOG sights have replaced iron sights throughout the US military, increasing effectiveness and driving up qualification scores. They are all excellent but expensive, so deciding which one to purchase is a non-trivial decision. A flip up magnifier will add immensely to its versatility. You need to decide how detachable the sight needs to be and whether you will be using it with iron sights and/or NV or a magnifier as this will dictate the model of sight and mount options. ACOGs offer magnification in a rugged compact package at the cost of some loss of close range capability in the higher magnification models. The close combat potential of the ACOG can be dramatically increased by opting for a model with back up iron sights built in or mounting a red dot on top. Another approach is to go for a lower magnification ACOG (models down to 1.5X are offered). If you’re looking to replace a higher powered scope the higher magnification ACOGs make excellent replacements. These higher magnification models really benefit from an RMR back up red dot sight for closer engagements.
Whichever sight you go for you can be assured you have picked one of the best battle sights available today.
Copyright. Chris Pieterman 2010.
AR15 Buyers Guide: Rear Sights
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Coach Meets Railroad Photo Mugs The Stagecoach and its Nemesis – the horses rear at their first sight of an IRON horse… …. |
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Martini rifle Photo Mugs Martini rifle, half stocked with steel trigger guard and butt plate. Martini action. The barrel is made of steel with leaf rear sight and blade foresight on ramp. The calibre is 0.22in. This is a Martini Henry 1882 rifle converted to a Martini Enfield 303 Artillery Carbine Mark I in 1888 and then converted for the National Rifle Association by W W Greener. This firearm could possibly have been use… |
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Mauser Model 1893 Photo Mugs Mauser rifle. It is virtually fully stocked to the muzzle and fitted with a sling. Bolt action lock ( the bolt is missing) The barrel is steel with leaf rear sight and blade foresight. It has a cut off magazine. The calibre is 7.65mm….. |
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Afternoon Delight $10.47 20 tracks…. |
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Amelie $9.71 This international hit from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, co-director of “The City of Lost Children,” features Audrey Tautou as the title character, a lonely young waitress at a Parisian cafe whose life is changed when she discovers a box of old photos and toys. After tracking down the owner of the box and helping him reconcile with his son, Amelie sets out to help others living near her. But can she help h… |
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Episode Two $1.99 … |
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Galant $1.99 … |
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AR15 / M4 Front and Rear Sight Combo – A2 Style $39.95 … |
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Ameriglo Smith & Wesson M&P Rear Sight Installer Tool. Model # SW Tool 12 $114.57 Pro model, for installing Smith & Wesson M&P rear sights, Perfect for gunsmith, police department… |
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Ventra Pack 2-in-1 Chest Pack / Slim Shoulder Sling Messenger Bag $64.95 VentraPack positions frequently used accessories within sight so you don’t waste time un-strapping and removing your backpack to find your camera, sun-block, etc. while on the move. A zipper releases a drop-down work surface with a map window and comprehensive organizer to store items internally; optional modular exterior pouches are available to hold larger contents. How it works: VentraPack’s 4 … |