AR15 rear flip up sight with front fixed sight

je25ff

je25ff

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So I'm just the barrel guard and gas tube away from completing my first functional AR build. I opted to keep the fixed front sight but am shopping for a rear flip up. There may come a day where I grind off the front sight and put a new gas block on though.

My problem is that I can't stand the M1/AR rear ring sight and prefer the AK type open notch sight. Does anyone else have a mounted open rear sight for their AR that would work with a fixed front sight? I'd be OK with a ring sight like the M1 if it were larger perhaps.
 
Have you used dual aperture M16A2 rear sights? There is both a small aperture "0-800 meters aperture" and a large aperture "limited visibility and moving target aperture".
 
Terrence said:
Have you used dual aperture M16A2 rear sights? There is both a small aperture "0-800 meters aperture" and a large aperture "limited visibility and moving target aperture".
Click to expand...

Another good point. I just checked some of those and the larger aperture might work too.

This might work
images
 
I'm still getting used to the ar sights. I'm used to hand guns and the sight system on mosins. I've noticed I have to think more with my ar . More trigger time will help .
But I like that sight the person linked .
 
je25ff said:
Just a personal preference that's all. I always feel like I can't see the entire target.
Click to expand...

I can't imagine that you can't see the entire target with a large aperture. Unless the target is 10 yards away, in which case you just sight over the rear sight.

Either way, your concern doesn't frankly sound valid. I'm pushing back so hard because I've never known anyone who didn't find aperture sights to be faster and more accurate than tangent sights.
In fact, most handgun shooters who I've introduced to an AR sight say something like "oh my god. This is so easy".

Don
 
dcmdon said:
I can't imagine that you can't see the entire target with a large aperture. Unless the target is 10 yards away, in which case you just sight over the rear sight.

Either way, your concern doesn't frankly sound valid. I'm pushing back so hard because I've never known anyone who didn't find aperture sights to be faster and more accurate than tangent sights.
In fact, most handgun shooters who I've introduced to an AR sight say something like "oh my god. This is so easy".

Don
Click to expand...

That's why I was sure to say personal preference. There's always that guy who says someone's preference or opinion isn't valid [laugh]

Edit: For some reason I have a hard time seeing a good sight picture with the small ring rear sight. Not sure why, but I just like seeing a larger picture of the target. Just an idiosyncrasy. Also, my intent is to make a carbine for CQ out to 200 yards or so. I can acquire and shoot far better with an AK open sight than I can with my Colt Match Target rear ring sight or my Garand.
 
Last edited:
Well, some times personal preference is because of poor equipment selection or bad technique.

I don't know your experience, maybe you were a marine corps sniper. But I'd suggest you give a larger rear aperture a try. The beauty of this is you can get excellent accuracy and precision with even a large aperture. Your brain naturally centers the front sight post in the center of the aperture and you don't even notice the aperture. So you aren't really even lining two things up. You just look through the aperture and put the post on the target.

Also, if you are shooting with both eyes open, you can still see the target even with a tiny rear aperture. This is the proper way to shoot in close. As you get farther away it becomes more debatable.

To do this, you need to be shooting with your dominant eye. So again, it comes down to proper equipment selection and technique.

Don
 
If you are serious, then you have demonstrated that you are not using the sights correctly. Your nose should be on the charging handle. With your eye so close to the aperture it completely disappears. When you also figure in that your weak eye is open to give a complementary view, you can see the entire target with no obstructions.

Here's another interesting experiment. If you have a dot sight, take the lens cap off the end facing your face, but leave the cap on the far end. Turn on the sight and shoulder the rifle. With both eyes open, amazingly, you can see right "through" the lens cap. Your brain superimposes the image from your weak eye into place and the dot actually appears on the point of impact.

So again, if you are shooting with both eyes open and even if you are using the sights incorrectly like in the photo above, you will see all of your target.

There is a reason that every rifle intended to be used for accurate aimed fire made in the last 100 years has had an aperture sight.
This includes
US 1917
M1 Garand
M1 Carbine
M16
M4
FN FAL
FN SCAR
HK MP5

I don't mean this disrespectfully, but go get yourself a copy of "The Gun". It's got a tremendous amount of information about the development of the AK as well as the philosophy behind why it was designed the way it was.
 
This is what an AR sight picture should look like. You are looking through the rear aperture, not at it:



This is what it looks like if your nose isn't on the charging handle. And in this case, I agree completely with your point, it blocks a lot of your vision. But if you get forward that goes away.

 

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